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Category Archives: Yama Niyama – The Moral Code of yoga
The Second Limb of Yoga
The Niyamas The second limb of yoga is the niyamas. These are observances that when followed are designed to create a code for living that encourages well being for ourselves and others. It is the inner discipline and resolve that … Continue reading
The breath as a teacher of aparigraha
The fifth yama or restraint is non-hoarding, non-greed or non-attachment. There is a balance that must be found between gratefully taking and receiving all that we need, and then letting go of everything else. We must abundantly nourish our body, … Continue reading
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Aparigraha
The last of the yamas, Aparigraha means “nongrasping” or “non-greed.” It is the freedom to be content and take pleasure in what you have and to genuinely be happy for others in what they have acquired.
Brahmacharya – the “why” of yamas and niyamas
While ahimsa – non-violence and compassion is the yama that should surround every other yoga ethical principle, I have discovered from studying the historical and literal translation of brahmacharya that it is the reason we follow any of the 8 … Continue reading
Background for Brahmacharya
This particular yama of yoga’s ethical principles has some historical background that is very interesting. A brahmacharya could be defined as a stage of life, or a person adhering to a certain religious code.
The fourth Yama–Brahmacharya
The Parable of the Robin As I am writing this blog, I can hear my little robin friend downstairs outside my dining room window. He spends all day there. He sits in the branch of my quaking aspen tree … Continue reading
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Quotes on Asteya
“Finding the difference between wants and needs seems to be a difference in attitude to ‘what can I get: to ‘what can I give.” “What can I get” is an attitude of wanting, possessing, and hoarding. “What can I give” … Continue reading
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The body is a teacher of Asteya
Our physical body is the perfect teacher of Asetya or non-stealing. It is impossible to steal and hide the consequences from the body. We may not see on the outside the payment that is required from our actions, but there … Continue reading
Asteya
“Don’t steal, the Yoga Sutra says, and all good things will come to you. Because asteya is commonly translated to mean refraining from taking anything that is not freely offered, the first things most people think of are money, clothes, … Continue reading
Asteya as illustrated in western stories
The principles of the yamas and niyamas are universal in nature. We have many fables and stories in the west that teach and illustrate the same thing. Swami Satchidananda’s said that “If we are completely free from stealing and greed, … Continue reading
