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| Yamas (Self-Restraints) |
The Yamas as outlined in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras are a guide to how the practitioner interacts
with their outer world. The are not 'commandments', but a road map to navigate the
complexities of our relationships with ourselves, others and the world around us in order to
reduce attachments and suffering and to help you lead a conscious and aware life.
with their outer world. The are not 'commandments', but a road map to navigate the
complexities of our relationships with ourselves, others and the world around us in order to
reduce attachments and suffering and to help you lead a conscious and aware life.
Non-harming, non-violence in thought, words and speech towards yourself and others. This can
also be seen as the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" but it
relates more specifically to the level of awareness that one has about their own thought
processes, speech, and habitual actions.
also be seen as the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" but it
relates more specifically to the level of awareness that one has about their own thought
processes, speech, and habitual actions.
- Asana Practice - Ahimsa in relation to the practice of asanas means that you do not push
yourself beyond your limitations and respect your edges. Listen to the subtle signals
from your body that you have gone far enough into a pose. Also, try not to judge
yourself about how well you 'perform' the asanas.
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Truth-fullness, being honest with yourself and others, speaking your truth. This can also be
seen as owning your thoughts, emotions and reactions to life. When you are faced with either
speaking the truth to someone that may cause harm, temper satya with ahimsa.
seen as owning your thoughts, emotions and reactions to life. When you are faced with either
speaking the truth to someone that may cause harm, temper satya with ahimsa.
- Asana Practice - Sayta in relation to the practice of asana means that you are honest
with yourself about how far you can go into a pose and still respect your body and
breath. If you are in a pose and are struggling to breathe, you have gone too far and
are not being truthful to yourself or in the presence of your classmates and teacher.
When you find yourself acting without satya, it can be a reminder to let go of the ego.
Non-hoarding, non-stealing, not succumbing to feeling of jealousy, not coveting. In action,
asteya can mean proper use of objects and time, letting go of material obsession, and making
an honest living.
asteya can mean proper use of objects and time, letting go of material obsession, and making
an honest living.
- Asana Practice - Asteya in relation to the practice of asana means that you operate from
the idea that when done correctly, the poses provide the energy required to practice
them. If you tend to hold back in poses, or dissipate your energy by allowing your mind
to wander, you are not practicing Asteya.
Conservation of life-force, moderation, (some translate this as abstinence). In action,
bhramacarya means exercising control over your emotional state, using your energy wisely,
and making sure to save enough energy for yourself. In this time of business, many of us take
care of others before taking care of ourselves. Remember what the flight attendants tell us
about securing our own oxygen masks prior to helping others? Well this idea can also be
applied to other areas of our lives, if we are so tired from being on top of our jobs, the errands,
the family, and our friends, and we feel depleted and cranky, then we are not practicing
bhramacharya.
Also, this yama can relate to over indulging in sensory pleasures such as food, drink, or sex.
Moderate your enjoyment of all of these things so that the mind does not become obsessed.
The goal is not to repress your desires completely, but to turn away from sense attachments so
that you can feel more at peace with yourself.
bhramacarya means exercising control over your emotional state, using your energy wisely,
and making sure to save enough energy for yourself. In this time of business, many of us take
care of others before taking care of ourselves. Remember what the flight attendants tell us
about securing our own oxygen masks prior to helping others? Well this idea can also be
applied to other areas of our lives, if we are so tired from being on top of our jobs, the errands,
the family, and our friends, and we feel depleted and cranky, then we are not practicing
bhramacharya.
Also, this yama can relate to over indulging in sensory pleasures such as food, drink, or sex.
Moderate your enjoyment of all of these things so that the mind does not become obsessed.
The goal is not to repress your desires completely, but to turn away from sense attachments so
that you can feel more at peace with yourself.
- Asana Practice - Bhramacarya in relation to asana means you should try to balance the
amount of effort or tapas, with surrender in each posture. If you find yourself expending
too much energy by trying to do the poses perfectly, forgetting to relax into the
postures, this can be balanced by applying bhramacarya.
Greedlessness, non-possessiveness, and living simply. In modern life, aparigraha relates best
to our relationship with material possessions. It seems sometimes that the more stuff we have,
the more stuff we need and we can become obsessed with 'keeping up with the Jones'' or
thinking that we need 'retail therapy' in order to make us happy. When our possessions begin to
possess our minds in an unhealthy way, we are not practicing aparigraha. The idea is not to go
completely without, but to choose wisely and not to fall prey to materialism and thinking that
the objects that we own make us who we are.
to our relationship with material possessions. It seems sometimes that the more stuff we have,
the more stuff we need and we can become obsessed with 'keeping up with the Jones'' or
thinking that we need 'retail therapy' in order to make us happy. When our possessions begin to
possess our minds in an unhealthy way, we are not practicing aparigraha. The idea is not to go
completely without, but to choose wisely and not to fall prey to materialism and thinking that
the objects that we own make us who we are.
- Asana Practice - Aparigraha in the practice of asana means that you should do your own
practice and not compare yourself to other students. When you look around the room,
the mind begins to compare what it perceives as your 'performance' with other students
in the room. This type of judgement has no place on the yoga mat whether the
comparison favors you or another.
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