Welcome to our summer yoga challenge! It is exciting to start this eight - week long blog and hopefully grow it into a regular communication between all of us. I am so happy that we have such a special community at Quiet Mind Yoga. So follow our blog and post your comments, share your stories as I am sure that we can all learn from them. So here it begins the Eight Limbs of Yoga...
We learn as we keep coming to our mats that the practice of Yoga does not only focus on the physical postures to improve the body, but deals with all the aspects of our being and our lives. Patanjali who is considered the father of modern yoga compiled 196 aphorisms which are called the Yoga Sutra. In the Yoga Sutra, he described the eight aspects of a Yogic Lifestyle and called it the Eight Limbs of Yoga. The Eight Limbs are practical guides to a person's personal development to achieve the harmony of the mind, the body and the spirit which leads to Samadhi or enlightenment. The practice of yoga does not only deal with developing the body but also covers all the aspects of a person's life. It is concerned about the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of an individual as well as his environment and relationship with other creatures. Real practice of these eight principles leads to deeper self-knowledge, love and respect towards other people and creatures, cleaner environment, healthy diet, and union with the Divine.
The Eight Limbs are:
· Yamas : Universal morality
· Niyamas : Personal observances
· Asanas : Physical postures
· Pranayama : Breathing exercises, and control of prana, life force
· Pratyahara : Control of the senses
· Dharana : Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness
· Dhyana : Meditation
· Samadhi : Bliss, enlightenment
We will start this week exploring the Yamas
Yamas are your attitudes towards others and the world around you, they are moral guidelines in relation to the outside world, our social ethics. You can read in the Yoga Journal, the name of the first limb of the eighfold path, "yama," originally meant "bridle" or "rein." Patanjali used it to describe a restraint that we willingly and joyfully place on ourselves to focus our efforts, the way a rein allows a rider to guide his horse in the direction he would like to go. In this sense, self-restraint can be a positive force in our lives, the necessary self-discipline that allows us to head toward the fulfillment of our dharma, or life purpose. The five yamas are oriented toward our public behavior and allow us to coexist harmoniously with others.
Ahimsa - Non-harming or non-violence: This Yama does not only mean not doing harm to others in thought and in deed, but also to practice acts of kindness to other creatures and to one's own self. First and foremost, we have to learn to love and respect ourselves. It is as important to follow this guideline on the mat as much as it is in our lives. On the mat make sure that you do not ask too much of your body, respect its limits and don't push yourself over the edge. Be patient with yourself, your muscles, joints your body and your whole being. Off the mat once we accept ourselves the way we are, it becomes easier to listen to our body, mind and soul, it will come more natural also not to hurt others in any way. Just like everything in yoga, it is a journey, a long one but the outcome will be so worth it. Ahimsa, in some way is the overarching moral teaching of yoga. If you practice ahimsa all that is to follow will fall into place.
Satya - Truthfulness: Satya is the Yama that is about living a truthful life without doing harm to others. In my mind ahimsa and satya go hand in hand together as being true to ourselves and others is crucial in the process of understanding who we really are and how to love and respect this self without causing harm. And once we are truthfully able to say we know ourselves it becomes easier to view others through those eyes well. On the mat you want to make sure that you truthfully follow the signs your body and mind gives you. Off the mat staying true to yourself and others could mean to say and think with a truthful heart, and be able to make a distinction between when it is good to say the truth and when it is better to say nothing as the truth might hurt someone more. If you follow Satya this way, it will make fulfilling ahimsa easier as well.
Asteya - Non-stealing: This Yama is not only concerned about the non-stealing of material objects but also the stealing of other's ideas and other forms of possession. Using power for selfish motives or telling someone else about confidential information you had been entrusted with is against Asteya. On the mat think about simply respecting the time of others, arrive on time so both the teacher and the other students can benefit the most form the practice. Off the mat, in real life, following upon satya, try not to steal the truth of another person, and not to use physical, intellectual, emotional or spiritual possessions of others for your own good.
Brahmacarya - Moderation, sexual responsibility: Bramacharya means to move toward the essential truth or to achieve self-control, abstinence or moderation especially regarding to sexual activity. It is about not giving in to our ego's excessive desires or taking nothing in excess. This yama has been interpreted mostly as celibacy, sexual restraint. I do find that there are other meanings to this guideline, for example being responsible and using moderation in every area of our lives. On the mat, making sure that you are not abusing your body "to get in shape", not taking classes even when your muscles and joints are aching, choosing to rest when you need to. Off the mat you can use this principle for anything in life, from eating and drinking habits, to work, to sexuality. I believe that most things can be enjoyed as long as you keep a cap on their frequency and quantity.
Aparigha - Abstention from greed: This Yama is about living a life free from greed or taking only what is necessary and do not take advantage of someone or of a situation. It is about using our powers correctly and appropriately and not exploiting others. Similar to brahmacarya, in aparigha, we use moderation for our possessions. Focusing on not expecting happiness to come from material sources, not using material things as our validation and not taking, buying, acquiring more than we need to live a sustainable and happy life.
Take your time to get familiar with the Yamas and start practicing them in your life. Throughout the next week find these themes in your classes at Quiet Mind. Enjoy the classes and share your experiences as you are applying the Yamas to your life on the mat and off the mat also.
Namaste.
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