Swami Sarvapriyanada, one of the revered monks of the Ramakrishna order, narrated an interesting conversation between a Himalayan yogi and a seeker. It goes like this,
Seeker: I want to learn yoga thoroughly from you guruji as you have mastered this ancient art so well.
Teacher: Well listen then, yoga begins with the yamas and niyamas.
Seeker interrupts and says I know all that guruji, I have read it so many times. Can we please skip to the essential parts? How to get proficient in doing various asanas and tapping the energy through pranayamas etc.
Teacher: Do you want to learn healthy yoga or handicapped yoga? If you cut down two of the most important limbs then it no more remains an able-bodied discipline.
If you want to pursue yoga as an alternative to exercise for maintaining a healthy body and to some extent managing your mental health then asanas are sufficient. However, if your goal is to pursue yoga as a spiritual discipline then you have to transcend the narrow boundaries of asanas alone. Yoga has to be observed and respected as a discipline with 8 equally important limbs and mastering them sequentially in the order prescribed by sage Patanjali.
Why did physical asanas get into prominence?
Sage Patanjali detailed yoga, the union of individual consciousness with universal consciousness, as an eight-phase approach. Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. His philosophy centered around mind control to reach the ultimate goal. He mentioned asana in the yoga sutras as “sthira sukham asanam”, a posture in which you can sit still and comfortably. The first five stages are termed “bahiranga” meaning the external parts. These were devised to enable the sharpening of the mind so that the last three limbs, collectively named “antaranga(inner parts)” can be facilitated.
The mind is a subtler entity than the body and controlling the mind is a much more difficult discipline than the body. The era of sage Patanjali was a time of refined minds and therefore his approach to realizing the absolute was replicable. However, as the modes of materialism increased with time, the minds became grosser. Perhaps it wasn’t easy for most humans to access the subtle aspects of the mind and avail it for a higher purpose. 1200 years later Yogi Matsyendranath and Yogi Goraknath pivoted the use of the body as the central facet to reach the highest truth. This led to the emergence of Hatha Yoga.
All modern yoga forms including Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Iyengar, etc. branched out from Hatha Yoga and thus placed the activities of the physical body at their centers. Although asanas are the primary features of these yoga forms, they remain incomplete and fail to attain anything other than mere physical/ mental wellness. Even Hatha yoga consists of 4 other disciplines viz. shatkarmas(purification acts), pranayama(breathing practices), bandhas(internal energetic locks), and mudras(hand gestures).
Importance of Yamas and Niyamas for spiritual growth
Serious spiritual seekers who find themselves more aligned with their bodies should strive for strict Hatha yoga or any of its derivatives under the guidance of experienced yogis. For those seekers who are more aligned with their minds and want to pursue yoga as a spiritual discipline for realizing the absolute truth, yamas and niyamas need to be integrated into their lives. It doesn’t mean that Hatha yogis should disregard them but eventually, they get ingrained in their lives as well.
Just like every other yoga aspirant, I also began with asana classes. A few short meditation sessions here and there felt amazing and calmed my mind. But as I slowly progressed with serious spiritual aspirations, my mind began comprehending the reasonings presented in the Patanjali Yoga Sutra. I could discern the illusion of control and the false impression of freedom. Only after accepting that my sense organs were governing me, I was able to build a stable foundation of these self-disciplines and constraints with continuous work.
Why are they significant?
At the heart of spiritual ascension lies self-discovery. It is the process of getting insights into yourself, the patterns, and the inner workings of your body and mind. The faculties of mind that are required to facilitate this process are ever-busy. They either tend to the needs of the senses or get trapped in habitual mental responses like getting angry, lustful, anxious, etc. They have to be freed and engaged in the processes of spiritual ascension.
Outgoing tendencies are the default settings of our minds. It hasn’t learned yet how to pull the reigns of those ever-running horses. Also, it does not know when to do it. It is obvious that when these horses are in their usual propensity to move and are pulled back to stop, they feel attacked. It may momentarily disturb them but it is necessary. Eventually, they learn all the cues and stop whenever required without any hostilities. Yamas and Niyamas are essential tools to gain control over the mind’s habitual restless movements.
They form the stable base upon which the layers of asanas, pranayama, and others have to be built. Without them, yoga remains a limited form of activity for physical health.
What are the Yamas?
Sage Pathanjali prescribed 5 yamas, which are the social conducts to be followed in our daily lives while living as a member of a collective unit be it family, community, etc.
1. Ahimsa: Non-violence.
We believe that we are non-violent but upon deep introspection a lot of violence and anger can be unearthed from our minds. When a mosquito disturbs your quiet time with its irritating buzz, you would just want to kill it. Isn’t it? When one of your colleagues shames you in front of others then your mind gets raged to teach him a lesson. Non-violence in action is easier to follow as there are physically viable consequences and social pressure. Non-violence in the mind is extremely difficult to withhold as no one else is watching your thoughts.
Ahimsa has to be practiced from within. The repeated patterns of anger need to be broken with mindfulness and constant practice. In-depth observation, self-analysis, and psychology have to be used to observe your instinctive reactions and need to be broken with intelligence. When your mind learns to stop reacting it gets free and becomes ready to be engaged in meaningful growth. It is said that when you perfect Ahimsa, your surroundings automatically become peaceful and calm.
2. Satya: Truthfulness.
We don’t realize how many lies and unuseful things we utter in regular conversations. It has become a habit of ours to exaggerate things or incorporate many untruthful elements to get fame or attention. Especially gossips have no validity and we keep on spreading it for the sake of fun. Continuously involving your mind in such activities keeps it restless. If spiritual growth is your goal then you have to strictly restrict yourself to speaking what is useful and true.
The truth has to be non-harming. Otherwise, the first rule of Ahimsa is broken. If by your truth someone is hurt or you have an impulse to speak the harsh truth, then take time to self-introspect compassionately on the consequences. It is wise to stay silent or even lie in extreme situations where by your truthfulness others get hurt. Sage Patanjali mentions in his sutra that when one gets perfectly established in truthfulness then a power of psychic speech dawns upon him. Whatever he/she speaks, it becomes true.
3. Asteya: Non-stealing or honesty
Just like non-violence, non-stealing in physical action is also easier to achieve. Mind on the other hand, often becomes the victim of greed, desire, and lust. The thoughts of possessing someone else’s wealth, fame, partner, etc. keep invading your mind space. You become restless, anxious, and also depressed with the thoughts of not having what others have. Many times you act dishonestly out of habit even without knowing. For example, borrowing a pen to use for some time and forgetting to return it. In the conscious mind, it may not have any effect but in the subconscious mind, it stays and causes disturbance.
It requires substantial work to eradicate the patterns of dishonesty from all layers of the mind. Closely understanding yourself by utilizing the principles of psychology and mindfully working to cleanse the mind without getting into the trap of judgment is essential for establishing yourself in all the yamas. The power of being able to know about the hidden treasures of other persons comes to those who perfect this yama.
4. Brahmacharya: Celibacy or maintaining self-control.
Out of all the impurities of the mind, lust is the one that should be brought under control first. One who is already in the trap of gratification through continuous sexual deeds or misconduct has no sense of the world outside it. He loses himself completely to it and visualizes everything through the lens of sexuality. All his actions are unconsciously driven with the aim of being able to satisfy lust, being more attractive(intelligent, wealthy, etc.) to be chosen over others, and so on. This is also the same principle that drives one to any form of addiction. The mind is relentless, fearful, and insecure.
Strong discipline and self-control are required to gain victory over the powerful urges that drive you toward extremity. Commitment, routine, and taking the help of mentors can’t be stressed enough for breaking those patterns. Yoga sutras mention that the fear of death is overcome by practicing Brahmacharya. More about fear of death can be read here. In the Sanatan dharma, sex is considered a vehicle to help souls come into the world and provide them with the required facilities for their further ascension in the spiritual realm.
5. Aparigraha: non-hoarding or non-possessiveness
The feeling of “mine” is empowering, Isn’t it? My wardrobe, my collection of CDs, my bank balance, etc. But sadly, this is just false empowerment coming from the delusion of the mind that believes in belongingness. Nothing belongs to anyone in its true essence, even the hard-earned money doesn’t belong to anyone. It just passes on from one human to the other. However, greed and jealousy have a strong hold on your minds leading you to collect and possess much more than you need to survive. The more stuff you have, the more cluttered your mind.
Living a content and minimalist life is essential in the spiritual journey. The mind has to be freed from the worldly thoughts of material wealth and possession. Whatever is needed and necessary has to be acquired without any fearsome thoughts of their unavailability in the future. This state is difficult to achieve and one has to practically live and practice some sort of austerity before the mindset changes. Patanjali mentions that those who perfect this yama gain the power of clairvoyance.
If you would like to know more about Niyamas, please mention it in the comments.
Conclusion:
Yoga as a spiritual discipline begins with the onset of yamas and niyamas. It is an advanced science of controlling the mind and utilizing it to get direct insights into the ultimate truth of existence. Mind in its usual state is always in the mode of restlessness and outward moving. Bringing it to calm and turning it inwards is necessary to achieve the goal of uniting individual consciousness with the universal consciousness. Yamas and Niyamas are the required tools to facilitate that. Without them, yoga is incomplete and remains mere gymnastics.
Leave a Reply