It’s been a fun couple of weeks in yoga class. We are doing an 8-week course using yoga to explore how this whole-body modality can make us stronger, calmer and more joyous. Really interesting for me to dig up slightly different asanas, pranayama and different meditations that complement our goal. And feel free to join us any time, the loveliest thing about yoga is that it’s perfect for everyone at every stage of their life, health and fitness.

Outside our yoga world, we have had a very exciting Election Day. If you do watch TV, you would have been inundated with the media hype and slating of political parties through catchy ads and photos of the opposition in compromised, ugly portraits. And no one ever makes anything clear, just lots of obscure promises and references to issues the parties think we all know and care about. A nice pie chart showing where the money is spent, perhaps, or a graph explaining why we are suddenly looming on the edge of a recession might help the stressed, time-poor voters make a decent decision. Even better, if we compared that same pie chart to previous promises to gauge how those promises were ever fulfilled – that would be interesting. But what has this got to do with yoga?

Lots. If you listen behind the hype and have a bit of time to do some investigation, you’ll realise that there are lots of lies. Now, lying is a very interesting phenomenon in the world of yoga: yoga teachers, kinesiologists and energy healers maintain that those who regularly lie eventually pay a terrible price with their bodies. And we won’t go into their spiritual futures. That’s between the liar and God. No, if we stick to the physical body: a life of lies, untruths, and slimy intentions (not white lies, we all have to be kind) eventually play out in your body. 

So, what does lying do to your body? Researchers proved that telling major lies regularly creates lots of internal stress, which then manifests as a whole host of medical problems: headaches, sore throats, tenseness and anxiety. With regards to your brain, imaging studies show that lying activates the limbic system in the brain, the ‘fight or flight response. When people are being honest, this area of the brain shows minimal activity, but when telling a lie, it lights up like a fireworks display – a dishonest brain is frantic. Sociopaths lack empathy and therefore do not exhibit a typical physiological response when lying. 

Truth enhances our body, mind and soul and makes us strong. Lying challenges the electrical and muscular balance of your body, and it becomes weaker. As Buddha stated: “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” 

Margot Wagner
 Yoga Under the Bodhi Tree

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