Yama & Niyama in Yoga Teaching

The following is my submission as a part of the final requirement for my yoga training that you may find helpful to your practice of self-exploration as a yoga student or teacher.

Final requirement for Anatomy & Physiology
Submitted on 05/13/07

Yama and Niyama as related to the teaching of Asana

Yoga principle is a tool for skillful living. The 10 yamas and niyamas provide effective means for us to relate to ourselves and to others. They are the common ground for one to build a healthy, joyful and purposeful life. They are a crucial foundation for an aspirant on a spiritual path to establish in order to realize the spiritual self. Essentially, yamas and niyamas are my teaching philosophy.

Yama is the first limb of yoga. It consists of five disciplines that express how one should relate oneself to the rest of the world. Yoga aptly addresses grosser concerns before subtler ones. Before an aspirant can begin the other steps of coming to know the spiritual self or her most subtle self she must establish her relationship with the grosser self, her physical self and her physical relationship.

The five yamas and how they relate to my teaching of asana are as followed.

1. Ahimsa or non-harming. Preventing injury in asana practice is crucial for students’ wellbeing. Often students are not in touch with their body’s responses and going into or sustaining poses that are harmful to their body. Guiding students to become mindful of their body sensation and the movement of their breath deepens body awareness. Encourage students to take the ego out of the process by inviting students to dedicate their practice to someone or something specific. Acceptance of where one is in her practice can be encouraged through modification of poses and the use of props. Poses that should be avoided in order to minimize spinal injuries are inversions such as shoulder stand and plough. When teaching seniors it is important not to stress the spine. Intense forward bend such as Paschimottanasana should be avoided. Retention of breath after a full inhalation can result in vascular injuries and if chosen to practice should do so with extreme care.

2. Satya or truthfulness. Asana, when practiced mindfully is an expression of truth in body and mind. Students should be guided to express their bodily needs through means of verbal communication and actions. Anytime a student feels tired or experience shortness of breath a child pose should be utilized. When dealing with injury or pain, students should explore and investigate the truth in their body through the sensation it gives. Students can then use that truthful information to guide their practice rather than trying to emulate a pose. Cuing students into how their body parts feel rather than focusing on the final pose is essential. Students should follow the principle of steady ease in each asana, resting when necessary and modifying to honor their body’s truth.

3. Asteya or non-stealing. A desire to have what does not belong to one is a misalignment of self-yearning expression. Yoga asana is an inner expression of self that requires no things. When students learn to connect deeper with their inner self their desire for outside materials will naturally subside. Utilization of Mudras and Drishtis keep student’s mind focus and steady on internal exploration. Encouraging students to explore their inner being during yoga asana by shutting down the senses such as closing their eyes during steady or restorative poses. Forward bends promotes detachment to the outside world. Forward bends are similar to the act of hugging self and hence promote internal peace and calmness and fulfill the yearning for self-love as opposed to searching for that love outwardly.

4. Brahmacharya or self- continence. Energy when used inappropriately results in sense cravings and physical and mental destruction. Yoga asana teaches one to use her energy appropriately in order to realize her potential self. Creative energy can be realized through procreation or self-realization. We express ourselves through our voices and actions. Yoga asana is a form of bodily action/ expression. Students can express themselves through balanced movements of yoga asana. Vinyasa sequences promote self-creativity and expression. The use of mantra and chanting encourage students to express their inner self through their voice and direct their energy toward their higher self. For example, students can practice Surya Namaskar sequence with the chant of Om each time they bend forward into Uttanasana.

5. Aparigraha or non-hoarding/ collecting. The fear of not having enough is perpetuated in the society at large through the belief that we do not have enough. The true lack we have is the fact that we consume more than we need and create unnecessary imbalance in our mind, body and environment. Practicing being in the present moment during a yoga asana practice promotes detachment to what has passed and what has yet to come. There is richness in the present moment. Practicing the breath of connection through guided reflection establishes students’ relationship to the world at large and promotes gratitude, non-hoarding and social connectedness. For example, students can cultivate compassion thorough “loving kindness meditation.” Postures that open the heart such as backbends and partner exercises encourage the practice of Aparigraha.

Niyama is the second limb of yoga. It consists of five disciplines that express how one should relate to oneself. It is a step closer to the inner-self. As yama is the outer layer that steers an aspirant toward proper relationships without, niyama steers an aspirant toward proper relationship within. While yama is a universal principle as it addresses the web of social body, niyama applies to each individual’s discipline.

The five niyamas and how they relate to my teaching of asana are as followed.

1. Saucha or cleanliness. When the body is viewed as a house of spirit one treats her body as a sacred space. When the body and its environment are clean and clear of clutters one has a mind fit for spiritual exploration. Cleanliness is the same as simplicity. A clean asana practice consists of a clear and focus intention. A simple sequence consists of an intention to address one specific theme done mindfully is a clean sequence. For example, students can practice their connection to the foundation through Tadasana and a few other standing poses. They can set an intention to practice cleanly by being in the poses completely, begin and transition these simple poses mindfully. Creating some heat in the practice with vinyasa movements improves circulation and elimination that results in detoxification or cleansing of the body. Steadiness in breath and movement promotes a complete and clean asana practice.

2. Santosa or contentment. Contentment is a state of mind that can be fulfilled by no things. When we are content we open ourselves to the endless possibilities life brings. The opposite of contentment is depression and compression. In an asana practice a student gains contentment through heart opening poses in backbends. Surya Namaskar sequences open the heart and symbolized the radiant joy of the sun. Deep breathing and long exhalation promote the function of the parasympathetic nervous system and normalize the sympathetic nervous system. Reflection on blissful experience in the present moment elevates contentment.

3. Tapas or self-discipline. Consistency and regularity of asana practice promotes self-discipline. Working on similar asana routines but with increased intensity serves tapas. Students can fine-tune their sense of self or proprioception through a repetition of movement which is Tapas. By introducing a pose that is challenging to students they are encouraged to build up the discipline it takes to practice the pose. The more difficult the poses the more self-discipline it takes to accomplish the pose. By strongly engaging in creating a tension in a pose the pose can later be practiced with ease as the nervous system gets used to the tension. But it also takes discipline to practice with moderation and to know one’s limitation. Practicing too much too soon results in injuries and burn out. Students should be encouraged to practice consistently and steadily and sticking to one routine until it is throughly explored.

4. Svadhyaya or self-study. Body awareness and breath awareness are self-study. Students are invited to feel their way through their practice by receiving cue actions instead reaching a final pose i.e. “bend forward until you feel the stretch in the back of your legs” instead of “bend forward and touch your toes.” Students can be asked to observe their attitude in a pose or toward a pose and to invite an attitude of playfulness, devotion or surrender into the pose. Students can practice a pose or a sequence of poses with eyes open then with eyes closed to focus on what they feel rather than what they do. Students can explore a pose without a commitment to one “right way” to do a pose. Going into a pose in various ways or explore making small movements in a pose and find the differences in body sensation are self-study. For example, students can practice doing neck rolls very slowly and feel the tension in different muscle groups. Taking a different perspective through body positioning such as in Sirsasana or handstand also encourage self-study as well as courage and self-discipline.

5. Isvara pranidhana or surrender to God. Slow releases without force in a posture is surrendering the will to the process and the divine’s will. For example, in Paschimottanasana one uses the breath to guide further into the pose by stopping when the tension is felt and move further when the muscles relax. This is flowing with the grace of God rather than forcing into a pose by ego. Savasana symbolizes the final surrendering in an asana practice when one let go completely and dwell in the quietude of the body and mind. The final reflection in words, the sound of om or simply a silence meditation directs students to something greater than themselves and unite them to their spiritual self and the purpose of yoga.