Ishvara Pranidhana, surrender, is the last of the Niyamas. It means having faith that everything will always turn out exactly the way it’s supposed to. Faith is not an excuse to sit idly by and let life happen to you, nor is it a fatalist “nothing I do matters anyway” philosophy. It’s about balance: striving […]
Svadhyaya, self-study is the forth Niyama. This is the process of knowing ourselves, our true selves. We practice Svadhaya by reading, learning, meditating, and reflecting. As we study various subjects, from spirituality and philosophy, to science, art, and history, we understand ourselves better. A meditation practice helps us uncover the ego that is blocking us […]
Tapas, self-discipline, is the third Niyama. Tapas literally means heat. Transformation requires heat. Dough is baked in the oven to form bread, clay is fired in the kiln to create pottery, iron and glass are passed through the flames so that they may be molded and shaped. So too must we hold ourselves to the […]
Santosha, contentment, is the second Niyama. Being content means being happy with the present moment just as it is. It’s knowing that happiness comes from within and that no one or nothing external can make us happy. Santosha is about accepting without judgement and moving past the mindset that says I’ll be happy when… But […]
The Niyamas, or observances, tell us what qualities to cultivate. Saucha, cleanliness or purification, is the first Niyama. We cleanse the external by picking up after ourselves at the yoga studio; putting our weights away when we’re finished at the gym; and keeping our home clean and uncluttered. We purify the internal with meditation; being […]
Aparigraha, non-attachment, is the fifth Yama. We can become attached to anything, people, possessions, expectations about how life should be, our physical appearance, our routine, and even our journey toward enlightenment. When we cling to these, we can go to great lengths to avoid losing them. Aparigraha teaches us that rather than fearing an inevitable […]
Brahmacharya, moderation, is the forth Yama. Moderation means stopping before we’ve had or done too much. We can go overboard with anything, from work to food to exercise. Being distracted can cause us to overdo it. We’re at the gym thinking about food, planning our post-workout meal or watching cooking shows on T.V. While we’re […]
Asteya, non-stealing is the third Yama. Like ahimsa and satya, asteya means more than just the translation and it can be applied toward others, ourselves and the environment. We steal from others when we take from them; not just things, but also their time. We also steal from others when we neglect to give them […]
Satya, truthfulness, is the second Yama. We can practice satya within ourselves by living our truth and with others through truthful communication. We must speak the truth while still practicing the first Yama, ahimsa, non-harming. Truthfulness is not the same as honesty. If we are being honest, we are saying what we believe to […]
Our yoga practice doesn’t have to end when we roll up our yoga mat at the end of class. We can live our yoga all day long and we don’t have to give up all of our possessions and live in a cave to do it. We can take our yoga off the mat […]