Niyamas are the second limb of Yoga derived from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. There are 5, and they complement the 5 Yamas of the Yoga Sutra. The Yamas represent moral discipline towards others, while the Niyamas are related to self-care. Sometimes they can even be considered as “the 10 commandments of yoga.”
These “commandments” don’t have to be related to what is right or wrong. They work as a guide to avoid behaviors that produce suffering and to adopt habits that will lead you to a state of happiness (Samadhi).
What are the Niyamas?
Niyama is the Sanskrit term that literally means “positive observance” or “practices.”
To live in a yogi way, it’s our duty and responsibility to dedicate time and effort to keep our bodies, breath, heart, and mind healthy. Taking care of ourselves also helps us avoid a lot of pain.
A healthy body, mind, and heart are what we need to access our divine inner light. By treating ourselves carefully, we can choose what will bring us happiness and satisfaction in our lives. Learn how you can apply these 5 types of Niyamas to your yoga practice:
Saucha: Purity
Saucha is the personal practice of keeping clean the body, heart, and mind. For example, asanas purify the physical body, and pranayama purifies the breath.
Expressing repressed feelings or crying for those who are close to us, is also a way to cleanse our hearts and minds. Inner and outer cleansing is essential to maintain not only our health, but also our sanity.
Santosha: Satisfaction
Santosha means being grateful for what we have, and being satisfied with who we are and where we are in life. Just as food feeds our bodies, gratefulness feeds our hearts and minds.
Santosha also wants you to feel satisfaction in every asana and every moment of your yoga practice. That is why everyone must respect their body and adapt the postures according to their level. You will feel good and comfortable with yourself in every pose.
Tapas: Trying to bring about positive change
Traditionally, Tapas means “discipline” or “austerity.” The root of the word Tapas is “tap,” which means “to burn” or “to heat.” Heat can arise as a form of exercise or in the practice of asanas, break an old habit, or even change our direction in life.
That heat produced by Tapas burns away physical, mental, and emotional impurities. It will provide a positive change towards glory.
To practice Tapas, you need discipline, effort, enthusiasm, and concentration. Perhaps this contradicts the previous Niyama. We must try to achieve a balance between Santosha and Tapas. This helps to seek the satisfaction of practice/life while doing our best in every movement/action.
Swadhyaya: Study of our inner self
Svadhyaya is watching us in action, which means to look at ourselves with honesty and objectivity. Being aware of who we are, how we are, and how significant the world around us is.
In fact, watching ourselves as if we were someone else is a great way to practice this Niyama. Watch the way you talk to your friends and family, the way you react to certain situations, even the way you feel when you sit or stand. Observing yourself without judgment gives you the power to turn old harmful behaviors into new and useful actions.
In yoga practice, it involves the development of body consciousness to recognize the sensations and understand what they are telling us, whether they are pain, pleasure, satisfaction, or weakness.
Ishvara Pranidhana: Devotion to a higher power
Ishvara means “Supreme Being” or “true self,” and Pranidhana is “to render.” This Niyama recommends that we should surrender to this Supreme Being. This basically means having a deep and confident relationship with the divine.
When we have faith in a higher power, we accept whatever happens. Even if it does not match what we expect. The one who reaches Ishvara Pranidhana, experiences bliss, trust, goodness, and love. It’s about letting go of our attachments and expectations to free ourselves from disappointment and suffering.
Finally, by incorporating Niyamas into our yoga practice fundamentally into our lives, we will be able to recognize and love ourselves and love the people around us. I hope that you can learn from every 5 Niyamas of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra and apply them to your life.