Let’s begin our journey into the Eight-Limbed path of Ashtanga Yoga!!
Yamas, Universal Ethics/ Outer Actions, are the roots of our practice. Correlated with the Muladhara (root) Chakra at the base of the spine, these principles guide the yogi by creating a strong foundation, self-preservation, grounding on the physical plane, health, prosperity, and security. The Yamas are our liberation current and the path to transcendence and inspiration.
BKS Iyengar states that the Yamas are “eternal, irrespective of class, time, and place. These great vows are non-violence (ahimsa), truth (satya), non-stealing (asteya), continence (brahmacharya), and non-covetousness (aparigraha.)”
- Ahimsa (non-violence) Withdrawal from all injury both toward the self and others. Some modern yogis have interpreted this into a vegetarian & vegan diets as to not harm the animal kingdom. Some interpret this as the rule of thumb when it comes to conflict resolution. I tend to think of this vow as one of removal from injury in thought, deeds, both physical and mental. This is the step that removes me from my desire to use shame and contempt or passive aggressive tactics towards others. It’s a daily practice indeed. It helps if I remember that there is a divinity that resides in each of us, and that we each came into this existence in order to live out our agreements with the universal consciousness.
- Satya (truthfulness) Tell the truth. It is easier to remember the details and though the truth is sometimes painful, we are not responsible for the reactions of others but to simply walk with integrity and speak plainly. This vow also, as they all do, extends towards our relationship to ourselves. Get honest about your motives, your desires, your aims, and your goals. Strive to be a woman of your word. Without truth there can be no friendship, without friendship there can be no true love. Omission and half-truths count here too people so become mindful of not just what you say, but what you don’t.
- Asteya (non-stealing) There is Abundance! There is more than enough to go around without you getting all uptight about not “getting” what you deserve. It can be as simple as not trying to upstage your partner at a party because you need more attention, not being devious about the performance (and very often help) of your co-workers for fear that you wont get enough credit, not taking your roommates last serving of ice cream from the freezer, or being underhanded in general. Old school yogis took the path of reducing their wants so that their inclination to steal to get all that stuff they “need” was removed completely.
- Brahmacharya (continence/chastity) The ability to see the divine within each and every person without the arousal aspect. To remove ones self from the desires of the flesh in order to calm the mind, listen attentively, create sensitivity. It is a wise yogi that removes herself from the need to explore things outside of the necessities of life (which can lead to sorrow and increase the desire to act out because we didn’t get what we wanted). The Tantrics have a slightly different bent on this particular vow. They tend to practice chastity as the means to increase ones sensitivity in order to be in a state of righteous arousal that is intended for release with ones spiritual partner, which is done as a means of ritual and is believed to be the ultimate act of surrender to god and the joining of your divinity, your partners divinity, with the supreme divinity. For the Tantrics everything is devotion (bhakti), including deeply intimate physical acts, which are to be celebrated since the body is the temple of the divine.
- Aparigraha (non-covetousness) Thall shall not covet thy neighbors wife, or his house, his car, his bank account, et al. Dude! He’s got some baggage to deal with because of all that stuff so take a moment to breathe and let go of your desires for what neighbor guy has. Here is the secret- that wife is sometimes moody, his house is in foreclosure, his car smells like puke from his two brat kids, and his bank account is having a hard time keeping up with all of his obligations, as amazing as you believe them all to be. The message here is that the reality of any persons situation is always vastly different from what we believe it to be. Be satiated. Show gratitude for what you already have. There is abundance, as we have already discovered, and as soon as you make the space the universe will send you your own laundry list of blessings (and the lessons that come with them)!
Take some time to meditate on these and see what bubbles up. You may find a strong resistance to one or more, and that may be a great indication of where your maintenance should start. If you follow a religious tradition you may find that these concepts have some accessible counterparts. There is no correct order for undertaking these principles so work at your own pace and perhaps journal about your experience.
There are grand lessons to be learned when we contemplate. Greater still are the lessons we teach by our actions. In thought and deed be pure of heart and allow yourself to be a bright white healing light. Have the audacity to change and grow for the better.
Namaste-
