Lesson 4 - The Niyamas

The 5 Niyamas - the second step on the 8 step ladder
In the last lesson we explored the 1st branch of the 8 branch system of Yoga, that was the 5 Yamas, they are values concerned with our social responsibilities and discipline.
 
Today's lesson looks at branch 2, these are values concerned with our personal responsibility and discipline.
The 5 Niyamas:

• Purity/ Cleanliness

• Contentment
• Discipline
• Self study / self study
• Surrender to a higher order of things

1. Purity/ Cleanliness (in Sanskri Saucha): Traditionally this meant good hygiene as a way of preventing disease and infection but today we can think in terms of eating a variety of fresh wholesome foods and using non toxic products to keep us in an optimal state of health. However more interesting this Niyama doesn’t just refer to what we put into our bodies, but also what we put into our minds. Yoga philosophy, like the science of Neuroplasticity and Epigenetics, tells us that we are far more impressionable than we realise. Our external and internal (emotional) environments determine the state of our physical and mental health. Therefore we should be very discerning about what we expose ourselves to and think about on a regular basis. By choosing the things we expose ourselves to, we can choose the kind of life we create for ourselves.
 
“Your emotions become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your life, your life becomes your destiny- MK Gandhi. 
2. Contentment / Gratitude (in Sanskri Santosha) This is the state where we feel settled and joyful. This is the state of Yoga. What if everyday we think of all the things that we do have, rather than what we don't yet have? Taking time to feel genuinely grateful for the things we have been gifted in our lives, (people, opportunities, experiences, great teachers, inspiring books), creates a state of humility. When we feel truly grateful and humbled for all we have received, we feel compelled to give back. 

If we do things from a place of wanting to give out, rather than wanting to receive back, then we are not placing ourselves at the centre of our own world. This is Yoga. Furthermore we are not attaching to the results of the action, therefore won’t feel anger or anxiety if we don’t acquire the desired results. One of my favourite personal mantras, that I try to tell myself daily is, ‘Give and release, give and release’
 
‘Desire for the fruits of work must never be your motive in working. You have the right to work, but for the work's sake only. You have no right to the fruits of work. But you must never give way to laziness, either.” Bhagavadgita*
3. Discipline I(n Sanskri Tapas) Astanga Yoga is a life of regulation and moderation, one where we take and do what we need, no more and no less. Taking more leads to wanting more, taking less depletes your own wellbeing. Anything in excess or in-excess, creates strain on your body, mind and nervous system.
It is called a yoga practice for a reason, It requires consistent daily practise and a committed consistent practice requires discipline.
 
4. Self study / self study (in Sanskri Svadhyaya )Increasing our self awareness of our physical, emotional, mental, and verbal habits. A state where we learn and grow by compassionately critiquing ourselves. This Niyama is also concerned with the study of sacred yoga texts and the study of other great “selves” past and present, this may include reading books about inspiring people such as Ghandi or Mother Teressa, two true yogis . Who are your role models?

Where do you find inspiration for the values that you want to define you? 5. Surrender to a higher order of things. (in Sanskri Ishvara pranidhana )A respect and acknowledgment of the fact that we are all connected, and part of something much bigger and more powerful than our individual selves.
For a yogi who is also religious this may mean a divine power that we are all connected to. For a yogi who is an atheist it could be understood from the perspective of modern physics, which shows that everything is an interconnected unified field of fluctuating energy, governed by laws beyond our individual control and understanding.

* The bhagavadgita is a seminal Vedic literary text that teaches us about the main concepts of yoga through storytelling.