The Yoga Sutras and The 8 Limbs of Yoga - Yamas
The Yoga Sutras, compiled more than 1,500 years ago by the Indian sage Patanjali, are foundational to yoga as we know it today. In the sutras, Patanjali speaks about the eight limbs of yoga, the eightfold path of spiritual growth and self-discovery. Asana (yoga postures) is probably the most well-known of the limbs, but it’s only a part of the story. This path offers so much more. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali refers to 8 limbs of yoga, each of which offers guidance on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. Each of the eight limbs addresses a different aspect of our life, and together they act as a road map to what we call “yoga off the mat.”
Let’s look at the Yamas, which means restraints, moral disciplines, or moral vows
This first limb, Yama, refers to vows, disciplines or practices that are primarily concerned with the world around us, and our interaction with it. Yoga is a practice of transforming and benefitting every aspect of life, not just the 60 minutes spent on the mat; if we can learn to be kind, truthful and use our energy in a worthwhile way, we will not only benefit ourselves with our practice, but everything and everyone around us. It directly impacts our daily interactions with family, friends, colleagues and neighbors; the way we earn a living and how we spend our money; the kind of food we eat; our relationship with the environment; how we treat animals and other species; and how we view politics, business and education.
There are five Yamas
Ahimsa (non-violence)
Involves refraining from the intention of causing physical and psychological pain to any living being, and the conscious integration of compassion into every aspect of daily life. It is not merely a passive state of refraining from violence -- ahimsa implies the active expression of compassion and kindness towards ourselves and other sentient beings.
Satya (truthfulness)
The word ‘sat’ literally translates as ‘true essence’ or ‘true nature’. The practice of Satya is so much more than just ‘not telling lies’. It’s a practice that happens in every moment of every day. It requires a calm and steady mind to understand our truthful place before we react to a person or a situation. Satya can also be practiced on the mat by being really honest with ourselves and what we need. Our practice changes, shifts and evolves every day together with our emotional, mental, physical and energetic state. So it’s important to assess our truth at the start of practice and to keep checking in. Is the practice serving us? Can we do less or can we do a little more? Aligning the practice with our truthful state is a practice inspired by Satya.
Asteya (non-stealing)
The need to steal essentially arises because of a lack of faith in ourselves to be able to create what we need by ourselves. The moment we feel a sense of ‘lack’ in life – desire, want and greed arises. We begin to look for something to fill that ‘empty’ sensation, and often feel as though everyone else has what we want. This feeling of lack or not good enough might show up in your practice on the mat. We might push ourselves beyond healthy boundaries because we’re afraid of not being good enough? When we continually focus on pushing ourselves just a little too far over that ‘edge’ in order to attain a posture, we not only rob ourselves of a sustainable and natural practice, but we rob ourselves of being able to be present with the posture and with ourselves for exactly the way things are in that moment. Asteya might also present in your tendency for hoarding or accumulating things. Not being able to declutter and let go of stuff you don’t need. So instead of feeling like something is lacking, we can practice feeling abundant. Recognising that we always are and have enough.
Brahmacharya (right use of energy)
The fourth of the Yamas, Brahmacharya, is often translated as ‘celibacy’ or ‘chastity’, which doesn’t necessarily apply to our modern lives anymore. A more appropriate translation may be ‘right use of energy’. Take a moment to consider where a lot of your energy goes. Likely, as for most of us, a lot of energy is used to worry, overthink and stress. Or you may spend a lot of your energy trying to be someone you’re not, or to please others. Or some spend a lot of their energy, trying to be fitter, stronger or skinnier. Modern life means a busy life. Our schedules are usually packed and we run around trying to get everything done. Brahmacharya encourages the right use of energy, so if your energy levels are flagging at the moment, consider whether your daily tasks are draining you of your vitality. Could you find a way to take a few moments a day to just stop and breathe and find a little peace? Perhaps do less?
Aparigraha (non-greed or non-hoarding)
This important yama teaches us to take only what we need, keep only what serves us in the moment, and to let go when the time is right. In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna said: ‘Let your concern be with action alone, and never with the fruits of action. Do not let the results of action be your motive, and do not be attached to inaction’. What Krishna is essentially saying here, is that we should never concern ourselves with the outcome of a situation, we should only concern ourselves with what we’re actually doing right now as we work towards that outcome. The same goes for your Yoga practice. Practice for the love of practicing. Not for the results, or the extra flexibility. Yes, that and a more peaceful mind are likely to be a result of your practice, but Aparigraha teaches to not attach to these results. A bit like ‘the journey is the destination’. Progress in our practice is encouraging, but it doesn’t need to be the only reward. The sheer joy of the practice is the greatest reward in itself, realising how freeing it is not to have a specific goal we must achieve, but to simply move our bodies in a way that feels good. Aparigraha can also speak to our human tendency to attach to positive feelings. We prefer to feel happy and light and we push away negative emotions. That’s a form of attachment too, which can cause more suffering than the seemingly negative emotion itself. Practicing aparigraha can thus create a lot of freedom, on and off the mat.