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Īśvara-Praṇidhānād-Vā ईश्वरप्रणिधानाद्वा:  Īśvara-Praṇidhānād-Vā is translated as surrender to the Divine. The word Divine can be replaced with any word or interpretation of something that is greater than ourselves; The Universe, God, Source, the All, (supreme) Consciousness, Love or perhaps its something undefined. Whatever represents that […]

Svādhyāyaḥ स्वाध्याय: Often Svādhyāyaḥ is interpreted as self-study in the sense of self reflection. When you self-reflect, you look at your goal(s), at the desires or needs that drive your actions and reactions in life (see the Santoṣā topic). In the authentic sense though, Svādhyāya […]

Tapaḥ तप: This third Niyama is directly translated from the Sanskrit language as penance. In modern language the word self-discipline might be a more helpful word to explain the interpretation of this word. If we compare the Yogaḥ path to climbing a mountain, Tapaḥ is […]

Santōṣaḥ संतोष: About Santōṣaḥ, Ãcãrya Patajali says in the Yogaḥ Sutras: संतोषादनुत्तमसुखलाभः॥४२॥ Saṁtoṣāt-anuttamas-sukhalābhaḥ (Y.S. II.42) From contentment, unsurpassed happiness is gained. Contentment versus satisfaction Contentment is quite different from satisfaction. Satisfaction is when our needs are met, for example when our physical hunger is satisfied. […]

Śauchaḥ शौच: (purity)  The first step in the Niyamas is to maintain Śauchaḥ (purity). This word ‘Śauchaḥ ‘ consists of an extensive meaning in itself, however the general meaning is external and internal purification. Although the simplistic meaning of Śauchaḥ is purity, this is not […]

Ahimsā अहिंसा Ahimsā can be translated as non-violence. This final Yama has multiple levels of practice. The main principle being not to harm anyone or anything, including yourself. As we have seen with the previous Yamas, they all stem from each other, in sequence. The […]

Satyam सत्यम् As we described in the previous lesson Asteyaḥ, when we don’t act truthfully, we create an energetic misalignment, which in turn is a hindrance on our path. This process will be explained now in the fourth Yama: Satyam (truthfulness). Firstly, there are two […]

Asteyaḥ अस्तेय: Asteyaḥ means non-stealing and is the third step towards a higher discipline in Yogaḥ practice. The Yamas build upon each other in a perfect sequence. When you have accomplished living your life in a non greedy way with the accomplishment of brahmācharyaḥ, you […]

Brahmãchãryaḥ ब्रह्मचर्य:  —– From the mastery of Aparigrahaḥ automatically flows the process of brahmācharyaḥ. Here, you have arrived at the stage of non-greed and a spiritual contentment settles within you. This Yama is often translated and described as celibacy, but that is a limited and […]