Philosophy

Yama – Restraints - Define our relationship with the outer world (Don'ts)

Ahimsa - Non-Violence -

The word himsa means injustice or cruelty. Ahimsa is the absence of cruelty, the state of non-violence.

The concept of non-violence goes far beyond the notion of non-harming of another human being. Non-violence in the Yogic system is non-violence, of any degree, at any time, to anything, in action, thought, or emotion. This is somewhat comprehensive, to say the least. It asks us to be continually attentive to every one of our actions, whether they are externally manifested or merely thoughts or feelings. Let’s consider a few examples:

What We Eat: Ahimsa teaches us to put nothing into our bodies that could be harmful. It is this very Yama that has resulted in the vegetarian diets so often adopted by Yogis.

What We Say: Simple enough, yet each of our statements has the potential for some type of harm. Can we be attentive enough to only make those statements that are guaranteed not harmful to anyone?

What We Think: Initially, we believe that our negative or harmful thoughts, if held as thoughts only and not manifested into action, cannot possibly do harm. Yet Yoga teaches us that our thoughts define our behavior, that we conduct ourselves differently when we are sad than when we are happy, when we are open-minded than when we close our minds to new ideas, when we contemplate violence, no matter how minor, against another person, as opposed to wishing truly and deeply from our hearts for the best for everyone.

What is one of the most difficult aspects of non-violence to adapt? It is the concept of non-violence to ourselves. Carefully and honestly observing ourselves, we can note numerous occasions when we think poorly of ourselves, when our thoughts are self-destructive, when we criticize, judge, and impugn ourselves. We make an error of judgment and we chastise ourselves unmercifully. Yet if another person came to us after having performed this same action, we might offer words of understanding and kindness. It is the self-violence that is our greatest challenge. It is the quieting of our minds from the thoughts of self-recrimination that allows us to greater understand ourselves, and, ultimately, others.

Satya - Truthfulness

Satya means to speak the truth. deals with complete truthfulness – in word, thought, and deed. Not only in our communication with others, but in the depth and purity of our thought. We consider not only a particular thought, but the motivation and expectation behind it. We practice honesty with our feelings as well. Do we truthfully feel anger at the actions of another? Or, perhaps, as is so often the case, are those actions reminders of some quality within ourselves that upsets or offends us?

In the practice of Satya, we are honest with everything from the most obvious to the most subtle. “Am I truly hungry enough for another helping, or do I simply want more because I enjoy the meal?” “Am I studying to learn, or to obtain a grade?” Am I giving my child what he wishes because I wish to give it to him, or because I do not wish to engage in another battle of wits?” Considering our motivation is powerful Satya practice.

The truthfulness extends to our communication with others. Constructive feedback rather than criticism; forgiveness rather than resentment; loving rather than angry verbal and somatic communication. Do we look at the person who is speaking to us? Do we present a demeanor of interested and concerned attention? If not, we are not giving our full attention, our presence (Asteya).

In Yogic teaching, this is “owning” our feelings and honoring them for what they are. If we discover that they are harmful (recall Ahimsa), we stop, consider, and learn to balance the teachings of the Yamas and Niyamas to create our real truth.

Time, attention and practice make up the path to truthfulness.

Asteya - Non-Stealing

Steya means to steal. Asteya is the opposite of stealing.

Once again, Yoga goes far deeper in this concept than the outward act of taking something that does not belong to us. We can steal time or ideas; we can crave what others have; we can be jealous; we can begin and not finish. These are all examples of stealing – we take without giving back.

This is somewhat less obvious than Ahimsa. Perhaps an example using time would help.

We choose what to do with each moment of our lives. Our actions and thoughts occupy time. What precisely are we doing with that time? As Westerners, we immediately conjure up images of being busy, active and productive. Yogic tradition does not steer us in this direction. Yes, productivity is important, but not all encompassing. When we choose to rest, we rest. We do not watch television; we do not read. We rest.

When we occupy our time, we are diligent in each task during the time that we perform the task. If we cook, we only cook. We do not cook and think about a problem at work that must be solved. This diverts our attention and steals from the act of cooking.

Regarding the preparation of food, Yogic tradition considers this act to be very significant. As we cut our food and prepare it, our frame of mind, our disposition and mood, directly affect the final meal. Food tastes different if cooked when we are angry from how it tastes if cooked when we are happy. Eating and chewing are equally important. Yoga teaches us to chew our food at least thirteen times, allowing the Prana, or energy, to explode from the food while it is still in our mouths. Chemically, the enzymes released while chewing are critical to proper digestion, considering that digestion begins in the mouth.

How can we accomplish this? How can we cook, or do our work, or spend time with another person, and devote our compete attention to each of those tasks?

Brahmacharya – Moderation and Channeling of Emotions

Brahmacharya is composed of two root words – char, meaning to move, and brahma, meaning truth. Brahmacharya is a movement toward one essential truth.

Moderation is a concept with which Westerners are not often comfortable. Moderation asks us to want less, have less, express less, and do less. In our strivings to get ahead, moderation seems a far cry from our goals.

Brahmacharya deals with moderating and channeling our emotions as well as our actions and desires. It teaches us not to overindulge in sexual activity, and to control our sexual cravings. It does not teach us to repress our desires for things and feelings, but rather to understand and control those desires.

Our current culture is one of openness and permissiveness, leading us to the conclusion that we can and should do and say what we want, say what we feel, eat how much we want to eat, and express our sexuality in any way than we see fit. On the other hand, we have concepts of “political correctness” and “racial profiling”, telling us to be careful of what we say and how we react. It is not difficult to see how the two conflict with one another.

Brahmacharya, on the other hand, teaches moderation and control in all things. With this moderation that we discipline ourselves to, we need no external doctrines to instruct us as to what is proper. We discipline and control ourselves of our own volition.

Brahmacharya also deals with our connection to our environment. We must be aware of how we treat our Earth and every being on that Earth. We are not to consume, as we see fit, anything that we feel we need in a particular moment. We are to consider, in fact, precisely what we do and do not need. We kill only in order to sustain ourselves. We are aware of the effects of our killing, not only of animals, but of the plants of Earth as well. Once again, moderation.

Aparigraha – Non-Possessiveness

Parigraha means to take or to seize. Aparigraha is the absence of parigraha.

Non-possessiveness presents a deep challenge for us. It is the release of attachment – to people as well as to things. Initially, this may seem cold and uncaring. But that is far from reality. We will examine the effects of possessiveness, and the possibilities when we let go of our attachments.

Our Attachment to Things

Attachment to things, especially in Western culture, is easy to identify. We see what others have and wish that we had the same. We see what they earn, how well their children do in school; we see their office or car or the number and style of vacations that they take.

Aparigraha is the practice of detachment. We learn to be content with what we have, and to discern the difference between what we want and what we need. Our goal is to fulfill our needs, and then consider the importance of each of our wants.

Does this mean that we live in squalor? That we never take a vacation or have a desire for a raise? No – it means that we enjoy our work while we are working, not wishing to be somewhere else, and enjoy our vacation while we are vacationing. But – we do not work in fear of losing our jobs. We recognize that on any given day our jobs can be lost. And if the job is lost, we can find another. We enjoy our homes, without fear of losing those homes. We consider our wardrobes as a means of dressing ourselves, not adorning ourselves. We know that whatever we lose, we can eventually replace.

We also must know that the desire to get and keep things is a strong driving force within us. It is the desire to fill our children’s rooms, to have four televisions, which begins to create anxiety and strain. How much can we actually have? How much do we truly need?

Our Attachment to People

Here our challenges become far greater. We love our parents, children, spouse, and family. We have special friends who are truly dear to us.

How do we express our love and devotion to these people? More significantly, what do we expect in return for that love?

This is so easily seen in our relationships with our children. As they grow and gain independence, they need us less and less. They leave for college, marry, and begin their own lives. We want them to love us as we love them. We want them to call and write, to live nearby, to keep contact and communication open.

With our spouses, we note and measure their actions. “He or she does not love me because if he or she did, such-and-such would not happen.” “I gave up so much for this person; now look at how I am treated.”

With our acts of love toward others, we instinctively expect something in return. It is very difficult not to. We evaluate another’s feeling based upon how we think he should behave, which is based upon how we behaved.

Aparigraha practice is profound here. We give our love with no expectation for something. The love is given purely and freely. We do not agonize over the return of that love, or of the degree to which it is returned. We detach from the outcome and allow our love to be the only emotion, not clouded with expectation.

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Niyama – Observances - Define our relationship with self (Do's)

Saucha – Purity

Saucha is the practice of purity and cleanliness. It is the physical cleanliness of the body, our attention to our health, proper eating, moving, and resting habits. We practice discrimination in our choices for how we attend to our environment and ourselves. The cleanliness extends beyond our physical selves. We take care of our homes, our communities, and ultimately, our Earth.

Yogic Saucha practice has several personal cleanliness rituals that are faithfully observed by Yogis. These rituals involve the cleansing of the digestive tract and the nasal passages. As Westerners, we may be appalled by these practices, but we can certainly endeavor to maintain our physical cleanliness, as well as the cleanliness of our homes, offices, schools, and towns and cities.

Saucha teaches discrimination in our speech and thoughts. We think before we speak, as we think before we put food into our mouths. The words that we say, the actual words themselves, are pure, truthful, clearly spoken, easily understood, and without judgment or malice of any kind. Coupled with Ahimsa, Saucha generates an energy of purity, by the very act of care and attention to each of our inner and private actions, and those which directly affect our world.

Santosha – Contentment

Santosha is more of an art than a practice. The positive energy generated by Santosha has far-reaching effects, and enables us to deeply practice the Yamas and Niyamas.

Santosha asks us to look around and simply be happy. It asks us to appreciate what we have. It asks us to cultivate the sentiment of gratitude. Through the practice of Santosha, we learn to be calm and still, and to notice, respect, and honor our surroundings.

Santosha liberates us. Through it, we escape the boundaries of want, passion, judgment, attachment, and the anxiety and unrest that these cause. We simply are.

Tapas – Austerity

Once again, we encounter a word that conjures images of bread and water; images of schools on a tight budget; images of rationed food. This is not the Yogic interpretation of austerity. This austerity is determination, focused attention on a goal and the discipline to maintain the goal and the focus.

Tapas is what creates great athletes, scholars, and real achievers in general. Whatever the achievement, if we examine the steps taken by the achievers, their paths will all be quite similar. The golfer will hit 500 balls each day and putt 250. The basketball player will shoot baskets for hours, dribble for hours, day after day after day. The scholar will study, research, question. The successful businessman will have worked long hours with singleness of purpose.

To these achievers, there was struggle that was powered by love and joy. Excellent golf, basketball, ballet dancing, or soccer cannot be forced out of anyone. It is the desire of the individual to achieve a level of excellence that will empower him to do so. The path to the glory is greater than the glory itself.

Swadhyaya – Self-Education and Study

Swadhyaya is derived from the roots sva, or self, and adhyaya, or inquiry. This Niyama is very self-directed, and its intent is self-study, self-awareness, and self-expansion. Unlike the other Niyamas, and the Yamas, which can be related to events and circumstances in everyday life, Swadhyaya is the physical act of reading, studying, and contemplating. This term is often translated as the study of ancient texts. In Yogic practice, we are definitely instructed to study these texts, but Swadhyaya is being practiced whenever we are learning about ourselves. Why is it important to study the ancient texts? Why should we explore and read the opinions of others? To give ourselves a reference point from which to explore our own perceptions and form our own opinions.

Our ultimate goal in this study is to find the Truth and to link with the Divine. Meditation is often practiced, and sometimes Swadhyaya is referred to as the repetition of mantras.

Ishwara-Pranidhana – Surrender to God

Iswarapranidhana means to lay all your actions at the feet of God. It is here that Santosha (contentment) plays a very powerful role. We learn to be content; we accept that in all situations, we have done our best. The rest in left to a higher power.

Recall that Yoga does not focus on a deity – what we seek to connect to is actually already here within us. The practice of the Yamas and Niyamas removes the clutter that we create for ourselves in our daily lives, allowing us to truly surrender to this higher power.

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