Svadhyaya

Svadhyaya, the second to last of the niyamas, is usually translated as "self-study." Interestingly, however, more literally, while "sva" does mean "self," "adhyaya" can also be understood to mean "education of," which points to something of the end result of developing this niyama.

In an external sense, a student might be reminded to develop svadhyaya if they are competitive with the other students; concentrating on being better than others in that sense is a way to escape really developing onself internally. Generally, however, svadhyaya is internally directed; for example, without some study of the self, one might never be aware of negative samskaras. That self-awareness is the true strength of svadhyaya, however much the phrase "ignorance is bliss" is bandied around - that may be true in some external sense, but hopefully is never applied to knowledge of one's self. And finding the dark corners of one's mind and spirit is one of the most tangible effects of developing self-study, as however painful it can be or whatever dark mood it might put one in temporarily, it can also make for life-changing growth and releasing of bad habits, unhealthy desires and painful memories that one might not have even been aware of, otherwise.

Interestingly, for as specifically internally directed as this niyama is, it also has the most to gain from outside aid. That might include texts, such as books or the great spiritual works, or a wise teacher, or even just a friend to bounce ideas off of; in a lighter way, questions that begin with phrases such as, "if you had one day to live," or, "if you had a million dollars," can also be an easier introduction to developing svadhyaya. It also benefits from the use of a 'prop,' such as a journal, but one might be careful that that sort of aid does not become narcissistic or altered to pander to the opinions of others, such as the stereotypical LiveJournal.
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“As Ray Bradbury, ‘The first thing you learn in life is you’re a fool. The last thing you learn is you’re the same fool. Sometimes I think I understand everything. Then I regain consciousness.’ Our worldly education doesn’t help much in meditation.”