Over the next few months Jill and Ed will be exploring the Yamas and Niyamas in our weekly classes.
In the yoga philosophy, the Yamas and Niyamas are ethical and moral guidelines that serve as the foundation for a balanced and harmonious life. Doesn’t this sound nice?
The Yamas focus on external disciplines and the Niyamas are internal observances, guiding individuals toward personal and spiritual growth. Together, the Yamas and Niyamas provide a framework for ethical living and self-development in the practice of yoga.
The Yamas are made up of the following:
- Ahimsa: non-harming or peace
- Satya: benevolence and truthfulness
- Asteya: non-stealing
- Bramacharya: conservation of energy, non-excess
- Aparigraha: simplicity, non-hoarding
The Niyamas include the following:
- Saucha: purity or clarity
- Santosha: contentment
- Tapas: discipline and effort
- Svadyaya: self-study
- Ishvara pranidhana: surrender
These core values of yoga are applicable in our asana practice and off the mat in our daily life.
These Yamas and Niyamas come directly from Patanjali’s yoga sutras. They make up the first two limbs of Ashtanga yoga. It can be noted that asana (our poses) is the third “limb” and pranayama (our breath) is the fourth.
There are many articles and sources of information about the yamas and niyamas. If you are wanting to know more, you can go right to the source: ‘The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali’ (Chapter 2)
Another brief but informative article that I (Jill) recently read was https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/philosophy/yoga-sutras/path-happiness/?scope=anon
A brief article on the 8 limbs of yoga can be found here: https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/philosophy/the-8-limbs-of-yoga-explained