Did you know that yoga is much more than a physical practice? The asana, or postures, we practice in a typical yoga class is the third of a total of eight limbs of yoga. The first two limbs of yoga are yama and niyama, or ten...
The yamas can be understood as ways in which we interact with the world around us. Things we must observe to be good, solid people. It’s no surprise that telling the truth makes the list. We now arrive at our second core discipline, satya. Satya: TruthfulnessTell the...
There are five yamas and five niyamas, for a total of ten moral and ethical precepts to help guide one’s life.Here is the third yama, asteya.Asteya: Non-StealingResisting desire for that which does not belong to us. This one, like the others, seems so obvious on the...
The eight limbs of yoga, including the yamas and niyamas that we are working through, are not meant to be completed in a linear fashion.It’s not that you master all five yamas, then move on to all five niyamas, and only after that you’re ready...
The language of yoga is Sanskrit, and Sanskrit words mean so much more than a simple and direct translation can do justice. We do our best to express the concepts in English.The next and final yama is one that feels to me to go beyond...
The yamas are external observances, ways we strive to show up in our community and our household.Conversely, the niyamas are internal disciplines, ways to aim to be on the inside, personal rules to follow for a spiritual life.The first niyama is sauca.Sauca: Cleanliness, PurityRecognizing the necessary yuck of being...
Yogas citta vrtti nirodhah (Sutra 1.2) states that yoga is the calming of the fluctuations of the mind.It’s a move away from the myriad distractions of knowledge, misconception, imagination, memory, and even sleep into a place of centered presence unaffected by these states of mind.Is...
Yoga is both the goal and the steps you take to get there.That is, one practices yoga in an effort to achieve yoga.The word yoga has many definitions. It means to yoke or to unify, to become one with the object of concentration. To fully...
Yoga is a robust philosophy full of advice and practices based on thousands of years of experience.Yoga has evolved with its master practitioners, who are themselves connected to a lineage of teachers through the history of time, to suit the changing needs of the community...
Yoga is not a hard and fast dogma. It’s flexible. It’s open. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali themselves recommend six techniques for concentration before simply saying “or practice anything that is uplifting.” (1.32-39) Even as a non-yogi who has no interest in the practice, you’ll find things...