Yamas and Niyamas are principles and guidelines in yoga philosophy that can be applied to daily life. They are the first two limbs from Patanjalis 8 limbs of yoga („Gregor Maehle – Ashtanga Yoga. Practice and Philosophy“). You can think of them as Do´s and Don’ts. As most people think of yoga as practicing postures on your mat (the physical form), it is worthwhile to look beyond the asana and be curious to find out how you can practice yoga on and off the mat to reach ultimate benefit levels in your practice and overall wellbeing.
Here are some ideas on how to incorporate Yamas and Niyamas into your daily routine:
Yamas (Don’ts)
- Ahimsa (Non-violence): Practice kindness and compassion towards yourself and others. Avoid causing harm or suffering to any living being. Be firm but polite.
- Satya (Truthfulness): Be honest and truthful in your words, actions, and intentions. Avoid deception and falsehood. This is about the truthfulness that you speak and how much of it. Gossiping for example is not advised and doesn’t do any good to you or others.
- Asteya (Non-stealing): Respect the property and belongings of others. Avoid stealing or taking what is not freely given. This also applies to not stealing anyones ideas (or plagiarism).
- Brahmacharya (Moderation): Practice moderation and balance in all aspects of life, including food, work, relationships, and sensory indulgence. This can also include abstinence from sex.
- Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness): Let go of attachment to material possessions and cultivate a mindset of non-attachment and contentment. The opposite of hoarding. The more you hoard, the less energy you can hold. Learn to trust that you always have enough, which will then allow blessings to flow in to your life with ease.
Niyamas (Do’s)
- Saucha (Purity): Maintain cleanliness and purity in your physical surroundings, as well as in your thoughts and actions. They tend to go hand in hand as the saying goes „Clean sight, clean mind“.
- Santosha (Contentment): Cultivate an attitude of gratitude and contentment with what you have, rather than constantly striving for more. Similar to gratitude, once you start your practice with „Thank you for…“ rather than „I wish I had this…“ You will notice a huge shift.
- Tapas (Austerity): Embrace self-discipline and commitment to your spiritual and personal growth. Practice perseverance and resilience. Breaking free and brining things into action. Examples for this are setting the goal of having 5 home cooked meals a week next month, or practicing a 5 asanas next month.
- Svadhyaya (Self-study): Engage in self-reflection, self-awareness, and self-inquiry. Continuously learn and explore your inner self. It’s like auditing in a company. You reflect and analyze. It can also mean having a mentor or guru. Getting a focus or mantra.
- Ishvara pranidhana (Surrender to a higher power): Cultivate a sense of surrender and trust in a higher power or divine guidance. Do not get attached to the outcome but learn to trust a higher power instead.
By consciously integrating these principles into your daily life, you can cultivate a more balanced, and meaningful way of living. It is important to mention that yoga, whilst it offers a number of physical benefits, is more than simply „stretching“ or a „workout“ and in order to respect the lineage and its tradition, we need to start by educating ourselves on and off the mat.
Main – Photo by Katerina May on Unsplash
