February – The Power of Speech

Where does speech lead us? Why is speech considered powerful enough to be called a goddess or “the devi”? Explore the nuances of your own power of speech with these reflections from the Yasodhara Yoga Spokane group.

AUDIO

In exploring speech, Swami Radha asks us questions for reflection. Is language, the Devi of Speech, a pathway to freedom, to liberation? What is the relationship of language to the universe? Listen to the audio.

REFLECTIONS

Mantra, being the highest form of speech, can be used with any of these reflections to open to intuition.

  1. Listen before you speak. Ask, do I listen? How is what is happening to me influencing what I hear? What needs to be said? What is behind the need to speak?
  2. Repeat this line from the Divine Mother Prayer throughout the day: “May all my speech and idle talk be mantra.” Bring to mind the mantra as much as you can. Reflect on what you experienced. What did you learn?
  3. Do a mind watch for 10 minutes. Then chant for 10 minutes. Then do another mind watch. How have your thoughts changed? (Kundalini Yoga for the West, p. 123)
  4. Chant a mantra. Ask, why is speech so powerful? What is the purpose of speech? (Living the Practice, p. 185)
  5. Can the mind understand the knowing of the heart? What is speech of the heart? How do you experience it? (Kundalini Yoga for the West, p. 228)
  6. “On top of the Mountain there is a wider vision. Everything diminishes to its proper size and loses its exaggerated importance.” (Hatha Yoga the Hidden Language, p. 60-1)Do Tadasana, Mountain pose. Stand still and bring to mind a challenging situation. Write about it.Repeat the pose. Can you see the wider vision? How could you speak to it to broaden your perspective?
  7. Do Shavasana (the Corpse pose) or Halsasana (the Plough pose). Reflect on how thoughts reproduce like seeds. What do you want to plant in your mind? (Devi of Speech, p. 104)

February reflections were prepared by the Yasodhara Yoga Spokane teachers: Parvati, Deborah Rose, Sheila Thomsen, Jan Thorne, Faith Hayflich, Frances Becker, Swami Sukhananda and Swami Yasodananda.

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