“If you really wish to become successful in your personal life and business…concentration on the mind through the teachings of yoga must be understood and mastered.” Shri Bramananda Sarasvati
I have a love affair with spirituality. Always have. Growing up, I wanted to be a nun. In my early 20’s I flirted with Buddhism and Kabbalah. And then…I found yoga.So what was it about yoga - both the physical practice and the philosophy, that made me put a ring on it, and commit? I like systems. Practical, tangible, proven models. Yoga provides exactly that. Patanjali’s eight limbs gives us this incredible practice, a process, with very doable steps. He starts by highlighting the importance of being conscious of our ethics, our behaviour. How we treat others, and ourselves. Of course, asana is important. The physical practice is fundamental to the experience of yoga. Through asana we become stronger, clearer, and more present. But there’s no point in getting physically stronger, being able to do handstand, if we leave the studio and lose our mind at the first car that changes lanes or the barista who takes too long making your coffee. The asana opens us up to start noticing our behaviour on and off the mat. And as we become more conscious of our behaviour, we can choose how we treat ourselves and those around us. So Patanjali gives us some guidelines in the “yama” and “niyama” or ethical practices to use as an anchor. He says:
AHIMSA: Be kind, try not to hurt others, as best as you can
SATYA: Be honest- say what you mean, mean what you say
ASTEYA: Don’t steal, in other words - don’t take from people what they are not freely giving (including their time- because let’s face it, that is possibly everyone’s most valuable and sparse asset these days)
BRAMACHARYA: Don’t misuse your precious energy to manipulate others. (Use it instead to create something wonderful).
APARIGRAHA: Don’t hoard or “grasp”- try NOT to attach- to time, money, things, people, situations, relationships. Trust in the flow and generous nature of the universe. You. Will. Always. Have. Enough.
SAUCHA: Purify the body, mind and breath - you are what you eat, you are what you think.
SANTOSHA: Be content with exactly where you are right now - the current science around practicing gratitude daily is incredibly compelling. It is one of the most powerful practices you can do.
TAPAS: Be disciplined! Get out of bed and on the mat when you don’t want to. Honour your word (to self and others).
SVADHYAYA: Get to know your “self” - your patterns, triggers, so you can stop being reactive and start to drive the ship.
ISHVARA PRANIDHANA: Surrender - accept consequences gratefully, connect to something greater than yourself - call it what you will- the universe, God, intention…feel like the world has your back.To support all of these yama and niyama, he gives us many practices. Of course the asana practice is an incredible place to notice how our tendencies play out on the mat. We modify and control the breath in pranayama which draws our energy and attention internally. We become more be mindful, watchful and disciplined.
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