The Yamas and Niyamas and Tuning the Self

According to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the “yamas” and “niyamas” are the first two of the eight limbs of yoga. Together they represent a moral/ ethical code for the yogi to follow on their path to spiritual enlightenment. The yamas represent “restraints” or rather what not to do; while the niyamas represent “observances” or things to do.” The yamas are considered universal rules -- as they relate to an individual's social interactions; whereas, the niyamas are more of an individual discipline or practice. In sum, in order to reach the highest states of yoga, the practitioner must have control over their own thoughts, words, and actions. The yamas and niyamas serve as guidelines to help practitioners master their own selves. Like a musician tunes a string, so must a yogi tune his thoughts, words, and actions -- so that they are in harmony with the Divine.

The five yamas consists of ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (self-restraint), and aparigraha (non-hoarding or minimalism). Though the literal translation of ahimsa is “no killing” or “no violence,” the word also suggests “love.” By practicing ahimsa, the yogi’s love encompasses all creation and they act compassionately towards their self and all other beings. Violence is a byproduct of the ego: when one seeks to protect their own interests, this divides the individual from others. This sense of separation is the root of violence. B.K.S. Iyengar states in Light on Yoga that the yogi knows “his life is linked inextricably with that of others… he puts the happiness of others before his own and becomes a source of joy to all who meet him” (Iyengar 32). It is often said that if a practitioner chose to focus one yama or niyama, naturally the others would follow, as they are interconnected. Ahimsa or love is central to the other four precepts. The second yama, satya or truthfulness, is considered by Iyengar to be the “highest rule of conduct or morality” (33). Controlling the tongue is a great stride in self-control and mastery of the self. According to Iyengar, there are four sins of the tongue: “abuse and obscenity, dealings in falsehood, telling tales, and ridiculing what others hold to be sacred” (34). Satya extends beyond speech and includes truth in thought, word, and action. Asteya, or non-stealing, on the one hand, means to avoid lusting over another’s lot or possessions. But on the other hand, asteya can include no mismanagement of resources. One application of asteya is the preservation of nature. The yogi is mindful of the resources they consume so as not to take more than is necessary for sustaining life. Brahmancharya, celibacy or self-restraint, is the practice of conserving energy -- so that one’s time, resources, thoughts, words, actions, etc. are spent in a productive way. And finally aparigraha, or not-hoarding, can be seen as an extension of asteya: living in a minimalistic way. Aparigraha is both a resourceful nature and a trust and faith in the universe that the yogi has all that the yogi needs.

The niyamas consistent of more of a personal self-discipline than a way of relating to the world. The yamas extend outward, while the niyamas reach inward. The five niyamas include: saucha (purity), santosha (contentment), tapas (self-discipline), svadhyaya (self-study), and ishvara pranidhana (devotion). The first niyama is saucaha or cleanliness. Cleanliness can mean a variety of things from the physical body to the food one eats and the spaces one keeps. Cleanliness or purity can also encompass ones’ emotions. Through the practices of yoga, one cleanses the physical body and the internal states. Santosa, or contentment, arises from a lack of desire and an authentic state of gratitude. “There is contentment and tranquility when the flame of the spirit does not waver in the wind of desire,”(38) Iyengar said. In addition to contentment, a yogi must also practice striving towards goals or tapas. Literally “tapas” means to burn; “therefore, [tapas] means a burning effort under all circumstances to achieve a definite goal in life” (38). Though there are three types of tapas, body, speech, and mind, the ultimate goal of the yogi is union with the Divine or an interconnectedness with the Universe. Svadhyana, or self-study, represents the yogi’s ever evolving nature. The yogi is not just growing and improving physically by intellectually and spiritually by his constant examination and re-examination of philosophical and spiritual texts and principles. Isvara pranidhana, the final niyama, invites the yogi to dedicate their actions to God, the Universe, or the Divine. Iyengar reminds the reader that total evolution includes a negation of the self in order to accept the interconnectedness of all beings: “In bhakti [devotion] or true love there is no place for ‘I’ and ‘mine’. When the feeling ‘I’ and ‘mine’ disappears that individual soul has reached full growth” (40). Iyengar uses the metaphor of the sun to fully illuminate the concept that all existence is dependent upon the rest of the universe and cannot operate in isolation. “The name of the Lord is like the sun, dispelling all darkness. The moon is full when it faces the sun. The individual soul experiences fullness when it faces the Lord [Divine]” (40). When the yogi acts for a cause greater than their own self, the yogi can achieve true bliss.

In my personal practice, I chose one yama and niyama to focus on for the past few weeks. I started with “ahimsa,” love or non-violence. For me, the hardest person to be kind to is myself. I naturally have a tendency to want to make everyone around me happy -- and in doing so, I make myself miserable! For the longest time, I thought that this was the correct mode of being. The job of the yogi is to “bring joy to others.” But occasionally I run out of joy and need to refill my cup. On this yogi journey, the hardest step for me has been to make space to be kind to myself and refill my cup. I want to say “yes” to each invitation and call for help -- but I cannot devote myself to learning a new practice and be available to everyone. For me, personally, ahimsa connects to satya, telling my personal truth. Sometimes it is hard for me to listen to my heart and hear what I want to do -- not what my family or friends, or co-workers, or emails want or need -- but what do I want from me. And it is so hard for me to say “no!” And sometimes saying “no” is telling my truth. Awakening to this yoga practice has been my first step of honoring and loving myself and voicing my truth. The truth is: I want to be a yogi.

Since I started with the first yama, I followed with the first niyama saucha or purity. I do have a tendency to over-indulge… in chocolate and cheese and the other riches of life. According to Inyengar, “[the yogi] looks upon his body as the rest-house of his spirit and guards himself against overindulgence” (37). I am at the very early stages of this niyama and more or less just catch myself self on the path and falling off the path. Like my first time on a tight-rope or slack linen -- just testing the rope for balance. I was a vegetarian from 12-22, and I was vegan at some point in my mid-twenties, but I haven’t been mindful of my eating -- mindful in a truly conscious way -- for a while. I might have just waded out in the shallow end of this precept, and I can see myself taking my time adjusting. Additionally, saucha calls for purity of the mind. Recently, I have been fixated on thoughts of anger and frustration. I first get angry at the source of the problem, then at myself for not being able to “fix it.” After a yoga session today, I finally realized how to connect the final niyama, isvara pranidhana, devotion or surrender to my focus on purity. I do not need to “fix” every problem in my inbox. That is my ego who likes to think she is very good at fixing other people’s problems. I can actually let the problem go -- and surrender the problem to the universe. In doing this, I am also practicing saucha because by letting go of the problem, and ownership of the problem, I release the anger and frustration attached to said problem and clear and purify the mind. On the one hand, I wish it was easy sailing all the time, and I could exist without conflict or drama. Yet the drama and conflict give me the opportunity to practice the yamas and niyamas -- they serve as tools to untangle the knots in my own mind and life. Once the mind is clear, the physical and spiritual practice can begin.

Iyengar, B.K.S. Light on Yoga. New York: Schocken Books, 1996