Off the mat, self-study is woven into the choices we make, the conversations we have, the way we react when things don’t go our way. It’s in the books we read, the questions we ask, the moments of stillness where we pause and reflect.

Some ways to practice Svadhyaya in daily life:

In asana practice, Santosha is choosing presence over expectation. It’s being in a pose without forcing it to look a certain way. It’s dropping the comparison—whether to others in the room or to a past version of yourself—and simply being where you are, as you are.

But this practice extends far beyond the mat.

Beyond the mat, Isvara Pranidhana invites us to open to what is. Instead of resisting life’s twists and turns, we practice meeting them with grace.

We surrender the need to control. We surrender the pressure to have all the answers. We surrender to the unfolding of life—not because we are powerless, but because we are powerful enough to trust.