Are you a truth teller?

Let me guess, you instinctively answered yes in your head and probably felt a little aggrieved at having your honesty questioned by some guy on the internet.

Fair.

But I’m not here to question your integrity. I want to widen the lens a little.

So let’s start again.

Are you telling yourself the truth?

Not the aspirational truth.
Not the “this is who I’m becoming” truth.
Not the version of you that exists in your head when you’re feeling motivated and inspired on a sun lounger somewhere.

I mean the actual truth as it is right now.

Because here’s what I’ve learned about Satya (truthfulness): it’s rarely dramatic. It rarely involves some big public declaration or banner-waving fanfare. Most of the time, it’s quiet. Slightly inconvenient. Mildly ego-bruising.

And you already know it.

It’s in the silent negotiations you have with yourself about whether you’ll do the thing or say the thing. It’s in the internal conflict between the right thing and the easy thing, which are rarely, if ever, the same.

We could get dark and existential here.

But let’s keep it light.

This particular truth involves the gym.

My Gym Truth

I’ve trained in gyms on and off for years. I generally know how to lift. I understand programming. I know the physical and mental benefits of moving my body and testing my strength.

And I know my why for heading to a concrete box full of sweaty individuals and heavy inanimate objects.

I want to be strong.
I want to preserve my body.
I want to teach yoga for decades without it breaking down.

All good reasons, I’m sure you’ll agree.

But you know, as well as I do, that knowing why you should do something and actually doing it consistently are two very different things.

And after years of personal development, coaching, and therapy, I know myself well enough to admit it.

I’m generally disciplined. If I say I’ll do something, I usually follow through. But I also know there are certain areas of my life where motivation alone isn’t enough.

Back to the gym — some days I don’t feel like going. Some days, the mental load of planning a workout — the exercises, the reps, the weight — feels like admin I can’t be bothered with.

And that’s usually where the stories begin:

“I’ll go tomorrow.”
“I’ll just do something quick at home.”
“Next week I’ll get serious.”

You know the script.

It’s like that cartoon image of the devil and the angel on your shoulder.

(And the devil often wins.)

So instead of pretending I was the kind of person who could “push through” indefinitely and build this new habit alone, I metaphorically pulled myself aside and told myself the truth.

I need to reduce the friction.

I need to be able to turn up and be told what to do.
I need accountability here.

Not everywhere.

Just here.

Reducing the Friction

Armed with that truth, I stopped the internal conflict and hired a personal trainer.

Same time. Same place. Twice a week. Whether I show up or not, I pay.

Decision fatigue removed.

Now there’s no daily debate. No negotiation. Just an indefinite recurring item in my calendar.

And I’ve been consistent for over a year.

Not because I suddenly became more disciplined.
Not because I unlocked some hidden well of willpower.

But because I stopped lying to myself about what works for me.

That’s Satya.

It’s not glamorous. It’s not poetic. It’s not posting “live your truth” over a moody black-and-white photo while quietly beating yourself up inside.

It’s looking at yourself honestly and saying:

“Right. This is who I actually am.”

Instead of constantly judging yourself against who you think you should be.

That’s what I used to do.

Ego in Disguise

As a life coach, I help people get clarity. As a yoga teacher, I talk about discipline, alignment, and living intentionally.

So there’s a version of me that could easily have said (and often did say):

“You should be able to sort this out alone.”

But lying to myself based on an identity I thought I had to conform to wouldn’t have been integrity.

It would have been ego.

And ego is very good at disguising itself as principle.

If I’d kept telling myself, “You’re a coach, you should know better,” I’d probably still be in the same stop-start cycle. Starting strong. Falling off, feeling frustrated, and promising to do better next month.

That internal friction?

That’s what it feels like when you’re out of alignment with your own truth.

The Real Meaning of Satya

Satya isn’t just about not lying to other people.

It’s about removing the gap between what you know and how you behave. I explore this more deeply in my Satya workshops — not as abstract philosophy, but as lived practice.

It’s about aligning your systems with your reality instead of clinging to a fantasy about who you think you should be.

Sometimes that truth stretches you.

Sometimes it humbles you.

Sometimes it reveals that you don’t actually want the goal you say you’re striving towards.

And sometimes — like in my case — it simply shows you that you don’t lack discipline.

You lack the structure you need to get that particular thing done.

There’s a strange freedom in that.

When you tell yourself the truth, you stop fighting yourself. You stop wasting energy trying to be someone you’re not. You can build around your real tendencies instead of constantly trying to override them.

That’s why the line “the truth will set you free” is so powerful when you really think about it.

Truth removes drama.
It removes shame.
It removes the endless self-negotiation.

It lets you make cleaner, more aligned decisions.

The Question

So here’s the question.

Where are you still telling yourself a half-truth?

Where are you saying, “One day I’ll just be more motivated,” instead of admitting you need support?

Where are you insisting you “should” be able to handle something alone?

Where are you clinging to a narrative about who you are that doesn’t quite match your behaviour?

That silent, honest conversation?

That’s yoga too.

Living yoga means being willing to meet yourself as you are — not as you wish you were. That’s the foundation of what I call Living Yoga, a practice that supports real life.

And from there, you can build a life that’s sustainable, aligned, and — more importantly — yours.

If this resonates, this is exactly the kind of work that sits at the heart of my private programmes.

Not just stronger poses, but clearer self-awareness. Structures that support who you are, rather than trying to squeeze you into a one-size-fits-all approach. Accountability where you need it. Space to drop the performance.

Consider this an invitation to apply.

Because telling yourself the truth — even when it dents your pride — might be the most powerful yoga practice you have.