The Niyama of Svadhyaya (Self Study) of Raja-Vinyasa Apex Yoga™:

"Svadhyaya (Self Study):

Self study of what? Self study of All that Is. With special emphasis on four areas:

One. Self study of spiritual books and scriptures. Not just spiritual books and scriptures of Yoga, but spiritual books and scriptures of ALL paths, all spiritual paths, all religions, all wisdom traditions. And, during the self study, discern Truth - the underlying essence of Truth of a path, AND any dogma that may have been sprinkled upon that path by humans. Dogma being human imposed guidelines, rules, rituals, sprinkled upon a path by people, that are not of the underlying essence of Truth of that path. And, one way I have found during my self study to discern Truth and dogma is, if I come upon some words, a phrase, a verse, a passage that resonates with me, speaks to me in one way or other, raises a question, or a concern, to pause, reread it, and in pure consciousness put out the question "Is This Truth", and be with it, and observe.... And I have found over time during my self studies, that my ability to discern Truth and dogma has continued to grow, and grow, and grow, and even now, sometimes when I put out the question, I don't always receive a response. Which is fine. Then I note that, and if it's not important enough to me, I let it go. If it is important to me, then I note it and come back to it again in a future session of self study. So the first area of self study is spiritual books and scriptures, AND discern Truth and dogma.

The second area of self study is, learning from the experiences of other people. For I have found I can learn something from anyone. And when someone shares with me a meaningful experience they've had along their journey in life, there is something I can learn from that, and I learn it through their experience, for which I am very grateful, and respect them very much for sharing.

The third area of self study is, studying the teachings of awakened beings.

The fourth area of self study, and perhaps most ideal, is to study with awakened beings.

With the four aims of self study being:

One. To gain a greater awareness of the movements and still-points of my mind , so I can continually improve my concentration and meditation practices.

The second aim of self study is - To seek, see, and live Truth.

The third aim of self study is - To dispel dogma.

And the fourth aim of self study is - To awaken to my true Self, and my true Self's relationship with All that Is, and the Greater Powers that Be."

- Keith Wolfe, founder of Raja-Vinyasa Apex Yoga™