The Yamas and Niyamas are part of the philosophy of Yoga. They originated from the ancient Indian philosophical text, ‘The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali’. Each one describes a different aspect of the yoga practice, all leading towards freedom and enlightenment.
The Yamas are the first limb of the ‘Eight Limbs of Yoga ', they refer to social behaviors.
The Niyamas: Are observances, positive behavior towards ourselves.
NIYAMAS :
+ Śauca (cleanliness) : In body, speech, mind and spirit. Purity means internal as well as external cleansing practices, hygiene, grooming, and eating a pure diet. It includes purifying our mind through discipline, patience, tolerance, right thinking, non-judgment, and no negative thoughts. Also by speaking only constructive, positive and encouraging words and avoiding negative words, profanity, judgment, gossip, blaming and criticism. Bringing awareness to our emotions and thoughts allows us to transform them into productive, creative processes. It is important to understand that the environment we live in, the company we keep, the activities we engage in, the thoughts we have and the words we speak all affect our health. When established in purity, one experiences wellness and immunity from sources of contagion.
+ Santosa (serenity, contentment) Peace of mind, having no preferences, the ability to feel satisfied with what is. Contentment means neither to like nor to dislike. Contentment is the experience of supreme joy, not depending on anything outside of ourselves for our happiness or satisfaction. Having no preferences, and being content regardless of circumstances, events, or the opinions of others. Things are the way they are. People are the way they are. We cannot have the world change just to suit ourselves. That would be impossible. We can either be upset with the way things are by resisting, or we can be content with the way things are by accepting. This does not mean we lay down and do nothing. We can work constructively, positively for change, yet remain contented if things do not change to suit us. We experience true contentment when we are centered and balance within and not dependent on external circumstances, which are always changing and beyond our control.
If a compliment makes us happy, and a criticism or insult upsets us, we know our minds are not yet strong. When we can take the worst from others and still be relaxed and have a serene mind, this gives rise to inner strength and spiritual perfection. Santosha means keeping a positive attitude in difficult times.
+ Tapas: Austerity, endurance, stamina, fortitude, patience, serenity, simplicity. By the physical discipline of exercising and proper diet, we burn away excess fat and accumulated toxins. By mental discipline, we dissolve all our old impressions and mental impurities. By the verbal discipline we speak rightly. Whenever we practice self-discipline, we experience some discomfort as we transition from our old habit patterns and behaviors to new ones.
Discipline making choices that truly nourish our well-being and provide opportunities for growth. It destroys all impurities and gives rise to the perfection of the body, mind, and senses. This contributes to optimum health and well-being. Tapas In a softer translation is defined as the acceptance of those pains that lead to purification. In this sense, Tapas can mean cultivating a sense of self-discipline, passion and courage in order to burn away 'impurities' physically, mentally and emotionally,
The fire of tapa, seeks to give the yogi the power to PAUSE between stimulus and response. Tapa thus trains the mind to yoke instinct with intellect. The act of yoking the mind is known as yoga. In the fire of tapa, the yogi realizes that an event is a reaction to past events. With the gradual incineration of delusions, the Chitta is purified, sat is realized and Ananda is experienced. Sat meaning Truth, Existence or Pure Being, Chit means Consciousness and Ananda means Bliss.
It’s important to remember that when you take a pause, the outcome is unknown. Part of the thrill of pausing is leaving yourself open to be surprised by what happens. It’s human nature to get in front of any relevant issues to ensure a set outcome. Letting go of control is one of the hardest habits to break. A pause is about surrendering. Pausing allows for the possibilities of the unknown. Trust that your pause is in your best interest, even if you have no idea what the outcome will be or where you’ll end up. Trust in knowing that whatever lies ahead will serve you. Stay in present time. This deeper sense of trust is what some people call their inner voice. It is your inner guidance system that moves you forward in ways that serve your best interest.
+ Svādhyāya (study of the scriptures) This practice means actively meditating on or studying the nature of our Higher-Self. Continuous devotion and study of truth scriptures along with regular consistent practice.
Sometimes people confuse knowledge with spiritual evolution. They know a lot about spiritual growth but never actually change themselves. They intellectually understand, but they do not grow or evolve. Their life circumstances do not improve, their peace of mind does improve, they are still stuck in their same old ways. That is because they are not practicing, or they are too attached to current circumstances to evolve into new circumstances. Right practice is the way to gain Self-realization.
“To know and not to do, is not really to know”. Practice is what is required, action, not just intellectual knowing.
+ Īśvara-praṇidhāna (contemplation of God)
“If you can't see God in all, you can't see God at all.”This means to surrender our ego, our sense of selfness, our sense of separateness. When we live our life as an offering to Existence, to all life forms, to the environment, we experience a oneness with the Universal Oneness.When we shift from I to we, There is no personal expectation, only the joy that comes from offering our best. The ego is dissolved and the experience of Universal Oneness is realized. Surrendering and trusting in the Divine Universe as consciousness, love, and truth brings us to the point of absolute merging . We surrender the fruits of our actions, giving up our egotistical illusions and accepting that the way life unfolds has its own perfection.
The Yamas
The Yamas are primarily concerned with the world around us and our interaction with it. By considering these aspects in our daily practice on and off the yoga mat, all of our decisions and actions come from a more considered, aware and ‘higher’ place, and this enables us to become more authentic towards ourselves and others.
1. Ahimsa (non-violence)
Ahimsa can be interpreted as: not physically harming others, ourselves, or nature; not thinking negative thoughts about others or ourselves; and making sure that what we do and how we do it is done in harmony, rather than causing harm.
Ahimsa is inspired by the premise that all living beings have the spark of the divine spiritual energy; therefore, to hurt another being is to hurt oneself by creating karma or debt (law of cause-effect which eventually we will have to pay)
Therefore, a vegetarian diet is recommended not only to don't create karma, but also to have more prana-energy for our practice.
2. Satya (truthfulness)
Satya is truthfulness, but it’s more than just telling the truth. The word ‘sat’ literally translates as ‘true essence’ or ‘unchangeable’. Our thoughts, emotions and moods are interchangeable, yet these are the things that create our own truth. In yoga we work on creating a little space so that we can realize that we are not just our thoughts.
It also means to be authentically you, even if that means to lose some people. Many times, we accept behaviors that we dislike just to fit on a group, which lead to betray to ourselves. It is better to stay alone - if that is the price that you have to pay to be yourself - in that way you will have the opportunity to find the people that are your soul family and vibrate like you, and to spend time doing the things that you truly like to do.
3. Asteya (non-stealing)
Asteya means ‘non-stealing’, but like the other Yamas and Niyamas, it means so much more than that. Asteya arises from the Vritti (thoughts/fluctuations of the mind) – ‘I’m not good enough’ or ‘I don’t have enough’. It arises from the lack of faith in ourselves. The word yoga means ‘to yoke’, ‘unite’, ‘connect’, or essentially to become ‘whole’, so by practicing each aspect of yoga on and off the mat, we can move further towards feeling as though we already have enough, and we already are enough within ourselves.
Asteya is a vow that requires honesty in behavior and not acquiring things through dishonest means.
In modern times, it can also mean being honest in paying taxes and not cheating on exams.
It applies to many areas of life, including not taking money from others, hoarding, using more resources than necessary, and stealing time or energy from others.
Asteya encourages us to respect boundaries and value others.
It can be practiced by consuming consciously and ethically.
4. Brahmacharya (moderation of the senses/right use of energy)
Brahmacharya is often translated as ‘celibacy’ – and is often considered irrelevant in our modern culture. The word Brahmacharya actually translates as ‘behavior which leads to Brahman’. Brahman is thought of as ‘the creator’ in Hinduism and yogic terms. So Brahmacharya can be seen as ‘right use of energy’.
Brahmacharya’ was meant to encourage those involved in the practice of yoga to conserve their sexual energy, in Favour of using that energy to further progress along the Yogic path.
Brahmacharya also evokes a sense of directing our energy away from external desires so we can have more energy to manifest our dreams.
Brahmacharya in every-day life: How do you use your energy?
Right now, there seems to be an over-emphasis on how ‘busy’ we should all be – that busy is better – and that if you’re not busy, there’s something wrong. The point is, whether we’re constantly ‘busy’ or not doesn’t matter – it’s whether what we’re doing is worthwhile.
Filling our schedule with as much as we can seem impressive on the outside, but when it comes to how this makes us feel on the inside, it doesn’t leave much space to breathe.
Brahmacharya encourages right use of energy, so if your energy levels are flagging at the moment, consider whether your daily tasks are draining you of your vitality.
Could you find a way to take a few moments a day to just stop and breathe and find a little peace?
5. Aparigraha (non-greed)
Aparigraha – ‘non-greed’, ‘non-possessiveness’, and ‘non-attachment’.
Graha means “to grasp” and aparigraha means “not grasping things,” or non-possessiveness
This important Yama teaches us essentially the practice of letting go of unnecessary attachments to material possessions, desires, and outcomes, encouraging one to take only what they need and live with a sense of simplicity.
Aparigraha is also one of the main lessons taught in the Bhagavad Gita, and personally one of my favorite ones. Where Krishna teaches Arjuna to act for the sake of acting as needed at the time that an action is needed, and not being concerned or motivated by a specific end result.
It basically means - we own nothing, we own no one.
Our attachment to things we have, our codependency on people, our greed for more than we need - is quite a route to misery.
The things we possess are here to help us live a comfortable life so we can focus on our Dharma. But we love to hoard. We hoard, we get attached to things and lifestyle, we start identifying with them, we lose the plot.
Same with people. We create bonds, we start identifying with the relationships so strong that if they walk away we lose our sense of Self.
Most of us would have seen loss from close. And the loss of either money / precious relationships etc makes you grow and how. The loss takes us back to Self. To the realisation that we don't NEED any of it. We are WHOLE with or without it. It's the ego that likes to identify with objects, jobs, people.
The Self / the soul can thrive with or without them.
As yogis, we aim to question our greed, our neediness, our dependency on the external.
Consciously bringing material possessions and people into our lives.
KNOWING that nothing from outside can fill the void. The only way to feel complete and content is to seek that within.
Our true nature is independent of anything and everything. We need nothing. We need the basics and everything else is a blessing. And its ok to have those blessings, with an understanding that none of this can add to or reduce my joy.
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