Yamas! There are so many new words to learn! At first they seem foreign and hard to understand, and then over time they begin to beautifully describe what I naturally experience in my life on and off the mat. Those old yogis really knew what they were talking about!
The Yama’s Defined
Ashtanga Yoga translated means 8 Limb yoga. The 1st limb is yama or “the yamas” – 5 ways of learning to love ourselves and exude love from the inside out - starting with the outside in. Because the yama’s are part of the philosophy behind yoga, the easiest way is to look at how they apply to our yoga practice – but this is like just getting our “foot in the door”. With time for reflection and help from our teachers we may begin to practice the yama’s as we look at how we treat ourselves and others in our lives off our mats. Many things in life are not in our control – but learning to practice the yama’s will affect the way we live our lives and that is something we can control when we step on our mats and then off!
Ahimsa: The first yama is ahimsa, which means non-harming, or non-violence in thought, word, and deed. This doesn’t mean we all have to be vegetarians – but this does mean maybe to be aware of why we are not. For me as a teacher I will ask my students to have self awareness so as to not harm physically or mentally themselves or those on the mats around them. Because our fears can sometimes cause us to think negatively about ourselves, I ask them to try to pay attention to those fears and if possible let them go. I ask them to try to let go of self-deprecating voices and thoughts and to focus on the positive, the light. Being non-violent towards oneself means to practice non-judgment in the postures; practice with love towards thyself and others. Practicing ahimsa on the mat may also be about becoming aware of how you may be affecting the experience of those around you, in the yoga room that may mean following the classroom protocol i.e. not wearing strong smelling perfume, turning off cell phones and even moving to the wall if loosing your balance might effect someone else’s balance or safety.
Satya: Satya means truthfulness in thought, word, and deed. This yama leads us to become more aware of what we say and do in the context of honesty. With satya I’ll ask my students to look within themselves when they step on their mat and with an honest heart recognize and be aware of how their bodies feel at the moment. I remind them that what they feel in their bodies can change from day to day and this will impact their postures. Practicing satya on the mat may mean recognizing ambition, not “pushing” too hard, and being content with where you are on that day. For many of us new to yoga we battle with two forces when practicing asana – ambition in a posture as well as fear in a posture – practicing truth and non-violence will balance these so you are challenging your body/mind with love and not suffering.
Asteya: In Yoga Mala, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois says: “Asteya means not stealing the property or possessions of others. Being envious of, or begrudging another; cheating someone with sweet words; gaining selfish ends under the guise of truthfulness: all are to be abandoned. Heaps of gems fall before the yogi who practices asteya, and he becomes the abode of all gems.” This is a biggee – the obvious is to not steal – but a way to look at this on the mat is to let go of the need to make rationalizations and/or compromises. If you let go of pre-conceived notions or expectations you will protect yourself from injury and further suffering. Let go of wanting to look a certain way or be another person in a pose and you’ll not compromise yourself but instead receive the benefits of the pose. If we do get injured or start our practice with a physical ailment, or a maybe less than “perfect” body– let go of our attachment to thinking we have to be a certain way – and look at this as an opportunity to practice faith in our ability to heal by paying attention to what we do. The practice of asteya with satya helps cultivate ahimsa.
Brahmacharya: So far so good, right? Now we get to the tough one: number 4 is brahmacharya which is commonly translated to mean celibacy. Though that may be one translation of that word, it is far from it’s meaning as described in the yoga sutras. If you look more closely at the sutras it speaks of brahmacharya as wasting valuable energy on non valuable pursuits. Or basically indulging in activities that we sort of know are not so good for us. The sutra’s say that if we practice non-indulgence we will be endowed with inexhaustible energy. So what do we indulge in? Excessive food, alcohol, shopping, sleep, work, exercise and yes, maybe sex. So this is where the idea of moderation comes in. Avoid or moderate these self-destructive self-indulgent behaviors and you will find a well spring of energy that can be used for positive life enriching growth.
So, how can we bring brahmacharya to the yoga mat? What poses do we indulge in and which do we resist? Often we indulge in poses that come easily to us or that feed our egos and often we resist the ones that are challenging. We base this on past experiences and pre-conceived notions about ourselves.
Aparigraha: Non-possessiveness, non-hoarding or in other words, “non-Attachment”; This one is about “LETTING GO”; so in regards to preparation for your asana practice – ask yourself what are you attached to? Or better yet, what are your fears that create the attachment(s)? Are you attached to a specific teacher, time of day, place in the room, a specific mat or prop, etc….the list can go on. Practicing non-attachment in the classroom may be as little as trying something different each time you show up. If you always practice next to the same person, mix it up, if you always practice in the front of the room, move to the back, if you always practice with one teacher – see if you can alter your schedule to practice with a different teacher….or better yet, try a Mysore or Self-Practice class J Set yourself up to practice aparigraha even before the asana begins.
We’ve all seen photos of beautiful yogi’s in the yoga magazines, or watched really advanced practitioners levitate while wrapping both legs behind their heads. We’ve all been inspired, which is great – but if you notice that inspiration turning into a feeling of sadness or disappointment when you yourself can not in your perspective, achieve this feats, you know that you need to work on aparigraha. Wanting a certain pose or strength is fine, it is your attitude about the result of that wanting that matters. Find balance between fear and ambition; once you release the anticipation or expectation of trying to achieve these picture perfect ideals, notice how your body naturally will want to open up, grow, and be able to receive the gift of what your practice has to offer with renewed freshness and presence of mind.
If you are not sure how to practice letting go in a posture, try focusing on the breath and letting go of the mechanics of the asana….see if the constant rhythm of the inhale and then the exhale without holding onto one allows you to naturally move into the posture with a new sense of freedom. Your breath is your guide as we say in the classroom – you are continually releasing (exhaling) to make room for the new – each breath is allowing us to become comfortable with the idea of just letting go.
YAMA’S WRAPPED UP IN NUT-SHELL
The yama’s define Mother Theresa or the Dalai Lama but they are both the mirror and tools that inform us of ourselves and provide us the opportunity to work on compassion and love towards ourselves and thus to the world around us.
Practicing them personally I hope comes out in my teaching as well as all the roles I play in my life. I recognize that although I have the tendencies of the “perfectionist” I am by NO MEANS Perfect. I make mistakes, falter, and sometimes find myself in a cycle of self-destructive patterns, coming to the mat and practicing my yoga reminds me that the yama’s exist and to keep trying to live life in light, with compassion and love which will enable my ability to grow in my capacity to do the right thing. That in recognizing this whole thing is not asking “what’s in it for me” but rather thanking God and asking “how can I share this with you?”
When I get down or feel restless, I can go through the yama checklist and find what fear it is that I am holding on to. It helps me to let go of that fear – just by being able to recognize it. Practicing patience, love and understanding on the mat (ahimsa), listening to my body and being aware (satya) so as to not take what from it what is maybe not ready for (asteya), and finding balance between the more challenging days and the days where a restorative practice is welcomed (brahmacharya) and not being afraid to share what I’ve learned with others (aparigraha) is how I hope to live and share in my teaching.
Shannon teaches and studies at City Yoga. She has completed her 200hr teacher qualifications through the City Yoga Teacher Training and Apprenticeship Program.
