The 5 Yoga Yamas: Yoga Philosophy and the Eight-Limbed Path
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I recently wrote a post about the eight-limbed path and the yoga philosophy. Traditionally the first limb taught to students is the yamas. In today’s day and age, yoga has become more of a mainstream exercise than a truly spiritual practice. This means philosophies such as the yamas and eight-limbed path often get overlooked. While I’m not here to get into the debate of “what is yoga,” I do want to share the philosophies of the practice so we can have a deeper understanding of its purpose in our lives.
If you haven’t checked out my post about the eight-limbed path I recommend backtracking there. This way you are able to see the progression of the yoga philosophies intermingled with the physical practice. This post focuses on the yamas, the first limb of the eight-limbed path. Let’s take a moment to look at what the yamas are and what their purpose is.
What Are The Yamas
The yamas are the first step to the eight-limbed path of yoga, the traditional teachings of the Ashtanga yoga method. Often times you will see the yamas and niyamas paired together, however, they are two separate limbs of the practice. The yoga yamas are a moral discipline with the niyamas are more of a self-discipline. When we practicing the yamas, we gain awareness of our thoughts and actions. By doing so, we are better able to see how our thoughts affect our reality. Traditionally the yamas and niyamas are taught before a yoga student is ready for asana practice, or practice of the physical yoga postures. This is because the yamas and niyamas directly correlate to how we practice and observe our thoughts and actions both on and off our mat.
Ahimsa
Ahimsa is the first yama discussed. Translated, ahimsa means non-harming or cultivating compassion, in thought, word, and deed. This can be lived out in many ways, from checking in with your thoughts and words before you speak to literally avoiding violent actions such as physically fighting, or injuring someone.
Ahimsa can be a little tricky though. This is mainly because people place a lot of weight on the idea of diet and animal products. While yes, restricting animal products from your diet can be an act of ahimsa, we must first make sure we are practice non-harming towards ourselves. Not every person’s body can handle a vegan or vegetarian diet. If you find you need meat to survive, you can practice ahimsa through picking grass-fed meat, cage-free eggs, etc.
By practicing ahimsa, we slowly break down bitter walls and harsh judgments, not only about others but about ourselves. Our reactions to events around us, like traffic, long lines, inconsiderate encounters – will soften. This allows us to find a little more ease in moments that might be trying and a little more understanding of others’ emotions and actions.
Satya
Satya is the practice of truthfulness. Being honest with yourself and your thoughts, as well as being honest with those around you. Sometimes this can be extremely challenging as we want to lie in order to save other’s feelings from the truth. However, it is possible to share the truth in a compassionate way.
When we are honest with our actions and words it allows us to create boundaries. It also sends a clear message to the universe about what you want and what you don’t want, which aids in the process of manifestation. Additionally, practicing truthfulness can strengthen your relationships and invite stronger, more authentic relationships into your life.
Asteya
Asteya is the practice of non-stealing. The reason being is not strictly karmic, although it is believed that this low vibrational act can draw low vibrational experiences into your reality. Stealing, however, tends to stem from a place of extreme lack, or extreme arrogance.
When we steal from a place of lack we are only further solidifying lack in our lives. When we steal from a place of arrogance, of us “deserving” what we’re stealing more than the owner, we are only feeding our ego. Stealing does not necessarily entail physical objects, but moments and experiences as well. When we decide to steal we are not just harming who we’re stealing from but we are harming ourselves and deterring ourselves from the spiritual path. To steal is neither honest or kind and tends to lead towards more dishonest, harmful experiences as a result.
Brahmacharya
To practice, brahmacharya means to practice non-excess. Traditionally this was equated to sex. In fact, celibacy was traditionally taught as Brahmacharya. Since the westernization of yoga, Brahmacharya is viewed a little differently. Now, we refer to Brahmacharya as holding our sexual energy as sacred. This means we don’t want to participate in excessive amounts of sex, or excessive amounts of pleasure. It is believed that having an excessive amount of sex can deplete your body’s natural energy or prana.
However, non-excess can be applied to many different aspects of our life including food and belongings. The reason we practice self-control instead of overindulgence is so we can observe what it is we truly desire. Often times we overindulge to fill a void. When we succumb to the world of the senses and crave satisfaction and pleasure we can become consumed with wanting – almost needing, more.
Practicing Brahmacharya means letting go of our desire to please our senses, and instead, experiencing each moment as it is. This allows us to truly discern what it is we really want and actually need, all while saving our energy in the process.
Aparigraha
Non-possessiveness is the practice of Aparigraha. Similar to the idea of Brahmacharya when it comes to constantly chasing that “feel-good” moment. Aparigraha dives deep into the truth that everything in and around us is in a constant state of flow. This means that everything is constantly changing, and adapting to meet its environment. When we hold too tightly to objects or moments we disrupt this flow of change. In turn, we set ourselves up for disappointment.
The yamas are intended for us to observe our own thoughts and patterns as human beings. A large purpose of yoga practice is to get back in touch with ourselves. To better understand the deeper meaning of this human experience, and to transcend the false ideas of our ego. By starting off with the yamas we are doing just that, we are starting off on a path of self-awareness through this human experience.
If you are interested in learning more about the yamas and how you can apply them to your life, I highly recommend reading The Yamas and Niyamas: Exploring Yogas Ethical Practice. As well as the book, Living Your Yoga. Both are realistic, down to earth accounts of how we can apply the yamas and niyamas into our everyday life.
