Conventional wisdom advises that one should never talk politics at work, at a dinner party, but least of all at a yoga class. Yet much of what we seek in yoga applies to our personal politics. Do we believe in the interconnectedness of all beings? Advocate for peace in ourselves and the world? Believe that we have the right to control our own bodies? Respect and revere the divine spark of life at any stage? From a student’s seat on the mat, it seems that modern American yogic philosophy most often assumes there is, as Carville would say, a “we’re right and they’re wrong” line in the sand. Maybe this time we can think not of who is right and wrong in this election. Instead, we can practice satya (truth). Observe how the candidates depart from satya to meet their own ends. Imagine how could a politician become more powerful and connected to voters if he or she actually did speak the truth, nothing but the truth? Perhaps we should vote according to a “truth-o-meter” instead of the typical party line? When the curtain closes in the presidential voting booth this Fall, we will choose between historic firsts: a bi-racial American, a woman, and two other men of great experience. While it may not seem so right now in the heat of the race, each of them has told the truth at some point in their careers, so we need to tune in between the lies, hear what they have to say, and make a choice that rings true to ourselves. 

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