What are Yamas and Niyamas in regards to Yoga? They are not the actual "ten commandments" or any kind of outwardly enforced rules. The Yamas and Niyamas are usually guides that must be seriously considered. Yoga is more than a physical discipline. Yoga is really a way of life with a rich viewpoint. Yamas and Niyamas are generally ten good common-sense principles for leading a healthier, more joyful life - delivering spiritual awareness into a social context. Focus on the kinds which resonate with you these days.
Think about their particular application in your life. Make use of your logical thoughts to challenge them, think about them, and examine them from all angles. Yoga isn't mindlessly accepting externally imposed guidelines - it's about finding the truth on your own. Therefore it is good to question, challenge and consider the guidelines of life which resonate with you. Let the rest go. Eventually, we discover that all of these apply to us, and we choose to live by these guidelines. For now, think about each one of these carefully.
There are lots of interpretations of the yamas together with niyamas. I have taken definitions from a variety of resources to give you as balanced and comprehensive an idea of their meaning as possible. Yoga and Sanskrit scholars please feel free to email me personally with any suggestions. Why should one study a particular Yamas and Niyamas? Well, they help you manage your energy in an integrative fashion, complementing your outer life to your inner growth. They help you see yourself with consideration and awareness. They help you respect all of the different beliefs in the world, balancing your inner growth with external constraint, and help you to lead a mindful life.
Yamas together with Niyamas aren't about right or wrong. They are about being truthful with ourselves. Applying these concepts changes us in the moment. The guidelines aren't about getting "bad" or "good" - they are about living any way of life with a better approach, and moving towards understanding rather than separation. Negative things occur in everyone's life sometimes. It's not what happens that means something - it is how you react to it.
Again, Yamas are Guidelines for the way we interact with the outside world. They are interpersonal exercises to lead us in our interactions with other people. The 5 yamas are: Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, Aparigraha.
"Yamas and niyamas all have got their root in ahimsa (which means not harming living creatures); their purpose is to perfect this kind of love that we ought to have for all creatures...." Coming from the "Yogasutra-bhashya" 2.30, by Vyasa, the earliest commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, translated. by J. Varenne, "Yoga in the Hindu Custom", Univ. of Chicago Press, 1976.
Ahimsa means non-violence, kindness, and no malice in your actions. It also means consciousness and gentleness in action, idea and speech. Violence arises from fear, rage, restlessness as well as envy. The importance of Ahimsa is to practice empathy, love, understanding, tolerance, self-love, as well as merit.
Your life guidelines should consist of non-violence in action, thought, or words to other living creatures, or towards themselves. Think of violence inside the body. If a friend acts towards you with violence, he most likely wouldn't be your friend any more. So, look at yourself with tenderness and compassion. Build links with people. This does not mean that you must become a doormat for people to step on. One side of non-violence is making limitations for peace if someone is behaving violently towards you. "NO" must be within your vocabulary to practice Ahimsa. Ahimsa can be powerful. Gandhi's very existence was based on the basic principle of Ahimsa and he made use of it as a powerful tool.
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