Review of a term of Yamas and Niyamas

We have been referring back to the grass roots of yoga…to the distinctive features that make yoga what it is. The Yamas and Niyamas are the foundations that make the physical body and the spiritual garden a strong, vital, happy one.

We’ve looked at qualities that influence our behaviour with others:

Kindness, truthfulness, generosity, moderation, de-cluttering,

then investigated the good personal habits we develop;

Purity, Contentment, Determined effort and the balance of these two things.

Last week there was self-reflection, and this week we surrender to something bigger than us

All just basic common sense.   Living according to the yogic ethos is about a better life in the long run.

This week we looked at Ishvara Pranidhana; translated as yielding to the divine. Having put all the good guidelines of the previous weeks into practice we let go, turn off the worry and just be, trusting that we have laid down the best foundations and what happens, happens.

 

The fourth niyama: Svadhyaya is translated as study of the self through observation and reflection.  It refers to the wisdom which is derived not from others but internally – the ability to see ourselves clearly and learn from this.  This means staying with our process of self-discovery, especially when the going gets tough; uncovering both our weaknesses and strengths.

When practising yoga you are using this valuable tool as you pay attention to every nuance.  When in a well-supported pose, try closing your eyes.  Each pose unfolds with a sense of inquiry and curiosity.  This makes all the difference to really good yoga.  As you work, investigate how you are balancing determination (Tapas) with contentment (Santosa).

The third Niyama: Tapas refers to dedication, consistency, straightforwardness and self-discipline. In its purest form it has been described as ‘determined effort under all circumstances to achieve your goal’.  It is often associated with the concepts of energy and fire.  In traditional yoga, Tapas is the conscious effort to achieve ultimate union with the Divine and to burn up all desires that stand in the way of this goal.

It is no accident that Tapas follows the niyama Santosa (or contentment). It is the balancing of these opposites of burning desire and contentment that allows for sustainable growth in our yoga practice, but also in life as a whole.

“At any given moment, we must find the perfect balance between effort and grace; between striving for an idealized future, and enjoying the present moment. Those who only know Santosa dream their lives away. Those who are slaves to Tapas may blaze brightly but soon burn out. Yoga helps us to harness these two opposites so that we might both discover and give form to our dreams. (Paraphrased from Charles MacInerney)

On the Mat Every yoga pose requires both Tapas and Santosa. While practising your yoga, use the idea of strong, quiet, determination in the challenging poses, rather than pushing yourself.  Acknowledge that feeling of wishing to build up do more next time.

In a Tapas yoga practice, you will be generating some heat in the body BUT, to maintain the energy generated in the poses, remember to keep coming back to your Bandhas or energy locks: Mula Bandha and Uddyana Bandha. Check in with yourself every so often, is my lower abdomen slightly engaged?

You could try using Ujjayi breath during the poses where it seems to come easily as it increases focus and clarity.

“By including contentment as an active practice rather than a reaction to events around us, peace of mind does not rely on external circumstances, which are always changing in ways beyond our control. Contentment requires our willingness to enjoy exactly what each day brings, to be happy with whatever we have, whether that is a lot or a little. It’s fairly easy to practise contentment in the beautiful moments and joyous experiences of our lives. But this second Niyama in Yoga asks us to be equally willing to embrace the difficult moments. Only when we can be content in the midst of difficulty can we be truly free. In our relationship with ourself, when we accept things as they truly are at this moment, not as we want them to be, we are practising the Niyama santosa”

(Paraphrased from Judith Lasater)

“The inner observances or niyamas act as a code for living soulfully. They tell us that when we are true to the highest expression of ourselves as humans, we live with purity, not because we are a Goody Two-shoes, but because it is the surest way to live life at a higher resolution with more clarity and happiness. If we fill our bodies with toxic substances and our minds and emotions with negative thoughts, we really can’t enjoy this life we have”. – Donna Farhi

Non-hoarding doesn’t get much attention in  current Western Society unless it becomes newsworthy.  We look at those who have taken hoarding to the extreme on our newsfeed, tut-tut, and perhaps feel incapable of understanding why people would live in such conditions. Yet we are encouraged to spend and acquire, accumulate possessions as if this are a measure of our success. Even if it means borrowing and running on credit. Massive debt causes economies to collapse and the pendulum swings the other way, where people are afraid of loss and hoard jealously. Some of us who have parents or grandparents who lived through the Great Depression may be familiar with the phrase, “don’t throw that out, it might come in handy!”

Aparigraha is the fifth recommendation by the yogis for a happy life. It is the Yama of not cluttering…non-greed, not desiring more than we need. It asks us to consider our possessions with regularly renewing attention so we can investigate “Do I still need or wish to use this? What can I let go of? Could someone else put this to better use?

Practising aparighraha reduces fear of loss. When we question our happiness depending on how much we own, a trust in our own power of maintaining what we truly need starts to develop.

As well as material possessions, it’s easy to have a fondness for one’s opinions about certain things and people.  Just like our possessions, these attitudes may have been very useful when we acquired them at the time, but holding on to them as a guide for life now (which is now different) may severely limit you.  By letting go of restrictive standpoints we create a more spacious and truly rich life.

Moderation, self-restraint, the middle road; they can sometimes feel rather boring.   Living for extremes in sensual pleasures could be fun in the short term, but will not ultimately bring happiness; wanting, wanting, wanting leaves us unsatisfied. This area of yoga philosophy relates to the Yama Brahmacharya. Orthodox yogis interpret Brahmacharya to mean celibacy or exercising appropriate sexual moderation. Ancient yogis found that they had more energy and focus when they remained celibate like modern athletes abstaining from sex before their event.  In Australia now we could include food obsession, sugar addiction, over-consumption of alcohol, problem gambling and internet addiction into the pool of sensual pleasures taken too far. Beyond simple health considerations, moderation is very much about energy conservation rather than being a goody-goody for the sake of it. When we are less at the mercy of our senses we swing around less in our emotions. We are focussed on being present, rather than searching and consuming and searching again.  Moderating the extremes, reminds us that our life is precious and if we use our energy wisely we’ll have a greater chance of peace and contentment.

As usual applying the Yamas in their wider interpretation is easier said than done. For many of us it’s so much easier to go cold turkey (increasing the chance of relapse), or not try at all.

Has this ever been you in a yoga pose? Go to the extreme of a pose (even though you have been given progressive versions), attempt to hold it for as long as everyone else while wobbling, tensing, gritting your teeth, holding your breath, only to fall out of it and come out of it in a little huff. Doing a pose in this way means it’s over faster, you haven’t had to think or explore, and you have just reinforced to yourself that you can’t do it. By taking the middle road, testing the pose bit by bit, holding the “easy” version and then exploring some extension you will grow in your ability…you have progressed from exercise and party tricks to yoga.

Non -Stealing (Asteya)

Like its previous “honesty twin” truthfulness (Satya) most of us would not consider ourselves as thieves.  Like much of yoga, this concept asks you to think a little more deeply.  Valuables such as a person’s time, attention and even the “limelight” can be stolen.  When we don’t give credit where it is due, we are not practising Asteya.  When we are greedy with someone’s time or attention, and they are seeming uncomfortable or reluctant, we taking something not freely given.

If you are not feeling confident or secure,  or you are under pressure to achieve a task, Asteya can be particularly difficult to follow. Yoga teaches us to let go of comparisons with others and any need to claim something not ours.

Quietening the mind and listening to the heart helps us to know needs from wants and Asteya reminds us that we have most of what we need.

When practising your yoga…

If you find your mind has wandered away from the intention of the pose or the breath, this is stealing from your time and your original intention of benefitting from yoga. Bring your attention back to the breath and the pose without further internal comment.

Occasionally we can slip into envy of others’ ability, strength, or flexibility. Turn this around to giving credit where credit is due and remember we have qualities which others admire.

A final savasana or relaxation, even if brief, is integral to the yoga practice that precedes it. If you do not give stillness credit for its true importance and skimp on it, you are detracting from your original goal of benefitting from yoga.

Truth – Satya

Most of us tell the truth to others most of the time, but there are times when it takes effort!  There are situations where it is so much easier to bend the truth and tell a lie.  Since kindness is the overarching principle of the Yamas and Niyamas an argument can be made for colouring the truth to save unkindness.  Here’s the hard part…are you not being truthful in order to be kind or are you acting through convenience, annoyance or to avoid repercussion?

Truth extends beyond words, to deeds and thoughts.  Our thoughts are coloured by all our experiences, and particularly what others have told us our truths are.  Perhaps we have taken over that narrative in our self-talk and convince ourselves of “truths” that are well past their use-by dates.

Practising Satya is learning to distinguish clear observations from our coloured interpretations.

During Yoga practice.

• Be honest with yourself in your asana without harsh judgement (recalling the respect we discussed last week last week).
• Be vigilant of unhelpful body habits which we take into postures , so called “release valves”, being used to move away from the intention of the asana. This is then being ”honest” to the intention of the asana. eg, practice trikonasana and observing if we bring the arm too far down the leg such that the under ribs crumple and compromise the length and openness of the torso.
• Notice the breath as a monitor of the simultaneous Strength (Sthira) and Ease (Sukha)in what we are doing, to see if we are being ”honest” with our personal boundaries and limitations.

Off the mat

*When you do not speak the complete truth next time, catch yourself and notice the feeling in your body (eg contraction or rigidness, perhaps jaw clenching). Noticing this without judgment, just observing sensations, contractions or any feelings.

Respect and Kindness (Ahimsa)

Kindness is a positive state of love and respect.

Kindness extends inwards towards oneself first, before it can extend outwards to others.  Some of us feel and act more kindly to others than to ourselves.  Sure as eggs, this hardness will seep out to others eventually, often to the ones we love the most.  Practise self-kindness and kind self-talk!

Respect for others and ourselves is a given, and does not have to be “earned”.

Kindness aims to do no harm.

Kindness is considerate, generous and forgiving.

Kindness is doing good…even to the not so good.

Good practices for cultivating kindness are

• resisting retaliation after an insult
• resisting the habit of making sniping or niggling comments to others even if they are just teasing or in jest
• not privately wishing anyone ill…it does nothing to them and it’s only corrosive to you

One who practises patience, forgiveness and self control is practising kindness or Ahimsa.)