Applying the fifth yama, Aparigraha (non-hoarding), to daily life

What do we try to possess on our yoga mat?

Of all the yamas, this is the one which, if kept, would have the most profound effect on our western, consumer, materialistic society. If we all lived in such a way that we were non-possessive, non-accumulative, and non-hoarding... it would totally shift our relationship to stuff, to the earth, to ideas, to ego-identity and to each other. The way we did business would change. The way we manufactured products would change. Our footprint upon the earth would lighten enormously. The practice … [Read more...]

Applying the fourth yama, Brahmacharya (moderation), to daily life

Brahmacharya, walking with God?

By far, this has been the trickiest yama to get a handle on. Definitions of what it means vary widely - from total celibacy at one end, to the application of moderation towards all sensory experiences at the other. Some also define it according to the literal word meaning itself, which provides another spin altogether. Brahma literally means the ‘divine consciousness’ and charya, in this context, means ‘living’ or ‘one who is established in’. A literal … [Read more...]

Applying the third yama, Asteya (non-stealing), to daily life

Practicing Asteya reminds us that our source of happiness is internal

Working with a different yama each week has been far tougher than I ever thought. It feels like each one is showing me yet another way in which I create suffering from myself. Problem is, the patterns of behaviour are so subtle and so ingrained that perceiving them is one thing, changing them is another. Asteya, or non-stealing, has shown up in all kinds of unexpected ways for me. Far more than just refraining from stealing material items, Asteya also means not taking that which is not … [Read more...]

Applying the second yama, Satya (truth), to daily life

Taisuke in Warrior I

It didn't surprise me to discover this week that a yoga asana (posture) for Satya could be Virabhadrasana 1 or Warrior 1 Posture, as this is a posture of standing forward and being forward in your truth. Before I started yoga, my entire life had been built on a lie - a lie that I'd told myself and totally believed. This lie was so embedded in my consciousness that when I first ever did Virabhadrasana 1 in a yoga class I was so challenging mentally and emotionally that I literally ran out of … [Read more...]

Applying the first yama, Ahimsa (non-violence), to daily life

Ahimsa - being kind to ourselves and our bodies on the mat

Last week I made the decision to apply myself seriously to the study and application of each yama (or wise characteristics that denote how we interact with other people) week by week. First up is Ahimsa, which literally means the avoidance of violence. How hard can that be? Don't hit anyone. Don't kill anyone. Don't pinch, punch or slap anyone. I'm not by nature a violent, nor angry person, can't be too tough right? Ah... but wait. Does this apply to sentient beings other than … [Read more...]

Can you name all the yamas and niyamas from Patanjali’s Eight Limbs?

Ghandi's life was all about the first yogic yama - Ahimsa

I've been contemplating a few things lately, both while on my mat and off my mat. Things like how yoga and business mix, what it means to be a yoga student, what it means to be a yogi, how our shadow sides present themselves and affect both us and the people around us, and what life is really all about. I know, big stuff. Something that's mean tying it together for me, over and over and over again, is that how we choose to behave when the pressure is on reveals how mature we are, or how far … [Read more...]