Review of the Eight Limbs of Ashtanga Yoga - Niyama
Image source from Zenned Out https://zennedout.com/breaking-down-the-yamas-niyamas/
Over the years of practicing yoga asana (the physical yoga poses in a yoga class we work on), I realized that doing the yoga poses was only a small part of understanding what yoga is and teaching us. Yoga in Sanskrit means union. Gurus, monks, and spiritual aspirants throughout the centuries developed and passed down their knowledge and instructions with one goal: Through stilling the mind, we can find union with the divine source.
“Yoga is the cessation of thought waves in the mind” Sage Patañjali, Yoga Sutras.
The thought progression of the discipline of yoga is this: The practices of yoga (sadhana) purify the mind and body to develop concentration > Perfect concentration leads to a thoughtless mind and superconsciousness (samadhi) > Higher consciousness brings knowledge of reality and peace.
Sage Patañjali prescribed a process to achieve inner peace in a collection of writings called the Yoga Sutras. He described this process as having eight parts or “limbs”; thus, the system is called Ashtanga (ashta = eight, anga = limb) Yoga.
The eight limbs are:
Yama (restraints)
Niyama (observances)
Asana (posture, seat)
Pranayama (control of prana, breath)
Pratyahara (withdrawing the mind from sense perception)
Dharana (concentration)
Dhyana (meditation)
Samadhi (superconsciousness)
Niyama
Translation: “religious restraint” and “respect for yourself.”
Niyamas are the internal, personal observances we can practice. The five niyamas are internal disciplines we can apply to our practice and daily lives to progress to achieving samadhi, our superconsciousness. Often the yamas and niyamas are taught simultaneously because together, they can guide individuals through the external and internal observances one takes on their path towards divine union.
The five niyamas are:
Shaucha (purity)
Santosha (contentment)
Tapas (austerity)
Svadyaya (scriptural study)
Ishvarpranidhana (surrender to God)
Shaucha (purity)
Translation: “purification; cleanliness.”
Cleanliness of the body and purity of the mind are the observances of shaucha. Shaucha values good hygiene because a well-maintained body is a healthy body and enables a more profound and more tranquil state of meditation. Bathing daily, wearing clean clothes, and living in a clean house are the practices of external shaucha. Shaucha also includes the practice of shat karma (purification of the body).
Shat Karma (or shatkarma) practices:
Netī (nasal cleaning) - If you have heard of or used a neti pot, this is where that name comes from
Dhautī (washing) - The most basic recommendations are:
Teeth: brush two to three times per day, floss once daily
Tongue: use a tongue scraper to clean the tongue; a little more extreme: rub the tongue with your three middle fingers. You can push fingers back to your uvula, which will cause a gagging reflex to clear out phlegm.
Ears: Clean the opening of your ears with a wet finger
Eyes: Scoop clean water with your palms and flush the eyes
Forehead: Rub the indentation between your forehead and nose with your thumb
Naulī (intestinal wash) - This is a process where you isolate your abdominal recti with contraction, then practice pushing the abdominal recti forward, then rotate the muscles from left to right. I would not recommend trying this without a teacher to guide you through the process safely.
Basti (colon cleanse) - Basically, this is an enema. Find a professional to help you with this. Don’t do this independently without training/help.
Kapālabhātī (skull shining) - Used for purifying the nerve channels of the body, this is a series of breath and body exercises that one can perform to prepare regular pranayama ("breath control") practice.
Trāṭaka (Forehead wash, gazing) - Gazing at one object without blinking to strengthen and cleanse the eyes. Suitable objects can be a black or bright coloured dot on a white sheet of paper, a candle flame, the horizon, a full moon, the tip of the nose, the ajna chakra (third eye chakra). Ideally, whatever the object is should be at eye level.
Cleanliness is not limited to our bodies but can also include the food we eat and managing our thoughts and emotions. Patañjali wrote that you will gain a happy disposition, greater concentration, control of your senses, and develop self-realization by practicing internal purity.
Santosha (contentment)
Translation: “contentment” as well as “delight, happiness, joy.”
Listing contentment as a niyama, to me, means that this isn’t a passive emotion. Instead, this is an invitation to actively pursue happiness to free our minds from the effects of pleasure and pain. The idea is that contentment can foster dispassion, meaning that we can remove or quiet our response to intense positive or negative emotions. We can remind ourselves that we live only in this moment and can instead replace overwhelming feelings with calm, ease, and happiness.
Tapas (austerity)
Translation: “to burn.”
The lesson provided in the Yoga Sutras is that we can burn away all desires through discipline, purification, and penance. Psychologically, tapas can be described as having the ability to sit with our discomfort. Many exercises within yoga can help us master our body and senses, even when we are physically or psychologically uncomfortable. Any form of giving up desires is considered tapas. Some yogis have used fasting, enduring hot and cold temperatures, and observing silence as forms of austerity. The practise of pranayama (the restraint or control of the breath) is considered austerity. During a yoga asana practise, we can safely hold a challenging asana pose. We can learn to calm our breath and steady our minds to endure that discomfort for a few more breaths.
In our daily lives, almost every activity can be done with tapas. Working within tapas means accepting any task willingly and approaching even the most mundane tasks with discipline. We anticipate that we can expect to bring about a change of some kind with complete determination and effort. The change we experience may improve our health, develop a new habit, or take a different life direction. Baba Hari Dass wrote that when austerity is perfected, one achieves control over the body and the senses.
Svadhyaya (scriptural study)
Translation: “to recollect (to remember, to contemplate, to meditate on) the Self.”
Traditionally, the scriptural study resources were ancient religious texts like the Yoga Sutras, the Vedas, and Bhagavad Gita. As yoga has been westernized, we have the luxury of different resources on a variety of platforms. Reading The Bible, The Torah, The Qur’an can be helpful. Studying the lives and teaching of saints can be inspirational. We have gurus, poets, and great writers who have dedicated their lives to creating beautiful bodies of work that allow us to reflect on the great questions of humanity like, “Who am I?” and, “What is my purpose?”
In addition to accessing all these books and texts, you can meditate while speaking the repetition of “Om” or another mantra to attain liberation. You can attend satsang (meeting with others to discuss and sing scripture) or traditional scripture study groups with like-minded people. These actions demonstrate the effort you can take towards Self-inquiry. Svadhyaya can teach you to recognize when you are acting in harmony with your goals of personal growth.
Ishvarapranidhana (Self-surrender)
Translation: “trustful surrender to God.”
Ishvara refers to an all-pervading consciousness, which, for some, can be inferred to mean God, a higher purpose, a divine consciousness, the Universe… There are many names for cosmic intelligence that is intangible yet identifiable to many people. Even if you don’t subscribe to a higher power, there have been psychological studies on developing the ability to trust in a process or yourself and allow yourself to be open to learning and new experiences.
Maybe you have been trying a new exercise regime or starting a more vigorous yoga practice. You show up for another vinyasa (flow) yoga class, but a small voice inside you says that a gentle restorative class might be a lot better for you right now. A small argument may develop inside you where the inner critic pushes you to “not be weak,” and the small voice you already heard asking you to rest and recuperate. Which voice wins?
Maybe you’re in a great yoga class and are confidently moving into a challenging pose. The teacher is asking you to hold that pose for an extra five breaths. You can feel tapas heating up, and you realize that although you are not in pain, your breath shortens, and you start to feel uncomfortable. Do you allow that discomfort to rule over you and move out of the pose, or can you trust yourself to maintain your posture and allow yourself to surrender and settle into that discomfort?
Finding that “edge” in both experiences can mean that your mind says you can’t do something while your body is showing you you can, or maybe your mind was sensible in seeking a break because you pushed yourself too far. Going inward and listening to your inner voice may be another interpretation of your ability to tap into energy outside of yourself (or deep within yourself) that can give you valuable insight and wisdom.
Surrender can also be seen as letting go. Can you let go of some of the attachments that you have? Do you worry if people like you? Do you wonder if you will be successful? Letting go of these thoughts and replacing them with mindfulness that you are safe, here and now. Remind yourself of the work you have already done, and trust good things will come to you due to that work.
Surrendering could also mean letting go of constantly fighting life’s twists and turns. Can you open yourself to the idea that you have no control over anything? Can you allow yourself to accept what is?
If you can accept surrender to cosmic intelligence, you may find space to explore the possibility that you are where you are meant to be. You can notice and learn lessons being offered to you. Opportunities are being presented to us all the time. By yielding, taking a step back, and impassively observing the information your senses are receiving in a new way might lead you on a new path.
The internal exercises of the niyamas for me have developed into small daily rituals. Bathing, dental hygiene and using a neti pot are pretty common and arguably a good idea if you want to mingle with other people confidently. Being mindful of seeking contentment and igniting tapas’ fire while doing even the most mundane tasks can slowly improve habits. Finding inspiration in books, discussions, and even podcasts is a great way to learn more about peaceful practices and the Self. Routine, rituals that become sacred, and being mindful of what activities feed your well-being are skills that can reward you for a lifetime.