How the yamas can help us in life today

We may not be able to control everything that happens to us, but we can control how we respond and react with the help of yoga, specifically, through the understanding and following the yamas.

There's no doubt about it, life can be challenging! The good news is that yoga can give us the tools to control how we react to circumstances beyond our control. There are so many ways yoga can help but I want for now to dive into the yamas.

Not only can these principles help us individually, they can also help us create a harmonious global village where we all live interdependently and respectfully.

Yamas and Niyamas

The book “Points of Balance” by Chris Barington and Dr Mansukh Patel describes yamas as being like brakes on a car:

“They help us gain control of our lives and restore homeostasis to our bodies and minds. Niyamas are like the steering wheel and the accelerator, giving us direction and energy. A car without fully functional brakes, steering wheel and accelerator will not get you to your destination and will be dangerous to drive.”

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras includes ten yamas and niyamas but the Srimad Bhagavatam lists 24! So here there are, starting with the yamas.

Please note: the below is largely based on / inspired by the book: “Points of Balance” by Chris Barrington and Mansukh Patel.

Yamas

Non-violence

Violence is a base human instinct and is generally a symptom of discontent. Often our actions, thoughts and intentions can be violent in nature if we are caught in a cycle of rushing and stress and reactivity. It is really useful to be able to pause between something happening to you BEFORE you react. Even just creating a pause can sometimes take you out of that instinctive (primal) nature. If you have time, Chris and Mansukh suggest, pausing and asking yourself:

• Do my actions reflect peacefulness?

• Do my thoughts reflect peacefulness?

• Do my intentions reflect peacefulness?

One of the greatest exponents of non-violence, Gandhi said:

Not to hurt any living being is no doubt part of non-violence but it is its least expression. The principle of non violence is hurt by every evil thought, by undue haste, by lying, by hatred, by wishing ill to anyone. It is also violated by our holding onto what the world needs

I don’t know about you, but one of the things that jumps out at me is that rushing without a need (or undue haste) is a form of violence! How many of us do this on a daily basis in our busy (or ‘full’) lives? Two practices (also listed below in tips) I have taken on to reduce this tendency are to repeat the mantra “I have all the time I need” to myself when I feel myself rushing unnecessarily and also to practice the Buddhist meditation technique of imagining that you are kissing the earth with each footstep as you walk.

Practical tips for practicing non violence:

• Try to avoid or reduce your intake of meat / animal products

• Cultivate consumer awareness: is the product you are buying ethical/sustainable/healthy etc?

• Reduce or avoid junk food and stimulants like coffee

• Walk in nature – every day if possible!

• When walking in nature, practice mindful walking and/or imagine you are kissing the earth with each footstep

• When you feel yourself getting angry, try to pause, notice your breath and then ask yourself the above questions – do my intentions, thoughts and actions reflect peacefulness?

• When breathing, focus your attention gently on the navel as this helps balance the emotional response from the adrenals (or ‘anger’ glands!)

• Practice deep relaxation and/or meditation as much as possible

Truthfulness

Chris and Mansukh say that Truthfulness is the means by which we see what is real and what is not.

Gandhi said:

Non violence and truth are so intertwined that it is practically impossible to separate them.

Truthfulness is about being real! It means seeing things as they are (not how they appear or how we or others would like them to be.) It is also an awesome gateway into knowing ourselves: the more truthful we are with ourselves and others, the more we come to know our own truth and then the more able we are to speak our truth and encourage others to do so! It’s pretty powerful life (and world) changing stuff.

Being truthful does require courage (which is another of the yamas) and also vigilance!

Practical tips for practicing truthfulness:

• After every interaction ask yourself: ‘Was my message clear?’ Did I put the needs of the other first?’ ‘Was my intention to create something beautiful?’ ‘Was I compassionate?’

• Practice alert and upright posture – whether standing or sitting: elongating the spine allows the three base chakras to be open.

• Practice tree pose: to help you see things as they really are

• Try talking less and listening more

• Practice listening to your body’s signals for when you are being dishonest with yourself (generally our mind body system does its best to communicate this with us – whether tight jaw, tightness in stomach or chest, or shifting of weight from centre)

• Strive for clear communication and spend time reflecting on how you could have improved it each day

• Practice bridge pose to open the throat centre (centre for communication) – breathing into and out of the throat

• Practice empowering others through your words and deeds: this will only strengthen your own truthfulness

Not stealing

Well, derrr… this one sounds obvious right? But it’s actually a bit m ore subtle then just not robbing a bank. It can also include simply desiring something that does not belong to us: this is actually a very powerful sign that we are, ourselves, discontent.

Chris and Mansukh suggest that when you find your ego telling you that you need something, whether that is material or not, ask yourself:

• Do I really need this?

• Do I want this for myself?

• Will this benefit anyone else as well?

Then, be truthful with yourself – and if you really needs it, allow yourself to have it!

Practical tips for practicing not stealing:

• Experiment with not always having particular foods just because you want them – training yourself to watch your desires and delay gratification

• When you enter into the mode of giving you exit the mode of wanting so learn to give things away

• When you find yourself wanting ask yourself the above questions

• Also, when you find yourself wanting, see if you can reflect on your own life and where you might be feeling a lack or discontentment?

Non attachment

Chris and Mansukh say:

Our mentors taught us that the main cause of our suffering is our over identification with who we think we are. We feel compelled to believe that our physical body is the mainstay of our existence. We think we are 90 percent body, yet at the same time our experience tells us that the mind controls the body and its functions. And even this fluctuating mind is a limited part of who we are.

I have read and heard many wise mentors, philosophers and sages mention that our degree of suffering is directly related to the degree of attachment we have (to it, to the material world and/or to experiences etc).

Once we start to practice non attachment we start to notice a stabilising of our moods and an increased amount of energy to experience freedom. Freedom from the tyranny of your own expectations. Sound appealing?

The most important prerequisite for success here is to not be attached to non attachment! That is, avoid making it something overly complex. Keep it simple. Be gentle with yourself. Once we get good at this it can become almost second nature – and we more and more start to live in full awareness of who we are.

Practical tips for practicing non attachment:

• Start to notice how people that are without senses like hearing or eyesight are still able to live fulfilling lives. The absence of sense organs does not lessen our value as humans.

• Think of people like Hellen Keller and the impact she has made despite her physical disabilities.

• Learn to be living in the moment (regular practice of meditation and yoga helps this!)

• Contemplate on the transient states of the human form from infancy to old age and sickness to illness (and back).

• Practice ‘letting go’ of your expectations for how things will end and finish.

• Use the out breath to help you let go.

• When you notice yourself attached to past or future, bring yourself into Tadasana (mountain pose) and bring your full awareness into standing in your body here now in this moment in perfect balance.