Niyamas – Self Disciplines

Today’s blog continues on with the eight limbs of yoga.  The second of the limbs is the niyamas.  These niyamas are the self-disciplines or inner observances in which a yogi should follow in order to better oneself and further connect us with the divine.  The five niyamas are saucha, santosha, tapas, svadhyaya, and isvara pranidhana.

Saucha – means cleanliness or purity not just of our body, but of our mind, spirit and surroundings.   Emma Newlynn states in her blog (http://www.ekhartyoga.com/blog) on the saucha, “The habits we pick up throughout life off the mat may or may not serve us, and the idea of our practice is to recognize what doesn’t help us and what does, coming towards a state in which everything we do aids us towards being happier, healthier and more awake and aware in life. If we take our ‘bad’ habits on to the mat with us, then our practice becomes a lot harder, we have to sift through the ‘impurities’ or negativity we’ve picked up before reaping the benefits of Yoga. ”

Santosha- means contentment.  This isn’t the easiest niyama to follow for many people.  We experience so many different emotions and urges to want more or to be accepted.  Being content or happy with what we have is not easy by any means, but the key is not to look outside of ourselves for happiness, these attachments are fleeting, we must look within ourselves for peace and happiness.

Tapas – means austerity or discipline.  Tapas is about cultivating self-discipline, passion and courage in order to burn away any imperfections.  Making time each week to practice yoga, taking time to notice your breath throughout each day, daily meditation are all examples of self-disciplines that can help burn away distraction and help build ourselves up and pave the way for greatness and peace within ourselves. These self-disciplines help stimulate and build our inner strength and confidence. 

Svadhyaya – means self-study. Emma Newlyn explains svadhyaya so beautifully, she states, “By studying ‘the self’ and recognizing our habits and thought processes, we realize how much of what we do and think is far from who we really know we are.”  The ego is full of judgements of ourselves and others, and can easily fill your mind with thoughts that do not serve you. By studying the self, we learn to control the mind by becoming aware of and letting go of the negative thoughts from the ego.  

Isvara Pranidhana – means to surrender.  Emma Newlyn give a wonderful expression of this niyama as well, Emma writes, “In most translations of this niyama, we’re advised to ‘surrender’ to this Supreme Being or higher self, which in essence means cultivating a deep and trusting relationship with the universe, and making each action an offering to something bigger than us.”  Whether you surrender to a God, multiple Gods, to the Universe, to Mother Nature, it doesn’t matter, just being able to know there is more out there than just ourselves, and surrendering to that has such beauty. 

Maybe today you can take some time to observe yourself, and work towards creating some inner peace and happiness.  Find the beauty within yourself and share it with the world.  

Peace and Love,

Betsy and Jesse