Why You Should Make the Yamas the Foundation of Your Yoga Journey

The Yamas are the guiding principles of conduct and ethics in yoga. The Yamas are so important that they are the 1st Limb of Yoga. Practicing the Yamas sets your moral compass on a path of growth and personal enlightenment.

Using the Yamas as your guiding principles in your yoga practice will help you become more aware of your life and your actions. You will begin to reflect more about your behavior and seek ways to live in a way that is aligned with your personal integrity.

The Yamas help you grow so that you learn how to respond to life rather than react to life. Responding to life is a conscious alignment of your actions with your values and goals while reacting to life leaves you vulnerable to the whims of your emotions.

As the Yamas begin to resonate in your practice you will find that you are growing into a more disciplined, focused person - 1st in your practice - and then slowly through a new, deeper sense of self-regulation, in your life. One day you wake up and are consciously making more and more choices that allow you to live in harmony.

So, now you know what the Yamas can do for you, but what exactly are the Yamas and how can they do so much for you? There are 5 Yamas which are:

1. Ahimsa (Non-Harming)

2. Satya (Truthfulness)

3. Asteya (Non-Stealing)

4. Brahmacharya (Moderation)

5. Aparigraha (Non-Possessiveness)

Ahimsa, Non-Harming is the first Yama. It is the foundation of the Yamas. It is the King & Queen of the Yamas. It is the one Yama that you should adhere to if there is ever a conflict between two Yamas. Now, of course, if you are reading this you and your community probably consider you to be non-harming.

But non-harming addresses so much more than what society may deem to be harmful. As a matter of fact, based on where we are as a society today, non-harming addresses many of the challenges and behaviors that our larger society benignly accepts. 

Do any of your tendencies or habits harm you or someone else? Do you have any tendencies, habits or interests that are harmful to animals or to the planet? What about your thoughts? Do you have harmful thoughts? Do you have negative thoughts? If you’ve ever thought that you couldn’t do something and that fear held you back, then you know how harmful thoughts can be, both to yourself and others.

Satya, the 2nd Yama, is Truthfulness. Are you truthful with others? Are you truthful with yourself? 

Are you following a path that makes you thrive and fills your life with joy? If you are not, then you are not being truthful with yourself. You may be doing something that doesn’t bring you joy but is necessary to feed your family. Not feeding your family would be harmful to them. You are guided by Ahimsa to do no harm, therefore you do what you have to do to feed your family even though you know that you really aren’t being truthful to yourself.

Satya, in its most basic form, consists of being truthful with others, as long as being truthful doesn’t do anyone harm. Being truthful with yourself, as seen in the example given above, requires more reflection and nuance.

Asteya, the third Yama, is Non-Stealing. You probably aren’t boosting cars, but if you are a car thief seeking enlightenment you may want to review Ahimsa. Who are you harming with your current vocational choices? Asteya is not just about other people’s things, it includes stealing their time by being late, or stealing their pride or their joy through negative or belittling comments or inconsiderate actions. Be mindful of what you post online, even in jest. Your intent may not be to steal someone’s joy, but an offhand comment online can hit some people hard.

Do you steal from your future self? You may be more guilty of this than you think. If you do not eat mindfully and do unhealthy things to your body you may be stealing your health from your future things. If you do not save and spend your money frivolously you may be stealing from your future wealth.

All of these are forms of stealing from yourself and those around you. Usually when you steal from yourself it is unintentional, but just as damaging.

Brahmacharya, the 4th Yama, is Moderation. You want to live in moderation. Practicing moderation, as in the practice of all of the Yamas, allows you to be more present in the moment. The Yamas give you the space to pay attention to your thoughts and actions.

You may have come to yoga for exercise, or you may have come as an outlet because sometimes society is just too…

… much stuff

… many things to do

… many people pulling for your time

… many places to go

… many people to see

… many choices to make

… much planning for this 

… caring about that

… much noise and nonsense

It can be overwhelming. Moderation is a form of gratitude that leads you to a deeper sense of wonder and awe in the normal moments that string together to make up your life.

Aparigraha is Non-Attachment. It is your ability to let go. It is your ability to let go of possessiveness and greed. Non-Attachment lets you accept life as it is. You follow your principles and you practice in the present moment…doing your best…not stressing about the results. It is the doing in the moment that is so critical to your practice over the long-term.

Your practice, your yoga journey is a process. Through your asana practice you learn how to accept where you are in a pose on any given day. You begin to accept the constant presence of change. You begin to accept that your life, from moment to moment, is all about change. 

Aparigraha, Non-Attachment, finishes the Yamas in a way that nudges you to be a serious yoga practitioner without taking your yoga practice too seriously. Follow this ethical code for your yoga practice to set the foundation for your personal yoga journey. Apply the principles of the Yamas to your thoughts and habits, not just your direct actions, as you take your practice off of your mat and into your life.