Upward and Inward Spirals: Yama and Niyama in Everyday Life
Patanjali’s system of Ashtanga Yoga culminates in the revelation of the Absolute Truth. Still, it begins with a very practical point: replying to some of the most common questions for beginners (and non-beginners) on the path.
“How can I be a better person?” “What does spirituality look like in everyday life?” “How can I live in alignment with the deepest truth?”
For these inquiries, the first two limbs of this eight-limbed yoga — yama and niyama, restriction and cultivation, or guidelines for yogic behavior — open up worlds of contemplation.
They can be described in straightforward terms, as Patanjali does, presenting each in only one or two lines.
The five yamas: ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (containment of sexual energy), and aparigraha (non-attachment).
And the five niyamas: saucha (purity), santosha (contentment), tapas (intensity or discipline), svadhyaya (self-study), and Ishvara pranidhana (devotion or surrender to God, the Absolute Reality).
Yet their nuances merit constant revisiting, with new facets revealing themselves as our experiences and insights deepen. They allow us to discover depth in all aspects of our lives and to understand our own path as it unfolds.
Interconnections within the Yamas and Niyamas
The yamas and niyamas can be viewed successively. They carry us on toward more refinement and interiority.
We start with ahimsa. First, do no harm.
If you like, you can see all the yamas as increasingly refined iterations of ahimsa. Do not harm the bodies of others, but also do not cause harm by lying, stealing, coveting possessions, or misusing sexual energy.
From the outward-facing restrictions of the yamas, we progress to the inner attitudes of the niyamas, all the way up to the most subtle, the most ineffable, the pinnacle and the metric to which all the others ultimately refer — Ishvara pranidhana.
Yet, in a practical sense, this surrender and reverence to the Divine bleeds back into the preceding yamas and niyamas. It naturally brings contentment, transparency, and truthfulness. It drives us to care deeply for all beings, to protect life, and do whatever we can to avoid violence.
Taking us beyond “me” and “mine,” it frees us from possessiveness and from any interest in taking what belongs to others.
Each yama and niyama, if practiced to its perfection, leads to the same point of total transparency. Complete santosha is no different from complete Ishvara pranidhana or complete saucha. Complete aparigraha means holding to nothing, even to our illusory self. Complete ahimsa is possible only when your own will has been reduced to zero and you act only according to the all-benevolent divine will.
Each one contains the entire path and becomes a lens through which you can view all the others.
The Upward Spiral
This might sound quite philosophical at this moment, but let’s remember that the path of yoga is one of direct experience. All yogic theory is meant only as a map, showing us where we are, where we might end up, and what we can do to get there.
Through the framework of yama and niyama, you can become aware of the upward spiral of your own life. (Also, an inward spiral, once you are consciously on a spiritual path. Every loop brings you closer to yourself; every movement, no matter the apparent direction, is a movement toward the center.) You can observe yourself approaching similar situations and challenges with more nuance, refinement, and compassion.
Your life’s drama will have recurring themes. This is the nature of samsara, cyclical existence. Your karma, the patterns engraved in the deepest level of your mind, will force you to encounter the same scenarios over and over again. A nightmare if you are identified with the predicament!
We all know someone (or are someone) who gets out of one unhealthy relationship only to enter into another; who is always caught in the same fight with their family; who loses one job or friendship after another in the same way.
It’s all of us, to some degree or another. The trick is that when you realize it, there is an option to approach these repetitions as opportunities to explore yama and niyama in action.
How can I cause less harm in this situation? How can I be more truthful? How would someone who was fully transparent act here? What happens if, in the middle of it all, I surrender to God? What if I ask, “Who am I?”
In the past, every time you were stuck in this pattern, you turned left, following well-worn grooves in the road. Now you swerve to the right.
Where you once would have been completely lost in a situation, now there is some room to breathe. Maybe only a little bit, but the next time a little more, and more, until finally you can hold that kind of experience calmly and lovingly without being caught in it.
Yoga in Every Situation
The prominence of yama and niyama within Patanjali’s teachings is a clear reminder that yoga does not take place only on the mat or cushion. It is meant to transform your entire life, turning everything inside-out and upside-down. And often the points of friction are where the real growth happens.
Where there is disharmony in your life, most likely some aspect of yama and niyama is not being honored.
Of course, you might object that it some problematic person around you who is not keeping yama and niyama. Certainly! But the fact remains that you are only responsible for yourself and your own role in any interaction.
No matter how thorny the situation, see what happens if you bring in the yamas and niyamas.
If someone is acting violently towards you, how can you cultivate non-violence within that space? How can you act in a way which both protects you (ahimsa towards yourself) and disarms the other person, who on a deeper level is causing the most harm to themselves?
If someone is lying, how do you express the truth in the most clear and compassionate way?
Or in any area of tension with another person, can you see the other side? Can you see where you could be more transparent, more authentic, or more detached?
Yoga is a living practice with applications in every moment. Just as life gives you the chance to reevaluate your patterns and contractions, hopefully with more space and greater insight every time around the spiral, you can revisit the foundations of yoga again and again. From every new angle you approach, you will find some new gem.
Naveen is a Hridaya teacher and a frequent contributor to our blog. You can read all of her posts here.
