YAMAS AND NIYAMAS SIMPLIFIED
Yamas -The Don'ts!
Practice with actions, words and thoughts, to the best of your ability, with no judgement towards others, and
without expectation of results. -Ahimsa/non-harming: Pushing yourself too much or not enough in yoga is harming. Starving yourself and
stuffing yourself is harming. Being cruel to others and having thoughts of criticism towards yourself and
others is harming. Judging yourself and others is harming. Refrain from these things;)
-Sattya/truthfullness: Do not lie to others or yourself. Sometimes justifying is not true. Stories we tell
ourselves and others that keep us in the past or future or causing pain may not be true. Experience shapes
our truth but we are in control enough to change it. For instance replace with I am getting stronger instead
of I am weak. Replace with I am good and getting better instead of It's never good enough. -Asteya/non-stealing: If you borrow something, return it within a realistic time frame. Do not steal others
energy, time, ideas, belongings, money, silence or quiet space. Pay for merchandise, services, etc at the
appropriate time. -Brahmacarya/continence: This lineage would consider me and us canadians as house holders, not serious
yogis, so I consider this branch to mean more energy moderation as opposed to celibacy. I consider modifying
my emotional, and physical energy, to avoid stress, exhaustion. Basically find a balance of energy towards
health: physical, emotional and spiritual. Giving enough to others without giving too much and leaving nothing
for yourself. -Aparigraha/non-attachment: refraining from jealousy of what others have. Not attached to specific results
(in a pose, in a job, from a person, etc). Also not hoarding, not having too much or more than you need. A
feeling of contentment and gratitude for what you have (possessions, health, life) and indifference to letting it
go. A tall order for being non attached to your 9 year old dog, for example, but with a little practice your
inner peace will be less affected when the time comes to say goodbye, is the idea.
Niyamas- The Do's!
Do the work for work's sake, letting go of expectation, striving for contentment in the task at hand.
-Sauca/cleanliness: Be clean externally with good hygiene, clean home, clean clothes, clean words, being
organized, cleaning life of drama. Be clean Internally by nutritious diet, annual cleanses, flushing annually,
contrast therapy, yoga asana, kriyas or cleansing techniques, pranayama practice. Keep the mind clean by
being mindful of what you see or watch, avoiding violent memories or thoughts for example. -Santosha/contentment: By observing your thoughts, learn what you are not content with. "If you do not like
something change it. If you cannot change it, change your attitude. Don't complain" (Maya Angelou).
"Contentment means contented acceptance of ones lot in life, untroubled by envy and restlessness" (Swami
Prabhavanda) Ridding yourself of expectation is a great way to almost guarentee contentment. -Tapas/discipline: Put the necessary effort in to obtain realistic goals. Do not be defeated, do not beat
yourself up. Practice. Repeat. Do the work. Accept your work. Do not stop until the goal is reached. -Svadhyaya/study of self and sacred text: Almost self explanatory. Observe yourself. Can you see the
difference between that which is changeable (habits, thoughts, emotions, repetitive life lessons, etc,) and that
which is unchanging (soul, love, Atman). Study the sacred texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, or the Yoga
Sutras. Look at yourself instead of others. Journalling is a great tool here.
-Isvar Pranidhana/"dedication of ones actions and ones will to god" (-BKS Iyengar): Being open or
surrendering yourself to what the universe provides. Doing good for others without expectation of anything
in return. The practice of Namaste, auming, at the end of class is Isvar Pranidhana. The practice of chanting,
or a shrine, dedication to nature, are ways to dedicate your actions to god. This is a practice of faith in
whatever you perceive god to be, be it the universe or love. I have an essay on Karma yoga which would be
considered a practice of Isvar Pranidhana.