In the last blog post, we discussed the first limb of ashtanga- the yamas- which can be thought of as yogic guidelines for interacting with one’s community and with the broader society. Following these guidelines will help lead the practitioner’s mind towards greater equanimity and will also, ideally, help move our communities as a whole further along the path towards yoga, when the divisions that separate us begin to fall away and we can begin to recognize our oneness.

The second limb of ashtanga yoga is the niyamas. The niyamas can be thought of as a set of intense restraints that an aspiring yogi should follow every day in order to advance on the path of yoga. Like with the yamas, the niyamas are aspirational principles- following them at all times in every circumstance would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, but the sincere effort to live in accordance with them will bring the practitioner ever closer to a state of yoga.

The niyamas, as defined in Book Two, Sutra 32 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, are:

1) Purity/cleanliness (saucha);

2) Contentment (santosha);

3) Discipline (tapas);

4) Self-study (svadhyaya); and

5) Surrender of the fruits of our efforts to divinity (Ishvara pranidhana).

Saucha includes cleanliness of our physical body and of our physical environment. This means both removing toxins in our bodies, as well as avoiding them in everyday life. Saucha also means avoiding the five poisons of the mind - attachment, aversion, ignorance, pride, and jealousy. These poisons disturb our tranquility, and draw us away from the noble qualities of the mind.

Santosha means to practice contentment at all times. This means endeavoring to recognize that our happiness should not be- and is not- dependent on external circumstances; rather, true joy is something that comes from our Divine, eternal Self, which never changes. When something outside of ourselves causes us to feel temporarily happy, we usually find ourselves perpetually trying to recreate those circumstances or that feeling. According to yoga, this will only lead to suffering. We should instead recognize all feelings that surface in response to external circumstances as ephemeral, and remember to feel content and filled with gratitude at all times. This does not mean that we should become complacent. Every moment is an opportunity to learn, grow, and advance on the path of yoga.

Tapas can be understood as austerity or discipline. It is the cultivation of the fiery quality of the will that helps us stay on the yogic path; learning to be comfortable with what the practice causes to surface, and not let anything that may arise dissuade us from our purpose. Tapas is the attempt to sacrifice anything that is not yoga to the purifying fire that yoga illuminates within ourselves, and therefore is often described as a transformation which occurs through heat, such as the melting of ore to produce gold.

Svadhyaya is the study of the Self. This does not mean our individual small self, but rather the Universal Divine Self. This can be done through the study of sacred scriptures, or meditating on an image of divinity, or by chanting mantra. It can also be useful to meditate on the difference between what we perceive to be our self- which is changeable and impermanent- and what is our true Self- which is non-changing and eternal.

Ishvara pranidhana is surrendering the fruits of our efforts to the divine. We should not become overly attached to the outcome of our practice, but rather to engage in our practice with sincerity, and offer the fruits of our effort back to Ishvara, or Divine Consciousness. Ishvara is defined in the Yoga Sutras as being the perfect seed of Omniscience - the Teacher of all teachers - not bound by time, and not subject to the hindrances that keep others from experiencing the state of Yoga. One way we practice Ishvara pranidhana as ashtanga practitioners is when we chant the closing mantra- offering the fruits of our practice to others and to future generations, so that all beings may be equally happy and free.

The yamas and niyamas are an incredible set of guidelines that offer us the opportunity to look closer at the root of our actions and desires. Through introspection, we discover a clear path to action that leads us closer to a life in harmony with our true nature.

The main sources for this explanation are David Frawley’s Yoga and Ayurveda: Self-Healing and Self Realization, Baba Hari Dass’ Ashtanga Yoga Primer, Shakaranarayana Jois’ Sacred Tradition of Yoga, and Baba Hari Dass’s exposition on the sutras in which the Niyamas are discussed.