The Yamas & Niyamas Read online

  Advance Praise for The Yamas & Niyamas

  “Beyond moral precepts, the yamas and niyamas are guidelines for living a healthy life. With the voice of a storyteller, Deborah Adele brings this ancient wisdom to light with modern tales common to us all. This is the behavior we need for a sustainable world.”~ Anodea Judith, Ph.D., Author of Eastern Body-Western Mind andWaking the Global Heart, www.SacredCenters.com

  “The Yamas & Niyamas is a great book. It is one that I have been looking for, for a long time. Deborah’s style is fresh and truthful, her writing inviting and inspiring, and her suggestions for integrating the concepts into life - downright simple. You’ll learn a lot from this book and along the way you’ll have fun exploring yourself.” ~ Susi Hately Aldous, BSc., yoga teacher, founder of Functional Synergy Yoga Therapy and author of Anatomy and Asana and The Art of Slowing Down, www.anatomyandasana.com

  “After reading The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice, I wanted to return all my other books to the shelf and just practice these teachings. The insights that Deborah Adele draws from yoga’s ethical guidelines have helped me to better understand my Christian faith. I am buying a copy of this book for each and every member of my prayer groups.”~ Rev. Douglas Dirks, Abilene, Texas

  “Compassionate, lively, and wise, The Yamas & Niyamas provides a portal into a recognition beyond tradition; a living way to relate from our highest vibratory level into our present world, regardless of cultural or religious background. Like the Tao expresses itself as yin and yang, these restraints and observances are presented as the swinging doors into the unconditional, liberating us from the bonds of our day to day stressors and uniting us with the One truth for which we all hunger. It fed me.”~ Randine Lewis, MSOM, L.Ac., Ph.D., Founder of The Fertile Soul, Author of The Infertility Cure and The Way of The Fertile Soul, www.thefertilesoul.com

  “Deborah’s book, The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice, really brings these jewels to the light and to the world. As a yoga teacher I have been looking for something for my students that can lead them to join me in a life-long love affair with the yamas and niyamas – and this is it!” ~ Dharmi Cunningham, owner Turning Light Studio, N. Yarmouth, Maine, www.turninglight.org

  “Deborah Adele has written a jewel of a book. In this volume, we find not only the practical insights of classical yoga, but simultaneously the deep wisdom, subtlety, and joyfulness that these practices produce. The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice is a must read for anyone interested in spiritual wisdom.” ~ Phil Nuernberger, Ph.D., Author of The Warrior Sage and Strong and Fearless: The Quest for Personal Power, www.mindmaster.com

  The Yamas & Niyamas:

  Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice

  by Deborah Adele

  On-Word Bound Books, LLC

  publishing & media ~ Duluth, Minnesota

  The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice

  Copyright © 2009 by Deborah Adele

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published by:

  On-Word Bound Books LLC / 26 East Superior Street #402

  Duluth, Minnesota 55802 / www.onwordboundbooks.com

  Fonts in the printed book & pdf book:

  Main text: Adobe Garamond Pro

  Titles and quotes: Shangri La and Rowen Oak by Nick’s Fonts - http://www.nicksfonts.com

  Fonts in the Epub & Kindle versions:

  All text: Adobe Garamond Pro

  Haiku’s written by Catharine Larsen

  Sanskrit resources were found on-line at the following websites:

  http://learn-sanskrit.com:80/8limbs.htm

  http://www.avashy.com/hindiscripttutor.htm

  http://www.americansanskrit.com

  Sanskrit illustrated by Sara Duke and approved by Vyaas Houston of the American Sanskrit Institute.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Adele, Deborah, 1949-

  The yamas & niyamas : exploring yoga’s ethical practice / by Deborah Adele

  p. cm.

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9744706-8-9 (Kindle)

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9744706-9-6 (Epub)

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9744706-5-8 (PDF)

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9744706-4-1 (pbk.)

  ISBN-10: 0-9744706-4-3 (pbk.)

  1. Yoga. 2. Ethics. 3. Conduct of life. I. Title. II. Title: The yamas and niyamas.

  BJ123.Y64A34 2009

  181.45--dc22

  2008032793

  Dedicated to:

  Yogiraj Achala

  who made these ten guidelines come alive in my life,

  and to all sentient beings

  whom I hope will benefit from this exploration.

  Acknowledgments

  A book is never written in a vacuum; I have been humbled by this truth. To all of those whose participation made this book a reality, my deepest love and gratitude; your voices are contained within these pages as well as in my heart.

  Deepest gratitude to the sages and teachers who sit within the yogic tradition, whose selfless sharing of the richness of the yogic tradition with the West has brought a new sense of awareness, balance, and opportunity to Western consciousness. My prayer is that we in the West are worthy of the gift and can use this wisdom for the broader scope of humanity and the earth.

  Deepest gratitude to Yogiraj Achala whose love and teaching have given me pieces of myself.

  Deepest gratitude to Vyaas Houston of the American Sanskrit Institute for his generous guidance crafting Sanskrit characters. His character is impeccable and his love for Sanskrit is both moving and inspiring. Please check out the opportunities available to you at www.americansanskrit.com.

  Gratitude to Catharine Larsen for sharing her insights and creativity in the beautiful Haikus which begin each chapter. The book is richer for them.

  Deepest gratitude to my friend and business partner Ann Maxwell, who embodies these guidelines. Although the words of this book are mostly mine, they come from our work together over our years as business partners and represent the thoughts and experience of both of us. Throughout the book you will hear the purity of her voice and the boldness with which she lives her life. We have a partnership that we have consciously chosen to base on practicing these guidelines with one another; this choice has kept us fresh and pertinent.

  Gratitude to Jill Pospisil whose support, editorial comments and tireless research gave clarity and integrity to this book. Gratitude to Phil Nuernberger, Ph.D., whose constant support and encouragement kept me on task; Phil has been a significant teacher in my life. Gratitude to the Rev. Douglas Dirks, Dharmi Cunningham, and Ron Johnson who were kind enough to read, encourage, and give direction to the pages of this book; their willingness and love was a strong foundation and impetus for writing.

  Thank you to Brooks and Coral Anderson who generously provided rustic cabin space on Lake Superior where the silence could render the writing of this book. Thanks also to Nancy Hanson-Bergstrom and John Bergstrom, Catharine and Lauren Larsen and to Ron Johnson who shared their homes as writing space for me.

  Thank you to the publishers, Sara Duke and David Devere, whose clarity, ideas, and love of books kept me encouraged and inspired. They have made this process a fun and creative adventure; I am grateful that they took the risk.

  Thank you to Michelle Skally Doilney and Debbie Nuernberger, who gave me permission to
shut my door and write.

  Gratitude to the amazing community of people who practice and learn at Yoga North Studio in Duluth, Minnesota; their strong dedication and commitment has deeply touched my heart.

  Gratitude and love to my family and friends who provide the venue for living the practice of these guidelines and love me anyway.

  And finally, deepest love and gratitude to my husband, the Rev. Doug Paulson, whose tireless nourishment, love, and support is beyond words. Doug continues to stimulate my thinking, model a selfless life, encourage my explorations, provide humor to the monotonous, and make every day a grand adventure.

  Preface

  I have a favorite mug that sits on my office desk filled with pens and pencils. This mug was given to me by one of my brothers many years ago, and I still look at it daily and chuckle. The mug says:

  Things to do today: 1. Stop the Arms Race 2. Floss

  I mention the mug because not only does it keep me tuned to both the lofty ideals of my life as well as the practical components, but it also speaks to the essence of the Yamas & Niyamas. These ten guidelines sit as both a vision of the possibilities of human existence, as well as providing the practical guidance to make skillful moment to moment choices in our daily lives.

  We all want to live well. Let’s face it, at the end of the day, it’s not how much you have or how much you have accomplished that counts. What matters is how well you have participated in your own life, both the ordinary routines and the extraordinary surprises. It’s how you feel inside when you lay your head on the pillow. Does a feeling of joy and well-being accompany you to bed? Or does your head touch the pillow with thoughts of anger, bitterness, helplessness, frustration, self-disappointment, or whiny complaints?

  Being human is a complicated thing. We live within myriad confusing choices and contradictions. As human beings living among other life forms, we need to navigate our own personal needs within those of the community. As Spirit hanging out in a human body, we need to live within the potential of our limitless dreams and our limited physical reality. In the midst of our indecision and confusion, these guidelines are like helping hands moving us deeper into our own authenticity and into a life that is richer and fuller than we could ever imagine, simply because we are living with more skill and awareness.

  This may sound easy, but it is not. How do we gain mastery over our choices when life seems to toss us around with its ups and downs, many demands, and many voices telling us what we need and what is wrong with us? How do we gain skill when we find ourselves continuing to do what we promised ourselves we would never do again? How do we gain skill when we just screamed at our child or our partner and now we feel lousy? How do we gain skill when we feel stuck in a dead end job that is sucking us dry? How do we gain skill when we just dug into the chocolate and now we are beating ourselves up with messages of self-loathing?

  Gaining the skill to choose our attitude, to choose what we think, and to choose what we do, may be the grandest adventure we can take as a human being. In the film Last Holiday Georgia Byrd, shocked by discovering she has only three weeks to live, decides to make her dream life of possibilities into reality. In an amazing shift of character from a timid woman stuck in her perceived realities of life, she suddenly bursts forth boldly and claims the life she has always wanted for herself.

  It doesn’t need to take a death sentence for us to change. We have the choice to burst forth boldly and claim our lives in this very moment, and yoga’s ten guidelines, the Yamas & Niyamas, can support that very leap into the life that we seek. Under their guidance, the turbulence and drama that are often a familiar part of our life begin to disappear.

  The result of a skillfully lived life is nothing less than joy. Not the kind that comes when things are going our way and disappears just as quickly, but the kind that bubbles up from within. The kind of joy that comes from our own sense of mastery in life that no matter what life brings, we are ready. Maybe there is nothing to figure out ahead of time, there is only a life to live well…or not. Which are you choosing for yourself ?

  What are the Yamas & Niyamas?

  The Yamas & Niyamas are foundational to all yogic thought. Yoga is a sophisticated system that extends far beyond doing yoga postures; it is literally a way of living. Yoga is designed to bring you more and more awareness of not only your body but also your thoughts. The teachings are a practical, step-by-step methodology that bring understanding to your experiences, while at the same time pointing the way to the next experience. They are like a detailed map, telling you where you are and how to look for the next landmark. They facilitate taking ownership of your life and directing it towards the fulfillment that you seek.

  The Yamas & Niyamas may be thought of as guidelines, tenets, ethical disciplines, precepts, or restraints and observances. I often think of them as jewels, because they are the rare gems of wisdom that give direction to a well-lived and joyful life. In yogic philosophy, these jewels sit as the first two limbs of the 8-fold path.*

  The first five jewels are referred to as Yamas, a Sanskrit word which translates literally into the word “restraints” and includes nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing, nonexcess, and nonpossessiveness. The last five jewels are referred to as the Niyamas, or “observances,” and include purity, contentment, self-discipline, self-study, and surrender. Many guides to ethical conduct may leave us feeling overwhelmed with concepts, or boxed in by rule sets. Yoga’s guidelines do not limit us from living life, but rather they begin to open life up to us more and more fully, and they flow easily into one another in ways that are practical and easy to grasp.

  Nonviolence, the first jewel, sits as the foundation to the other guidelines, which in turn enhance the meaning and flesh out the richness of nonviolence. Nonviolence is a stance of right relationship with others and with self that is neither self-sacrifice nor self-aggrandizement. This tenet guides us to live together, share the goods and do what we want – without causing harm to others or ourselves.

  Truthfulness, the second jewel, is partnered with nonviolence. The marriage of these two guidelines creates a powerful dance between two seeming opposites. We can appreciate this statement when we begin to practice speaking our truth without causing harm to others. As partners, truthfulness keeps nonviolence from being a wimpy cop-out, while nonviolence keeps truthfulness from being a brutal weapon. When they are dancing perfectly together, they create a spectacular sight. Their union is nothing short of profound love in its fullest expression. And when there is cause for disharmony or confusion between the two, truthfulness bows to nonviolence. First and foremost, do no harm.

  Nonstealing, the third jewel, guides our attempts and tendencies to look outward for satisfaction. Often, our dissatisfaction with ourselves and our lives leads us to this outward gaze, with a tendency to steal what is not rightfully ours. We steal from the earth, we steal from others, and we steal from ourselves. We steal from our own opportunity to grow ourselves into the person who has the right to have the life they want.

  Nonexcess, the fourth jewel, has been interpreted by many to mean celibacy or abstinence. Although this could certainly be one interpretation of nonexcess, its literal meaning is “walking with God.” Whatever your beliefs about the Divine, this tenet implies an awareness of sacredness in all our actions and an attentiveness to each moment that moves us into a stance of holiness. From this place of sacredness, the boundary is set to leave excess behind and live within the limits of enough. If we have been practicing nonstealing, we will automatically find ourselves primed to practice this guideline.

  Nonpossessiveness, the fifth jewel and last of the guidelines known as the Yamas, liberates us from greed. It reminds us that clinging to people and material objects only weighs us down and makes life a heavy and disappointing experience. When we practice letting go, we move ourselves towards freedom and an enjoyment of life that is expansive and fresh.

  If we ha
ve begun to live the first five jewels well, we may notice that our time is freeing up and there is more breathing space in our lives. The days begin to feel a little lighter and easier. Work is more enjoyable and our relationships with others are a little smoother. We like ourselves a little more; there is a lighter gait to our step; we realize that we need less than we previously thought; we are having more fun. As we begin our study of the final five jewels or Niyamas, we move into a more subtle realm and into an interior resting place, a place that becomes like Sabbath for us.

  Purity, the sixth jewel, is an invitation to cleanse our bodies, our attitudes, and our actions. It asks us to clean up our act so we can be more available to the qualities in life that we are seeking. This precept also invites us to purify how we relate to what is uppermost in the moment. It is the quality of being aligned in our relationship with others, with the task at hand, and with ourselves.

  Contentment, the seventh jewel, cannot be sought. All the things we do to bring fulfillment to ourselves actually interfere with our own satisfaction and well-being. Contentment can only be found in acceptance and appreciation of what is in the moment. The more we learn to leave “what is” alone, the more contentment will quietly and steadily find us.

  Self-discipline, the eighth jewel, literally means “heat” and can also be translated as catharsis or austerities. It is anything which impacts us to change. Change makes us spiritual heavyweights in the game of life; it is preparation for our own greatness. We all know how easy it is to be a person of high character when things are going our way, but what about those times life deals us a dark card? Who are you in those moments? This guideline is an invitation to purposefully seek out refining your own strength of character and it asks, “Can you trust the heat? Can you trust the path of change itself?”

  Self-study, the ninth jewel, is a pursuit of knowing ourselves, studying what drives us and what shapes us because these things literally are the cause of the lives we are living. Self-study asks us to look at the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and realize that these stories create the reality of our lives. Ultimately, this tenet invites us to release the false and limiting self-perception our ego has imposed on us and know the truth of our Divine Self.