“Be Impeccable With Your Words.”
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
If you’ve taken any of my classes over the past three weeks, you know that I’ve been focusing my classes around the four agreements. They were written by Miguel Ruiz and have become a powerful tool for transformation for millions of people. Although they are not associated directly with yogic philosophy, I still find the agreements invaluable. I inevitably find myself returning to one or three of them many times throughout my day to be sure that I am living in alignment with my core values.
The first, “be impeccable with your words,” is appropriately placed as the first agreement because it is the best place to start. Change starts with us and if we expect others to treat us with respect and love, we must demonstrate love and respect through our words. We must be clear about what we are trying to communicate and contribute positive words to the world as much as possible. We can apply these principles on the mat by noticing our internal dialogue. Are we speaking kindly to ourselves? So often in a yoga class, it’s easy to look around and think to ourselves, “I can’t do that pose, I shouldn’t even try. I’m too tired, too weak, to fat, to old to do that. Of course my classmate can do that pose and I can’t.” and Blah Blah Blah…
Any of this sound familiar? Has this type of inner dialogue ever helped you? Does it make you feel good? Is it necessary?
The work begins inside. Practice being impeccable with your *thoughts* and likely impeccable words will follow. This is a habit we can only cultivate through practice.
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