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The Eight Limbs of Yoga (Part 2 – Niyama)

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Niyama – In Sanskrit, means “observance,” or religious observance (aka, the 5 dos of Yoga)

Niyama is the second step in the Eightfold Path (the 8 Limbs) of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and contains the five internal practices of Niyama. These observances outline the five principles which are control (or regulate) the organs of perception; the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue and the skin. As these sense organs are brought under our conscious control, it will reduce attachments and help to free the mind of its clutter.

Niyama extends the ethical codes of conduct described in Patanjali’s first limb (the Yamas) to the yoga student or practicing yogi’s internal environment, i.e.; the body, mind and spirit. The practice of Niyama helps to maintain a positive environment in which to grow, giving us the self-discipline and inner-strength required to insure continued progress along the path of yoga.

Patanjali considered all five of the Niyamas as interesting tools for self assessment and personal growth. Applying these concepts, can shift a situation; so often our thoughts and attitudes dictate out past experience, and these practical observances help us to see where we actually are and improve upon that. The Niyamas refer to a positive attitude that we may adopt regarding ourselves, as they empower us to create a code for living purposefully and meaningfully.

Cultivating Niyamas allows you to cultivate discipline and responsibility. They are ultimately designed to help purify your body, mind and emotions.

Niyama: The Five Dos of Yoga:

  1. Shaucha (purity, cleanliness)
  2. Samtosha (contentment)
  3. Tapas (austerity, asceticism)
  4. Svadhyaya (self-study, spiritual-study)
  5. Ishvara Pranidhana (devotion, worship)

As we progress towards living a more balanced life, the qualities presented in the Niyamas will tend to naturally arise in us. In reality they may be viewed as evolutionary qualities that are a reflection of our connection with universal spirit. As such the Niyamas can be considered milestones along the path of our spiritual growth.

Related article, click on: The Eight Limbs of Yoga (Part 1 – Yama)

Check back soon for “The Eight Limbs of Yoga (Part 3 – Asana)”

The Eight Limbs of Yoga (Part 1 – Yama)

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Yama – Self-restraint, self-control and discipline (aka, the 5 don’ts of Yoga)

Yama is the foundation of yoga.  It is the first step in the Eightfold Path (the 8 Limbs) of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Yama tells us what to avoid doing because it would bring harm to the individual and others.  The observance and practice of yama disciplines the five organs of action; the arms, the legs, the mouth, the organs of regeneration, and the organs of excretion. It is quite natural for the organs of action to control the organs of perception and of the mind. Whenever the mind intends to bring harm to something and the organs of action refuse, no harm will be done. Therefore, Yama is regarded as the foundation or root of the tree of yoga.

Patanjali considered the Yamas to be great, mighty and universal vows. He instructs us that they need to be practiced on all aspects of our being (meaning; actions, words, and thoughts) and that they are not confined to class, race, gender, time or place.

Yama outlines the moral, ethical and societal guidelines for students of yoga and the practicing yogi. These guidelines are all expressed in a scientific and positive manner, thus becoming dynamic descriptions of how a yogi behaves and relates to the world when fully immersed in the experiential unitive state of yoga, called Samadhi. For those of us who have yet to achieve such a pure state, the Yamas are still highly appropriate and valued guides to help us consciously lead a more moral, ethical and honest life.

Yama: The Five Don’ts of Yoga:

  1. Ahimsa – Non-violence
  2. Satya – Non-lying (truthfulness)
  3. Asteya – Non-stealing
  4. Brahmacharya – Continence (celibacy)
  5. Aparigraha – Non-coveting

In a very practical sense, observing and practicing the Yamas eliminates, or at least reduces the accumulation of negative karma as well as preventing the draining of our energy caused by leading a false and/or unconscious life. When practicing the Yamas we’re promoting a healthier, holier and more peaceful life while simultaneously raising our awareness, strengthening our will and increasing our power of discernment. Engaging these practices is formidable task, although by doing so we fortify our character, improve our personal relationships, and further our progress on the spiritual path to the yogic union between the individual self and the universal self.

Related article, click on: Patanjali’s Eightfold Path (the 8 Limbs of Yoga)

Check back soon for “The Eight Limbs of Yoga (Part 2 – Niyama)”

Patanjali’s Eightfold Path (the 8 Limbs of Yoga)

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In his classical yoga treatise, Raja Yoga, Patanjali ordered yama and niyama before asana and pranayama on the eightfold path. But most contemporary students learn asana first, and oftentimes they learn asana outside the context of the other essential limbs on the tree of yoga. If you teach hatha yoga in isolation or without reference to the other limbs, it can be difficult to integrate the teaching with traditional yoga philosophy and science. As said by Swami Gitananda Giri; “…Patanjali’s Ashtanga yoga is ‘no option yoga’. Simply performing asanas and pranayama without the higher aspects of yoga is fruitless”.

In his Yoga Sutras (Raja Yoga) Patanjali compiled 195 sutras (concise aphorisms) that are essentially an ethical blueprint for living a moral life and incorporating the science and practice of yoga into that life. In these Yoga Sutras, the eightfold path is collectively called “ashtanga” in Sanskrit, which literally means “eight limbs” (ashta-eight, anga-limb). These eight steps serve as basic guidelines on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. They function as a prescription for moral and ethical conduct through self-discipline, directing attention toward one’s health and helping the student to recognize and acknowledge the spiritual aspects of their own nature.

These eight limbs of Patanjali intertwine like the branches of a tree in the forest. They aren’t commandments (although they sometimes sound like them), laws, or hard and fast rules. They are simply Patanjali’s suggestions for living a better life through yoga.

In future articles I will go into details of each individual limb, including each one of the five Yamas and Niyamas. Here’s a list of the eight limbs of Patanjali.

  1. Yama (5)
  2. Niyama (5)
  3. Asana
  4. Pranayama
  5. Pratyahara
  6. Dharana
  7. Dhyana
  8. Samadhi

Stay tuned – more to come…

Yoga & Body Detoxification…

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Did you know your body is designed in such a way that it will automatically engage in some form of detoxification every single day? Regular daily yoga practice is one of the best ways to insure that your body remains subtle and as toxin free as possible.

First let’s take a look at how the body actually accomplishes the task of detoxing…

The three main bodily systems employed to get rid of accumulated waste and toxic debris are the circulatory, digestive and lymph systems. Each one of these plays a crucial role in the process. The circulatory system pumps blood throughout the body, delivering oxygen to and carrying waste products away from cells. The digestive system processes the food we eat, separating nutrients from waste and eliminating anything the body doesn’t need. And the lymphatic system collects intracellular fluid from throughout the body and transports it to the lymph nodes where anything harmful (such as bacteria or other contaminants) is removed before the lymphatic fluid is returned back to the bloodstream.

Under optimal conditions, these are robust systems that work well on their own. However, in today’s world, the excessive exposure to both external and internal toxins, the many stresses that are often placed on our lives and an all too often, nutrient-poor diet place an undo demand on these systems, and yoga is an ideal solution to these problems.

How yoga facilitates cleansing

Some forms of vigorous exercise can stimulate all three of these systems of elimination to some extent. But yoga, with its focus on systematically and alternatively stretching and compressing every part of the body, is particularly well-suited to keeping the toxin/waste elimination on par and functioning well.

A well-rounded yoga practice session, engaging every part of the body, facilitates the removal of waste products, including carbon dioxide and lactic acid, and in turn stimulates lymphatic drainage in areas that traditional exercise just doesn’t reach.

Yogic breathing (pranayama) also plays an important role in promoting detoxification. Many people sit with poor posture which impedes the lungs from inflating fully, and our chronic state of low-grade stress often leads to a constricted diaphragm which further inhibits proper breathing. As a result, we aren’t able to take in as much life-sustaining oxygen when we inhale, or expel as much of the potentially hazardous carbon dioxide when we exhale.

Clear your body, clear your mind.

In addition to all the physical benefits of the poses (asanas), yoga aids in mental detoxification as well. Performing yoga helps to purge toxic thoughts by teaching you to move your awareness away from the constant “chatter of the mind” and back to the present “now” moment, a practice that’s not commonly found as a basic component of conventional fitness pursuits.

Furthermore, a regular daily yoga practice helps you to eliminate both the tangible and the intangible toxins that could otherwise keep you from feeling your best and maintaining a state of health and wellness.

 

Yoga and Depression

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Much of the suffering due to depression can be relieved with simple yoga practice.

Nearly everyone experiences depression at some time or another. And when it does occur, there are those rare individuals, who are able to work through it, but for most of us it’s a battle and we easily succumb to denying it.

Oftentimes when we deny depression, it shows up in our bodies as physical symptoms such as aches and pains that seem to rise out of nowhere and often recede when we receive some form of treatment. It is also quite common for many of us to not recognize the extent our depression until the people we love and care about don’t want to be around us anymore, or someone who loves us reminds us that there is a natural way to feel better.

It is a well proven fact that a slow, gentle yoga practice, one that also includes some dynamic movements and energizing breathing exercises, works best to alleviate the symptoms of depression. Most people will benefit by beginning slowly in seated meditation, focusing on the breath, and “scanning” both their physical body and their emotional body before determining the type of practice they need. They then gradually begin to deepen their breath, expanding their lungs with Dirga Pranayama (Yogic three-part breath). In addition they may also hold a posture like the Tadasana (Mountain) pose or Virabhadrasana (Warrior) pose, prompting them to witness, with patience and awareness, all the feelings they are experiencing in their physical body and their emotional body, without the normal reaction that could feed the depression.

Holding the poses for a length of time gives one an opportunity to notice the places in the body where energy is blocked, places where emotion, even trauma is stored. Unaddressed these energy blocks eventually lead to symptoms and then manifest as illness, both physical and mental. When focusing the breath and the awareness where the sensations are the strongest, a process has begun which allows energy to flow through these areas of the body where they feel blocked. Accordingly, as we hold a yoga pose, not only is there an emotional clearing as the pose is released, there’s a physical cleansing of the lymphatic system.

For some people, especially those whose depression is accompanied by anxiety, they may find that a more active practice is required to meet their mood head-on. Someone suffering from anxiety will probably feel impatient with a slow, steady practice. They might need to start with a more dynamic and vigorous session, and then slow the movements down as the anxiety lessens. The ultimate beauty of yoga is that anyone, at any level or condition, can practice it. With proper instruction, there’s an appropriate practice for everybody, even someone who may be impaired by injury or disease.

All the various tools of yoga, not only the postures, but also yogic breathing exercises (pranayama) and meditation techniques, plus the use of mantra and/or affirmations, are meant to bring balance to both the physical as well as the emotional body. If someone can’t stand on their head, they can instead stand straight with her arms over their head, taking long, deep breaths in mountain pose. And even if they’re unable do any kind of movement, they can still learn a simple breath (like the Yogic Three-Part Breath) that studies have shown even that calms the mind and elevates the mood.

Discover Yoga for yourself – today…