Tapas – Discipline
Yoga encourages tapas which is literally translated as heat / fire. This Niyama is known to refer to discipline. The word discipline has a negative connotation for many of us. …
Patanjali
Ishwara Pranidhana
Ishwara is understood as being beyond one form yet expressed through all forms. Pranidhana means surrendering, dedicating or devotion. Thus, Ishwara Pranidhana can be translated as surrendering to a higher …
Saucha – Purity
Saucha has been translated as purity; purity of the body and mind. Yogis are encouraged to keep the body pure and clean, watch what they eat and how it effects …
Svadyaya – Study of the Self (Mind)
Adyaya means study and sva means self. Svadyaya can be considered as both the understanding of the Self by asking the question “who am I” and also cultivating the skill …
Svadyaya – Study of the Self
Self study in yoga is not about finding reasons for the way we are. It is not about digging into the past and finding out all the whys. This would …
Asteya – Non Stealing
Asteya by definition means not stealing, not taking what is not rightfully ours. As in Yoga, these practices are for us to purify ourselves or rather, to realise our purity, …
Brahmacharya – Moving Towards The Absolute
Brahmacharya is made of Brahma and charya. Brahma means the absolute, the eternal, the never born, charya “to live” or “to move towards”. Thus Brahmacharya could be translated as “to …
Aparigraha – Non Possessivenss, Poverty
When you are born, you are naked, possessing nothing and, when you die, again you are empty of all possession. But somehow, ironically, during our life we believe in ownership. …
Santosha – Contentment
In Yoga we are taught to cultivate santosha translated as contentment or happiness. My personal experience of this practice shows me that one of the greatest obstacles to attaining contentment is fear. …
Sathya – Truthfuness
Yoga teaches truthfulness (Sathya).This truthfulness can be manifested in our attitude towards others and our inner attitude with ourselves. When it comes to our relationship with “the other”, there is …