May 13, 2007
Yoga Journal 

Mind Your Mouth

The power of words isn't lost on anyone-just think of when someone pays you a sincere compliment, or recall the discomfort of realizing you've spilled a secret you'd promised to keep. Words and the energy they carry can make or break friendships and careers; they define us as individuals and even as cultures. We know this, and yet we often let our words flow out more or less unmediated, like random pebbles tossed into a lake. Sometimes it's only when the ripples spread and cause waves, and the waves rush back and splash us, that we stop to think about the way we speak.

To practice right speech is essentially to approach speaking as a form of yoga. The first stage in the yoga of speech is to start becoming conscious of what comes out of your mouth. Try to notice not just what you say but also the tone with which you say it. See if you can sense the emotional residue your words create. How do you feel after certain remarks? How do other people react?

So much of the pain we cause ourselves and each other could be avoided if we were just a bit more discriminating about what we say. Our relationships, our work environment, even our feelings about ourselves, can be transformed simply by taking time to think about how words create reality.

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