This Is What Yoga Is For
The chaos continues through the nights, through the weekends, through the never-ending chimes of news alerts on our phones. “Flooding the Zone” is meant to destabilize you into submission, overwhelm, and/or apathy. On the other hand, yoga is meant to ground you into Truth and help you find solace and your Self within it. This time in history is the stuff yoga was meant for, but not just the part we practice on a mat (asana). We have to lean into all the parts that make yoga, well, yoga.
True Yoga is a way of living. It’s the philosophy that leads us to freedom and Self-realization. You see, the physical postures are the third limb of the 8-limbed practice. These limbs don’t have to be practiced in order, but in our guiding text, The Yoga Sutras, Patanjali first writes about the Yamas and Niyamas. This suggests we should start with them. The Yamas are the social codes, and the Niyamasa are personal ethics.
Since most of us come to yoga with the familiarity of the postures and the physical part of the practice, we’ve missed a lot by skipping over these all-important limbs. Remember, yoga is not just physical. In fact, I would say the mental part of yoga gives us the most benefit. I think we all would appreciate living a more peaceful life in harmony with the people and things around us. Being able to approach even the difficult things with a sense of equanimity is easier when we understand the Yamas and Niyamas.
It is because of the adversity in our world today and the continuous bombardment of negativity that I am personally leaning into the Yamas and Niyamas again. I find when I focus on things like letting go, and contentment, I have an easier time navigating life’s circumstances. The roadmap that the Yamas and Niyamas provide will help you navigate life's most challenging times with more peace, ease, and equanimity. It may even help you change your perspective when facing difficulty.
The following is the basic concepts of the Yamas and Niyamas.
Nonviolence- Compassion for all living things, especially yourself!
Truthfulness- Listening to your inner voice for what’s right even when inconvenient.
Non-stealing- Finding abundance so you only take what is needed.
Non-excess, wise use of energy- Spending your time and energy on things that fill you up.
Non-grasping- Being free by letting go of things that no longer serve you.
Purity, cleanliness- Making choices about what you want (or don’t want) in your life.
Contentment- Feeling satisfied with your circumstances, accepting the present moment even as you may remain hopeful for change.
Self-discipline, burning enthusiasm- Taking action toward a meaningful life.
Self-study, inner exploration- Uncovering the things that help you know your True Self.
Surrender, celebration of the spiritual- Attuning to your life purpose and welcoming Spirit into your life.
If you have been looking for a way to add more meaning and purpose to your life while remaining minimally disturbed by the chaos around you, then I highly recommend learning about the Yamas and Niyamas. There are books that can help you, or you may wish to take my Yamas and Niyamas course. The course is already available to SoulShine Members in the Member Portal. If you aren’t currently a member of SoulShine, then I encourage you to join in order to access the Yamas and Niyamas Course. We spend one class to learn about each of the Yamas and Niyamas in depth, and we do it while still practicing asana. It’s self-paced, and you can pick and choose the classes you most want to focus upon. Plus, SoulShine is pay-what-you can, so you can access the course for as little as $35/month.
I wish you peace and ease. Be well!