The Art of Self-Study
Exploring Svadhyaya
There’s a part of us that’s always observing. Watching our thoughts. Noticing our reactions. Seeing patterns play out in our relationships, our habits, our inner dialogue.
This is Svadhyaya, the Niyama of self-study—a practice of looking inward, of deepening our understanding of ourselves so we can move through life with more awareness, more clarity, more choice.
Yoga isn’t just about moving the body. It’s also about learning who we are, beneath all the layers of conditioning, expectation, and distraction. Svadhyaya is an invitation to turn inward—to study the self, not to judge, but to truly see.
Who Are You When No One’s Watching?
It’s easy to define ourselves by what we do, what others think, or what we’ve achieved. But Svadhyaya asks deeper questions:
What do I believe?
What stories do I tell myself?
What patterns keep repeating in my life—and why?
Self-study isn’t about finding all the answers right away. It’s about becoming a little more aware, a little more curious, a little more willing to sit with the truth of who we are.
Svadhyaya on the Mat
Our yoga practice can be one of the most revealing mirrors.
Ever noticed how you respond when you fall out of a balance pose? When a pose isn’t available to you? When your mind starts wandering five minutes into savasana?
Svadhyaya in asana practice is about observing—noticing the thoughts that arise, the emotions that surface, the places where resistance lives. It’s about learning from our practice, rather than just doing it.
Some questions to explore:
Do I meet myself with kindness or criticism?
Do I push past my limits, or do I listen?
Am I present, or am I rushing ahead?
Yoga isn’t about “perfecting” postures. It’s about noticing who we are while we practice.
“When we practice self-study, we step into a place of greater freedom. We see our habits more clearly. We start to recognize the places where we hold ourselves back.”
Svadhyaya in Everyday Life
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:
Journaling—writing without editing, just to see what comes up
Observing your thoughts instead of believing them right away
Reading wisdom texts, philosophy, or poetry that sparks self-reflection
Paying attention to your patterns—what triggers you, what expands you, what repeats itself
When we practice self-study, we step into a place of greater freedom. We see our habits more clearly. We start to recognise the places where we hold ourselves back. And with that awareness comes power—the power to choose a different path, a different reaction, a different way of being.
Because at its core, Svadhyaya isn’t just about studying the self—it’s about meeting ourselves, again and again, with curiosity, compassion, and the willingness to grow.
Big love,
Dani xo
