Yama – the restrictions
Niyama – the observances
Ahiṃsā, non-violence includes so much more than you might think
To observe and practice non-violence, yogis are called to much more than simply the restraint from physical violence. Non-violence is a lifestyle and the respect for all the world and the collective journey of existence we are all participating in. In fact, Patañjali calls for an elimination of violence in thought, word and deed. That’s quite the tall order, to control your engagement with the world with such precision that you are no longer even harboring thoughts that are even remotely violent.
Original commentary on the yoga sūtras goes on to elaborate that this practice of non-violence is required every single day. We learn we can not truly embody non-violence unless it is a constant force saturating throughout our intentions, impacts and ideas.
Ahiṃsā is the tolerance and acceptance of all of the differences amongst the living creatures of the universe. As well as a respectful use and care of all non-living objects as well. Ahiṃsā is also the practice of kindness. Kindness in all of our actions, thoughts and intentions.
As we meditate on this practice of non-violence, I invite you to grab a journal and explore a couple of questions. As you journal on what comes up for you with these questions, use this as an opportunity to get to know yourself better, to see a clearer vision of you. This exploration will lead to gaining knowledge of yourself and offer you opportunities for growth and transformation.
What does it mean to you to be non-violent?
Personally, how have you identified moments in your existence where you have caused harm and what steps did you take to be accountable for that impact? How could you adapt your patterns to impact the world less violently?
Are there truly violent acts, which are considered socially acceptable? And if so, why do we accept them?
Practicing non-violence can take an infinite number of forms. It may come in the form of forgiveness, letting go of past sufferings for the sake of both you and the world around you. Or maybe it comes in the form of acknowledging the presence of the human asking for food on the street corner. It’s also possible to for our act of non-violence to be standing up and using your voice to help those whose voices are being ignored. Or it might be making choices to support the health and vitality of our planet, instead of what is convenient or familiar.
Satya, the vast extent of truthfulness
Could truthfulness change the world? If each soul on this planet were to accept a complete practice of truthfulness into their lives, how would the global social norms be altered?
Practicing truthfulness is not limited to simply avoiding lying. Truthfulness also involves an honest view of all of our actions. The activities we participate in, the food we eat, the way we treat our body, the way we keep our home, etc. If any of these actions are not aligned with our internal core values, this is a form of non-truthfulness.
A pure practice of truthfulness is a powerful opportunity to examine your perception of the world around you and how you engage with it. When journeying into the practice of noticing patterns of truthfulness/non-truthfulness in your life, it’s important to understand this practice must be rooted in non-violence (ahiṃsā). Ahiṃsā, the first of the Yamas, is the foundation of the ladder of Patañjali’s Aṣṭāṇga Yoga system and all actions (even honesty) must be rooted in non-violence first, in order to maintain the appropriate foundation for the spiritual journey of yoga.
Satya is non-violent truthfulness in thought, word and action. Below you’ll find a couple of journaling questions to help you deepen your exploration of Satya.
What does it mean to you to be truthful? Beyond your spoken words, what else is included in this definition of honesty? As you sit and contemplate these ideas, remind yourself of your practice of kindness toward yourself.
Do your thoughts embody truthfulness? If not, how often is your inner monologue untruthful to you? How does your level of stress or calm transform your inner monologue?
How often do you witness un-truthfulness in the world around you? Are there non-violent and honest ways for you to transform those untruths?
How could practicing truthfulness encompass all eight limbs of yoga and guide the aspirant toward freedom?
This practice of journaling and meditating on these questions (and the questions they inspire you to contemplate), can be a powerful tool for self-study and will continue to elevate your spiritual journey. Stay rooted in the concepts we have discussed earlier: Kriyā Yoga and ahiṃsā and remind yourself these practices are a means to overcome suffering and lead us toward peace.
Asteya, understanding the scope of non-stealing
The third Yama, asteya, is a practice of non-stealing. Patañjali next calls upon the yogi to deepen their discipline by incorporating the practice of asteya into their life. As it was with truthfulness, this practice must first be rooted in the previous practice of non-violence. All acts, thoughts, and speech must be rooted in non-violence.
So, what is Patañjali asking of us? The concept of not stealing is not new, most of us learn at a very young age that stealing is wrong and will result in some form of punishment. So, maybe the yogi is being called to expand their understanding of what it is to steal to include more subtler practices of non-stealing. With a firmly rooted practice of non-violence and truthfulness the aspirant might find their exploration of non-stealing to expand and include ideas about how our behavior in relationships, and our exchange of time, energy, thoughts, feelings, trust, generosity, etc.
As a human, we can all have moments of inadequacy, fear, doubt, pain, judgment, etc. and it is quite easy to forget that all humans have these same feelings. Have you ever had a moment of feeling panic or doubt about a situation and then were surprised to learn someone you viewed as ‘so confident’ was also feeling similar threads of doubt and worry? With time, we might find the practice of non-stealing expands and reveals moments when we might not be recognizing the interconnectedness of existence, or the humanity and similarities within each of us.
What about our global resources, are there ways we can alter our daily practices to be sure these global resources are available to all?
For your journaling practice today, explore your definition of stealing and see if there are ways to deepen your understanding of this concept into subtler layers of meaning.
How do you define stealing? Does the concept of non-stealing expand to include more than simply taking an item, which isn’t yours?
How can the practice of Asteya deepen our posture practice?
Brahmacarya – celibacy and what it means for the yogi
The fourth Yama, brahmacarya, calls the yogi to take on a practice of total control of ones sexual engagements. In other words, the aspirant is being called to practice celibacy. This can seem like a heavy topic for most yogis as it enters into our private life and a deeper and more intimate way than the previous Yamas. Before brushing this Yama off as one that ‘isn’t for me,’ it’s important we first understand the definition of this Yama as it relates to Patañjali and the social circumstances of his time and caste. Then, we’ll delve into the subtler layers of this practice.
At the time the yoga sūtras were codified (somewhere around 400-500 of the Common Era) Patañjali was organizing these teachings as they were taught to male brahmanical aesthetics. Patañjali literally wrote these vows for male priests whom had renounced society and the householder lifestyle. Understanding the setting in which these sūtras were written, it’s a little easier to understand the strict call for celibacy from the aspirant. Patañjali called for the restraint of sexual behavior, as a means for the aspirant to not be ruled by their emotional, physical and mental impulsive responses. The original layer of commentary goes on to explain there are certain circumstances and at certain times when sexual behavior could be accepted and not seen as a hinderance along the yogi’s spiritual path. It’s possible to understand this practice of celibacy as much more than simply refraining from sex. This is a practice which is a means to allow students to increase their own life force and gain insight into life’s deepest truths.
By being conscious and mindfully intentional about our most intimate interactions, the yogi is able to gain knowledge about preexisting patterns of thoughts, emotional responses and impulsive reactions. Additionally, conscious attention to these precious and intimate connections, will develop the capacity for the aspirant to nurture and grow their reserve of sacred, vital energy.
Why is it important to nurture and reserve your sacred energy?
As you explore, meditate and journal on this Yama, try to witness your own inner dialogue about the subject matter. Are there layers of this practice which seem impossible? Layers which seem appealing? How do you connect to your sacred vital energy?
If you’re curious, Pattabhi Jois provides the following advice in The Yoga Mala for committed couples to honor brahmacarya while still maintaining their intimate connections.
- The best time for sexual intercourse is between sunset and sunrise. Sex during the day can weaken the life-force.
- Only those in committed relationships should engage in sex. Sexual thoughts of someone other than your partner should be avoided as well.
- The most appropriate time for intercourse is between days four and sixteen of a woman’s cycle.
- It is not recommended to have sex on the days of the new and full moon. Energy should be reserved on these days.
- All sexual activity should be a balance of righteousness, fairness, prosperity, purpose, and physical and/or motional pleasure and/or desire.
- We should always think of the higher self while engaging in intercourse. This will ultimately lead to brahmacarya and increase our life-force and connection with the Divine.
Aparigraha – non-grasping, feeling the difference between holding and grasping
Aparigraha, the fifth and final of the Yamas completes the first rung of Patañjali’s ladder toward Ultimate Liberation. This Yama requires the aspirant to practice non-grasping, to live life allowing for a state of flow to exist within all connections.
Grasping is an attempt to control. An attempt to mold and shape the outcome of our efforts and interactions into something of our own, instead of allowing what is possible to blossom. This practice of aparigraha leads aspirants away from the demands and stimulations of the outside world and guides the yogi deeper on the journey inward. The yogi will gain more control over their thoughts, words and actions and will find they are no longer ruled by the impulse to control the results of all of their connections.
Aparigraha opens students up to releasing the desire to own and allows us to let go of what is unnecessary and out of our control. Yogis are able to learn and truly embrace their own strength. Knowing they already have everything they need contained within their own hearts.
This practice leads to knowledge of the difference between committing and grasping. Commitment often starts with the best of intentions, a symbiotic connection which is mutually beneficial. Then, through a series of inevitable life events, commitment can turn into grasping and trying to control. And yet, it can seem impossible to identify the moment when a loving commitment, a gentle clasp of fingers, is transformed and suddenly a desperate, unrelenting desire to control is ruling the connection.
With discipline, self-study, connection, non-violence, truth, non-stealing and honoring of sacred energy, the yogi can start to notice when this transformation happens. The yogi will start to notice when they are attempting to control the outcome of their efforts and return to their own work of Kriyā Yoga and the previous Yamas.
For your journaling opportunity, explore ways you already know you try to grasp and control situations. Additionally, how might you change this pattern of trying to control into an opportunity for deeper self-study?
How could the practice of aparigraha apply to the time you spend practicing yoga on the mat?
How can this practice expand to include our personal relationships?
Śauca – cleanliness and why it’s so important on our spiritual journey
The first of the Niyamas, śauca, is a practice of physical, energetic and mental cleanliness. Building on the foundations the aspirant has already developed in Kriyā Yoga and the five Yamas, yogis will find this practice expands beyond regular bathing and brings about clarity of thought, health and vitality. This practice includes both inner and outer cleanliness. Yogis must work to keep their environment clean, their physical body clean and their inner thoughts and intentions clean.
Cleanliness of thought can be a comprehensive practice of all the previous practices we’ve been discussing. With our kriyā yoga practice firmly rooted, and non-violence as the foundation for all our connections, the aspirant can find that practicing śauca aligns comfortably with our spiritual journey and aids in commitment to the path of self-discovery and the search for Truth.
For our journaling work today, try to identify a subtler way you can incorporate a practice of cleanliness. Maybe it involves a small shift in the food you nourish your body with, possibly a change in the media you consume today, or even a practice of joyfully removing an item of waste you see.
Additionally, explore how cleanliness is important to your spiritual growth and development?
Can you identify subtle ways cleanliness is essential for a safe and effective posture practice?
The following guidelines can help to deepen your śauca practice through the context of your posture practice. As the body sweats during practice, it releases toxins and impurities; it also releases essential minerals during this process. Teachers suggest the yogi rub the sweat back into their skin to give the body a chance to reabsorb the minerals back into their system. It is also advised to refrain from showering immediately after practice. Try waiting 15-30 minutes before getting into the shower, this is another opportunity for the body to reabsorb minerals, which left the body during the practice.
Saṃtoṣa – contentment, feeling joy everywhere
The second niyama, saṃtoṣa, requires the yogi to practice contentment in all situations, in every moment. This practice can bring about clarity of heart and mind. It opens the aspirant to the vast network of connectivity which weaves the fibers of existence together.
The idea of finding peace and joy, regardless of whether the circumstances are pleasant or unpleasant can be an overwhelming practice to begin. Life consists of highs and lows and the emotions, sensations and knowledge that comes from those situations is invaluable in the experience of life. It’s a bit boring to think of a life lived without the rising and falling of the waves of a life well lived.
It’s important to distinguish the practice here, saṃtoṣa is not a practice of disconnecting from these moments and viewing them as plain, gray, stagnant components of a life free from highs and lows. Contentment is a practice of feeling the pleasant joy of existence through these ebbs and flows of life, without being ruled by the avoidance of pain or the continual lusting for joy. Saṃtoṣa is present when we see the sufferings of life as teachers, as messengers of truth and keys to where we need to grow on our journey inward and when we feel the beauty of our magical life, without clinging to it.
For our journaling practice today, try uncovering what contentment could mean to you?
How can the practice of contentment lead to a deeper experience of honesty on our journey of self-discovery and healing?
Does it feel as if this practice of contentment ask you to be disingenuous about difficult situations?
Tapas – self-discipline as a path toward freedom
The exploration of the Niyamas continues with the third being tapas. This is a familiar concept and a familiar word since we saw this come to the surface at the beginning of our journey as one of the three components of Kriyā Yoga. In fact, the tree remaining Niyamas are the three same components of Kriyā Yoga as laid out by Patañjali in the first sūtras of this chapter on practice.
So, why does Patañjali repeat these three practices again in this second limb of Aṣṭāṇga Yoga? It could be to invite in the importance of these three practices and to call the aspirant toward a deeper and subtler understanding of each component. Maybe Patañjali is asking the yogi to return to the practice of self-discipline, self-study and connection with the heightened knowledge which comes from dedication and understanding of the previous Yamas and Niyamas.
As the yogi prepares themselves for the most subtle practices of Aṣṭāṇga Yoga, it’s absolutely necessary they have a firm root in non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, conservation of energy, non-grasping, cleanliness and contentment.
As a means to refine and polish the dedication to self-discipline, the yogi might explore their understanding of self-discipline previously and examine how that practice needs to evolve and shift to support the full integration of the previous Yamas and Niyamas.
For our journaling practice today, explore your previous understanding of self-discipline and examine areas where the practices of ahiṃsā, satya, asteya. brahmacarya, aparigrahāḥ, śauca and saṃtoṣa might add to your existing practice of tapas. Additionally, explore the following questions.
What does it mean to practice tapas in our asana practice?
How is tapas important for the aspirant on the path of Self-discovery?
Tapas is a practice of greater self-restraint. A practice of avoiding actions, which lead the yogi away from the path of spiritual growth. This practice leads the aspirant toward actions which which will propel the yogi along this path of self-discovery. Additionally, this practice of self-discipline is a process of purification. The yogi is able to ignite their inner fire to burn away toxins, impurities, saṃskāras and karmic imprints from consciousness. An initial way to practice tapas is to show up for practice, consistently and for a long time. A next step might be to eat a simple diet, allowing the body to keep burning away old toxins, impurities and saṃskāras instead of adding more toxins, etc. What are some additional ways you might polish your understanding of self-discipline to further your spiritual journey?
Svādhyāya- self-study, repetition of mantras and calming the mind
The fourth of the Niyamas is a call to deepening our study of ourselves as a means to prepare the aspirant for the continued journey toward Liberation. It is with true knowledge of existence and the reality of the world of change that the yogi can finally see through the fog of human existence to the Truth of themselves, to know the Ātman (Soul, Self, Divine Within, etc.).
Svādhyāya surfaces in the Niyamas, as a repetition of one of the components of Kriyā yoga and can initially cause some misunderstanding. While the word svādhyāya gets commonly translated as ‘self-study’ there is often an important mechanic of that self-study which is often omitted. Patañjali teaches yogis to learn about themselves by studying spiritual texts, chanting, repeating mantras, etc.
Through the study of spiritual texts, the aspirant can gain knowledge on the journey ahead of them. Additionally, knowledge of the subtle layers of existence can be revealed through this continued study. When combined with chanting and repetition of mantras, the yogi will find balance in their subtle energies and gain increased clarity of the human experiences. With this knowledge and awakening, the aspirant will gain grace and ease with navigating the challenges of daily life and the human experience.
For a journaling practice today, explore how does self-study can lead to more meaningful and productive relationships? How has your knowledge of yourself grown from reading and studying spiritual texts?
For a chanting practice, you might try repeating this mantra 12 times:
Oṃ Gaṃ Gaṇapataye Namaḥ
This is a chant which invites in knowledge of our own innate capacity to overcome obstacles. It acknowledges that we each have the power Gaṇeśa represents contained within ourselves. It’s already there, we just have to awaken to our own divine nature.
A gentle way to ease into a chanting practice is to begin with 12 repetitions, for one week continuously. After that, you might try 36 repetitions for two full weeks. Next step could be to complete 108 rounds of the chant daily (or twice daily). See this post on the benefits of Chanting and encouragement for a consistent chanting practice.
Īśvara Praṇidhāna – connection to the unknown
The final niyama, Īśvara-pranidhāna, can be understood as devotion to God, connection to the unknown, connection to the Universe, etc. This practice is of the utmost importance for aspirants along the path of yoga.
It’s extremely important to note that Īśvara is a completely neutral Sanskrit word for God. Patañjali is not asking yogis to follow his God, or any specific religion. In fact, Patañjali is guiding the aspirant to connect to something of their own choosing, which is greater than themselves.
Īśvara-pranidhāna is the practice of complete surrender of oneself to a higher power. Surrender in thought, action and deed without expectations of personal benefit or reward. Devotion and surrender to God leads to a more open heart chakra and allows Prāṇa to flow freely and unrestricted along the central channel of the body.
As an ongoing exercise, continue to journal and meditate on what devotion to God means to you. And, when is it necessary to practice Īśvara-pranidhāna? Can your posture practice be a tool to connect to and understand God?