The Yamas & Niyamas by Deborah Adele

Author:Deborah Adele
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: yamas, niyamas, yoga, ethics, 8 fold path, Deborah Adele, Yoga North
Publisher: On-Word Bound Books
Published: 2014-07-28T21:33:38+00:00

Reviewing the Yamas

Not long ago I was traveling with a friend who had just purchased a new Prius with a GPS (global positioning system). I enjoyed the adventure of having a computer talk to me and make sure I was on the right path. I laughed hilariously when my friend continued to drive straight after the computer had given instructions to turn right. The computer immediately responded with, “Drive forward and make an immediate legal U-turn.”

The Yamas are like our personal GPS. They tell us when we are going in the wrong direction and that we need to make “an immediate legal U-turn.” They let us know when we are making a negative impact on the world and invite us to “turn around” and take a step towards harmony instead.

The Yamas are not pat, simple answers; they are instructions to move in a certain direction. They require familiarity and daily practice. As our personal GPS, the practice of Nonviolence, Truthfulness, Nonstealing, Nonexcess, and Nonpossessiveness turn us:

• From harming ourselves and others to kindness and compassion for self and others (Nonviolence)

• From lies and half-truths to expressing our uniqueness and authenticity (Truthfulness)

• From theft to cultivating new skills and abilities (Nonstealing)

• From greed to appreciation and pleasure without excess (Nonexcess)

• From attachment to intimacy without possession (Nonpossessiveness)

The Yamas address the fact that we are social creatures, alive on a planet full of other life forms where we need to learn to live together and share the goods. The Yamas, or restraints, invite us into an adult relationship with the world, where we can see past our own needs into the collective good. In that sense, we can think of them as social disciplines, guiding us into harmony, peace, and right relationship with the world. The Yamas pull us back from needing so much that is external, and point us towards the unique expression of our own life. It is here that we feel the excitement and joy of living.

As we turn now to the disciplines of the Niyamas, we move our attention from an adult relationship with the world to an adult relationship with ourselves; and from a social focus to an internal focus.

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