The Yamas
Satya — Sanskrit for Truth
Ahimsa — Sanskrit for non-harming
Asteya — Sanskrit for non-stealing
Brahmacharya — Sanskrit for wise use of
sexual energy- Celibacy-
When the Creative energy flows up to
the top of the body.
Aparigraha — Sanskrit for "non-possessiveness"
Satya
Meaning:Truth. Honesty & truth.
Satya is the principle of living with integrity.
This refers to refraining from dishonesty and
betrayal in thought, word, and deed.
We have to consider what we say,
how we say it, and in what way it could affect others.
If speaking the truth has negative consequences
for another, then it is better to be quiet.
Satya should never come into conflict with our
efforts to behave with ahimsa.
This precept is based on the understanding that honest
communication and action
always gives healthy relationship, community,
and government.
Deliberate deception, exaggerations,
and mistruths harm others- not only others-
but it bring only decay. It ends up in suffering and pain.
But Satya brings rising up to the divine.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi always says:
Always Speak the sweet Truth.
And if not keep quiet.
Ahimsa
In Pure Yoga, Ahimsha means: None Violence.
It is the principle of being non-harming in thought, word, and deed.
This includes not harming other people, animals, the environment,
and especially yourself!
This discipline also encourages non-violent speech and acts,
towards anyone.
It also means kindness, friendliness, compassion, and
thoughtful consideration of other people and things.
Ahimsa has to do with duties and responsibilities
Asteya
Not Stealing. Anything that doesn’t belong to us.
Not taking that which is not given.
Not only does this include material possessions,
but also other people’s thoughts-ideas-time and energy.
It allows you to turn your awareness to what you have,
rather than to what you don’t have.
It also inspires you to not depend on others to provide time,
energy, or possessions for yourself.
Asteya encourages self-sufficiency.
Brahmacharya
One of the more controversial yamas,
brahmacharya refers to the wise use and preservation of sexual energy.
Ultimately, this principle does not necessarily mean celibacy,
but rather acting responsibly with your sexual energy,
as a way to respect others and yourself.
It also refers to controlling your energy in general,
so as not to waste your spirit and vigor on superficial things.
It also means responsible behavior with respect to our goal of
moving toward the truth.
Practicing brahmacharya means that
we use our sexual energy to regenerate our connection
to our spiritual self.
It also means that we don’t use this energy in any way
that might harm others and our selves.
Aparigraha
We humans love to collect & hoarder.
The principle of non-possessiveness,
aparigraha refers to the ability to let go.
It encourages non-grasping, non-clinging, and non-attachment
to possessions or even thoughts.
Aparigraha teaches you not to fill your life with "stuff"
(including extraneous worries!),
but rather to take it easy and be happy with what you have.
Not hoarding is kind of a human thing to do,
important is to have things we need, and not wat we want.
Aparigraha means to take only what is necessary,
and not to take advantage of a situation or act greedy.
We should only take what we have earned;
if we take more, we are exploiting someone else.
The yogi feels that the collection or hoarding of
things implies a lack of faith in God and
in himself to provide for his future.
Aparigraha also implies letting go of the old,
or when we are done with something of our
attachments to things and an understanding that impermanence
and change are the only constants. Give it away.
The Yoga Sutra describes what happens when these five behaviors
outlined above become part of a person's daily life.
Thus, the yamas are the moral virtues which, if attended to,
purify human nature and contribute to health and happiness of society.
The Niyama
Saucha— Sanskrit for purity
Santosha — Sanskrit for contentment
Tapas — Sanskrit for self-discipline
Svadhyaya — Sanskrit for self-study
Ishvara Pranidhana —
Sanskrit for surrender to a higher source, Divine
Saucha
The first niyama is saucha, meaning purity and cleanliness.
Sauca has both an inner and an outer aspect.
Outer cleanliness simply means keeping ourselves clean & organized.
Inner cleanliness has as much to do with the healthy,
free functioning of
our bodily organs as with the clarity of our mind.
Practicing TM-Medidations & Sidhi programs,
asanas or pranayama are essential means for
attending to this inner sauca.
Asanas tones the entire body and removes toxins
while pranayama cleanses our lungs,
oxygenates our blood and purifies our nerves.
"But more important than the physical cleansing of the
body is the cleansing of the mind of
its disturbing emotions like hurtful topics,
hatred, passion, anger, lust, greed, delusion, gossip, and pride."
This principle of cleanliness &
Purity refers not only to keep a good hygiene,
but also to stay away from the impurities.
Keep a moderate & balanced life.
Santosha means contentment.
It is the practice of finding joy in your own life,
modesty and the feeling of being content with what we have.
But it doesn’t mean giving up your dreams or
allowing yourself to be taken advantage
of is not the practice of santosha! Instead,
this principle refers to an acceptance of the present moment —
perhaps with a generous amount of patience.
By finding peace in any circumstance, you begin to learn that every
challenge is an opportunity for growth.
To be at peace within and content with one's lifestyle finding
contentment even while experiencing life’s
difficulties for life becomes a process
of growth through all kinds of circumstances.
We should accept that there is a
purpose for everything - yoga calls it karma –
and we cultivate contentment 'to accept what happens'.
It means being happy with what
we have rather than being unhappy about
what we don't have.
It doesn’t matter what challenges we face, but we are:
Living in the now.
Tapas:
This means heat, tapas refers to self-control of
your energy, through
which you "burn away" impurities.
It requires restraint, austerity, and hard work.
When the extraneous is gone,
your true energy can come forth.
On your yoga mat tapas can mean working with your "edge"
in difficult poses — but it can also mean fully committing yourself
to your practice. When you are inspired, focused, and "fired up,"
tapas is at work. Heat burns away loads of unwanted energy.
Tapas refers to the activity of
keeping the body fit or to confront and
handle the inner urges without outer show.
Literally it means to heat the body and, by so doing, to cleanse it.
Behind the notion of tapas lies the idea we can direct our energy
to enthusiastically engage life and achieve our ultimate goal
of creating union with the Divine.
Tapas helps us burn up all the desires that
stand in our way of this goal.
Another form of tapas is paying attention to what we eat.
Attention to body posture, attention to eating habits,
attention, awareness, to breathing patterns -
these are all tapas.
Svadhyaya
This is self-study, svadhyaya -requires contemplation and
self-reflection as you inquire into your own nature.
By turning your awareness within, you begin to
realize the deeper meaning of your life, your purpose,
and your spiritual path.
The more regular we are in Yoga/ meditation we will be guided
by the Divine it Self.
Any activity that cultivates self-reflective consciousness
can be considered svadhyaya. Self referral.
And--> Fix your self. It means to intentionally find self-awareness
in all our activities and efforts, even to the point of welcoming
and accepting our limitations. It teaches us to be centered and
non-reactive to the dualities, to burn out unwanted and
self-destructive tendencies.
Ishvara Pranidhana
Ishvara pranidhana, is the practice of yielding to
a higher power or to your higher-self.
This practice encourages modesty and humility,
as it acknowledges the existence of a greater force in the universe.
Ishvara pranidhana teaches you that surrendering to the guidance of
this force will bring peace and wholeness to your life.
To lay all your actions at the feet of God= Ishvara Pranidhana.
It is the contemplation on God (Isvara)
in order to become attuned to God and God's will.
It is the recognition that the spiritual suffuses everything and
through our attention and care we can attune ourselves
with our role as part of the Creator.
The practice requires that we set aside some time each day
to recognize that there is some omnipresent force larger
than ourselves that is guiding and directing the course of our lives.
It doesn’t matter whether you refer to this power
as " The Divine", "God," "Goddess," "Creator," ,
or any other name.
I love the fact how Maharishi-Jee explains here:
All the 8 limbs develops simultaneously & not in steps.
Maharishi Patanjalie-jee's work is not understood correctly...
everything is evolving constantly once we are in Samadhi,
which we already experience by the technique:
TM & TM Siddhi program,
we develop all the qualities of the 8 limbs simultaneously.
That means all the aspects of Yama & Niyama,
which are one of the steps of
the 8 limbs of Ashthanga Yoga
develops within us simultaneously as well.
