In a current publish, I wrote in regards to the Eight Limbs of Yoga. The Eight Limbs are a framework for training all facets of the system of yoga. The primary of those limbs is known as yama. 

I think about yama to be the inspiration of the entire system. Yama means “restraint.” On this context, restraint refers to utilizing sensible discrimination to think about your actions on this planet, so that you simply create an moral floor from which to behave. The yamas are usually not commandments, nevertheless. They’re tips for making a peaceable life by means of your actions on this planet. The yamas ask us to think about whether or not the actions we want to undertake are prone to trigger hurt or to result in happiness—for ourselves and others.

Like all of the limbs of yoga, yama is a follow that we refine as we evolve in our lives. Making use of the rules of the yamas in our lives requires that we think about them anew with every scenario we discover ourselves in. So, being conscious is essential. The truth that there aren’t any hard-and-fast guidelines makes the follow dynamic, and permits us to deepen our understanding as we transfer by means of our lives.

What follows is a quite simple, very brief synopsis of the yamas. Every one is worthy of a lifetime of examine and follow. When you’re excited by inquiring additional, my first ebook, Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Information for On a regular basis Follow, devotes a chapter to every yama, and contains methods you’ll be able to incorporate the yamas into asana follow. The data under can maybe act as a springboard for additional inquiry.

The 5 Yamas

Ahimsa (Non-Harming)

If yama is the inspiration of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, then ahimsa is the inspiration of that basis. All the opposite yamas are refinements of the idea of non-harming. Ahimsa asks us to think about the attainable penalties of our actions. It additionally asks us to pay attention to our intentions. Alistair Shearer defines ahimsa as “dynamic peacefulness.” I like this manner of describing it, as a result of means we’re not merely avoiding inflicting hurt. We’re deliberately cultivating a peaceable method of being, in order that over time, appearing with kindness and care turns into computerized.

Satya (Truthfulness)

Truthfulness is the inspiration of all our interactions on this planet. To ensure that any relationship to develop and thrive, it have to be based mostly in fact. Being untruthful harms us by strengthening untruthfulness as a behavior. It harms others as a result of they will by no means really feel secure once they can’t belief our intentions, phrases or actions. Right here once more, mindfulness is essential. As a way to acknowledge—after which act from—fact, we’ve got to know what’s true within the first place. We do that by wanting deeply at our beliefs, habits and motivations.

Asteya (Non-Stealing)

Asteya asks us to chorus from taking what just isn’t supplied. This contains materials items (cash, valuables) and in addition mental property. So we don’t “assist ourselves” to others’ possessions if we’re not invited to take action. In the identical vein, asteya guides us to ask permission and to credit score others after we share their phrases and concepts.

Brahmacharya (Clever Use of Sexuality)

Our sexual vitality is the supply of our creativity. It’s a highly effective vitality that has nice potential to result in happiness, or to trigger hurt if we misuse it. Sexual encounters should all the time be consensual, and should not be employed merely for our personal self-aggrandizement. The misuse of this vitality, particularly by folks in positions of energy, is ubiquitous in all walks of life—together with the yoga world. Like the opposite yamas, sensible follow is difficult. Donna Farhi’s ebook, Instructing Yoga: Exploring the Instructor-Scholar Relationship, delves deeply into the teacher-student relationship, together with the follow of brahmacharya.

Aparigraha (Non-Greed)

Based on Buddhist follow, greed is without doubt one of the three sources of struggling. (The others are hatred and delusion.) It’s a supply of struggling as a result of it could possibly by no means be happy; it could possibly solely be quickly quelled. After we get no matter it’s that we wish, we might really feel happy, at the least for some time. But it surely’s not lengthy earlier than another want arises, and leads us to pin our hopes on the subsequent object we expect we should have. Greed applies not solely to materials possessions, but additionally to relationships, experiences and the necessity for consideration. The true sources of happiness is contentment, gratitude and appreciation for our lives as they’re. This doesn’t imply we shouldn’t attempt to attain our aspirations. It merely implies that we perceive that the whole lot in our lives comes and goes. Happiness is obtainable to all of us, and its potential is already inside us. The antidote to greed is to follow generosity. After we domesticate a behavior of giving, we perceive extra deeply the enjoyment of letting go.

Simple Does It

Generally it could possibly appear overwhelming to attempt to incorporate all these rules into your life. I counsel committing to follow separately. It may be useful to decide to, say, a 12 months training a single yama. The give attention to one precept can assist you incorporate it into your life extra simply. Determine which of the yamas resonates most deeply for you. Then start to use it to the alternatives you make in your life.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and started instructing in 1986. Charlotte is the writer of Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Information for On a regular basis Follow and Yoga for Meditators, each revealed by Rodmell Press. Her third ebook is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn within the Salt Lake Symphony and people sextet Purple Rock Rondo, whose DVD received two Emmy awards.