The Yamas - The First Limb of Yoga
As we continue on our journey into discovering that Yoga is more than asana, I wanted to look at The Yamas the first of Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga.
The five Yamas are:
Ahimsa (Non-Violence)
Satya (Truthfulness)
Asteya (Non-Stealing)
Brahmacharya (Correct use of energy)
Aparigraha (Non-grasping/Non-greed)
The Yamas are a guide to dealing with the outside world in a kind and positive way. If we begin to use the Yamas as a guide for life, all of our actions will come from a place of kindness and peacefulness too.
Each Yama represents something different and could have whole pages written about it, so I will offer a brief overview here and we will deep dive into each Yama in a separate post.
Ahimsa (Non-Violence) Ahimsa, non-harming or non-violence relates to our actions, thoughts and the words that we speak. Gossiping and bitching, killing animals and environments, supporting oppressive systems, not giving ourselves the rest that we need. There are so many ways that we may be committing acts of harm towards ourselves or others and ahimsa is a constant practice of recognising where we may be doing that and working to change our habits, thoughts and actions.
Satya (Truthfulness) Satya or Truthfulness refers not only to the stories that we tell the world, but to the stories that we tell ourselves, too. This Yama wants us to study and understand what out truth is, then work on living that truth wholeheartedly. Who are we, really? What do we want/need? What are our blindspots? This work can be tricky and there’s lots of self-study to be done, but when you begin really understanding your truth and living it, life feels much lighter.
Asteya (Non-stealing) Asteya or non-stealing can be applied to many things, some of my favourites being: Time (your own or that of others), natural resources, culture, joy, experiences, ideas/thoughts.
Brahmacharya (correct use of energy) one of the most important in current times. How are we using our energy? Are we pouring our time into projects and activities that will improve our lives and make us feel happy? How are we getting our kicks, are we using sexual energy in a way that will ultimately be depleting? Brahmacharya does not need to be translated into complete celibacy, however it does need to be understood as directing our energy wisely.
Aprarigraha (Non-grasping/non-greed) Take and keep only what you need. Focus on the process and enjoy it, rather than getting caught up in the outcome of the thing that you are doing. Practice contentment (Santosha) and gratitude for the things that you do have.
This is only a brief introduction to the Yamas and I will be writing much more about them in the future, but I hope that this has helped you to understand more about the Yamas and how they can be applied to our day to day lives.