Just when we thought we were adapting to a new normal with COVID-19, the murder of George Floyd became a catalyst for some deep seated issues our country needed to examine and heal. This movement of reckoning institutionalized racism on people of color, and specifically on Black people throughout the US is a calling to practice Self-Study, or what Vedic Science refers to as svadhyaya. It is time to examine enculturation and how it has influenced our thoughts, words and deeds. Moreover, it is a time to transform those thoughts into broad and meaningful change in the US and beyond.

The Black Lives Matter movement is a call to practice Svadhyaha. Svadhyaya refers to any activity wherein we quietly study ourselves and reflect upon our actions, thoughts, words, emotions, motivations, desires so that we can have a deeper and more authentic experience of the Supreme Self. In this study we unravel the illusions of our being – how we’ve been influenced by this time and culture.

Savadhaya fundamentally works like this:

1. Examine your pains, discomforts, and resistances in your thoughts, words, and deeds.
2. Explore the initial reactions.
3. Ask yourself, Who am i?
4. Recognize you are spirit having a human experience
5. Make choices to transform your energy to better serve the Supreme Self (your intuition). Practice yoga (union of the mere self with the Supreme Self)

This practice will increase awareness and make you an advocate of change. In practicing awareness we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves, how we think, and why we do what we do. With this knowledge we can cultivate the inner strength needed to break norms and biases in times of adversity.

Let’s work to grow awareness and create widespread and meaningful change in the US and around the world. 

What can you do beyond svadhyaya? How can you help end this 400 year history of systemic racism and inequity. Here is a list of organizations you may choose to support from Proteus International:

• The National Bail Fund Network is helping to free people facing pretrial incarceration
• Color of Change is advocating racial justice through specific efforts to change corporate and public policies 
• The Advancement Project supports organized communities in their struggles for racial and social justice, providing legal, communications and campaign organizing resources
• The Collective PAC is working to recruit, train, and fund Black candidates for public office – and especially judicial, prosecutorial and attorney general candidates to ensure more representative leaders for the criminal justice system
• Campaign Zero is a comprehensive platform of research-based policy solutions to end police brutality in America
• Talking About Race is a joint effort of the Smithsonian and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, offering tools and guidance for real conversations about race

And last, remember each day to ask: “Who can I help today?” Ask your fellow citizens, be open. If you see someone being marginalized, help them, call it out, and support them.