Stretching out Yoga: What is Yama?

In my previous post I gave the basic rundown of Patanjali’s eight branches of yoga. Throughout the next month or so we’re going to flesh out these concepts a little further, cracking into the roots of what makes a yoga practice whole, and asking a few critical questions along the way. As you travel down the wonderful rabbit hole that is yoga, always remember to ask questions, nothing should be taken at face value.

Now, Yama is our interaction with and our reaction to the world around us, pertaining to how we immerse within our environment and treat the living beings in our lives. It’s comprised of five distinct portions, all useful in the functioning of a yogi’s life.

The Five Sub-Branches

1/ Ahimsa

• Ahimsa is basically the concept of nonviolence, or doing no harm. It encourages the consideration of all creatures blessed with the spark of life, great or small, with special consideration and compassion for the innocent, the hurt, and those worse off than we are. This principle begins with retaining respect for the self, and extending that respect outwards to all living beings in this world. In the words of B.K.S. Iyengar, “The yogi believes that every creature has as much right to live as he has”(32).

2/ Satya

• Being honest with ourselves and others through speech, writing, or any other means of communication. Lies cloud up the mind with falsehoods that one has to remember and become anxious over and lose concentration on the present moment because of, so the best path of a yogi is honesty. Truthful souls are appreciated in this world, on a planet clouded with hurtful lies the yogi should shine as a beacon of clarity.

3/ Asteya

• Asteya is the concept of “not stealing.” A more in-depth analysis reveals it as the resistance of the desire to take what we haven’t earned or paid for. This concept applies itself both on and off the mat, as yoga students shouldn’t push themselves past the point of practice that they’ve earned through committed effort. A hasty student that tries to “steal” a pose they aren’t prepared for is a student on the path to painful injuries.

4/ Brahmacharya

• Brahmacharya is a concept with various contextual meanings. It encourages the concept of celibacy when unmarried and fidelity in marriage in order to moderate the desire of an individual and focus their hearts on enlightenment. All in all, this idea encourages moderation of desire and the adoption of a lifestyle devoted to realizing a higher reality, the meaning of which any yogi can appreciate through the base practice of restraint. Celibacy before marriage obviously isn’t required in order to live a healthy lifestyle, and this concept should be shaped to assist the life of a yogi, not vice versa.

5/ Aparigraha

• Aparigraha means “noncovetousness,” a freedom from desire and lack of greed. This tenant springs from the Bhagavad Gita, which states,

“You have the right to work, but for work’s sake only. You have no right to the fruits of work. Desire for the fruits of work must never be your motive in working….Be even tempered in success and failure; for it is this evenness of temper which is meant by yoga….Those who work selfishly for results are miserable”(2:47-49).

Again, just like every branch of yoga, this ideal works both on and off the mat. When you work for nothing but the fruits of your labor, you fail to focus on the work itself, or the joy you gain from it. If there is no joy to be found in the work you do, then there may be some changes that need to be made. What is a reward without the joy of the attempt? What is the top of a mountain without the effort of the climb?
If you work with no expectations of reward, the labor itself becomes the purest focus, and any fruits that result are simple happy accidents. Aparigraha implies generosity of spirit and action, and when applied on the mat, it can help a student move through their practice with patience and persistent steadiness rather than pushing themselves to gain the fruits (flexibility and strength) of their labor as quickly as possible. Through this patience the true goal of the practice is revealed, and the mind can be opened through the steady and mindful release of the body.

So that’s Yama! At least the core idea of each fundamental, hopefully these ideas inspire you both on and off the mat to take note of your environment and change it for the better. We’ll return here soonly with the second branch of yoga, along with other blogs with a bunch of other fun stuff.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Let me know! I love a little feedback :)

Until next time,
Namaste//