09/15/2020
"Yoga Off The Mat "
Path to Dharmic Living & Fulfillment
Understandings of the Yamas + Niyamas
The 10 pillars of wisdom & Dharmic Living from the Yoga Sutras
The yamas and niyamas are yoga’s ethical guidelines laid out in the first two limbs of Patanjali’s eightfold path.
They’re like a map written to guide one on life’s journey.
In essence, the yamas are things to avoid, overcome or restrain, while the niyamas are things to do, or observance.
Together, they form a moral code of conduct."
The five yamas, self-regulating behaviors involving our interactions with other people and the world at large, include
Ahimsa: nonviolence, living by causing the least harm
Satya: Non lying ,cultivate truthfulness
Asteya: Do not Steal - Take nothing that does not belong to you..
Brahmacharya: Consciously direct energy (not wasting energy, often interpreted as celibacy)
Aparigraha: Not be possessive, (Avoid greed & hoarding.)
The Eight-Limbed Path of Yoga
Each of the eight limbs highlights a different aspect of our multifaceted being, and together they act as a blueprint referred to as “yoga off the mat.”
The five niyamas or personal practices that relate to our inner world, include
Saucha: to embrace cleanliness
Santosha: contentment
Tapas: self-discipline, training your senses,to purify ourselves through making effort,
Svadhyaya: self-study, inner exploration, to cultivate awareness in order for transformation by discipline /continually studying and observing our habits thus remoulding and reinventing ourselves
Ishvara Pranidhana: surrender to cultivate humility by leaving space for the unknown (acknowledging not only simplicity but also the complexity and great majesty of the vast universes we are a part of.....
Many of these principles have multifaceted nuances.
Image via Usha Swarup 💗