Hey Yoginis,
On every Mana retreat there's a workshop on the eight limbs of yoga. Some people arrive expecting a dusty philosophy lecture. Most leave saying it changed how they think about their practice and their life.
The eight limbs come from the ancient yoga texts. They're a step-by-step map for living well, and their ideas have flowed into many other spiritual traditions. The physical practice we all know and love, asana, is only one of the eight. My favourites, and I think the most interesting, are the first two: the yamas and the niyamas.
The yamas: getting your mind in order
There are five yamas: non-harming (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), not stealing (asteya), wise use of energy (brahmacharya) and non-grasping (aparigraha).
They sound like a list of rules, but really they're about bringing discipline and order to your mind and your emotions. In real life that looks like:
- Admitting when you're wrong (yes, even to your partner).
- Having the courage to name the habits you need to change, or stop.
- Being honest, peaceful and trustworthy with others, and just as importantly within your own thoughts.
That last one is the tricky bit. It's easy to be kind to everyone else and then speak to yourself like a grumpy drill sergeant.
The niyamas: your daily practice
The five niyamas are cleanliness (saucha), contentment (santosha), discipline or fiery effort (tapas), self-study (svadhyaya) and surrender to something bigger than yourself (ishvara pranidhana).
These are the daily spiritual practices that move you, one small step at a time, closer to right action, right speech, truthfulness and a real sense of connection to the world around you.
On retreat we go into all of these in detail, and I give them a very modern take. I've read the ancient texts more times than I can count, and I've had a few historians look over how I deliver this for the modern world. They gave it the thumbs up, so you're in good hands.
So what does this have to do with your downward dog?
Everything.
One of my biggest pet peeves is this: someone walks into a yoga class and says, "I've hurt my shoulder," or "My knee's playing up," and the teacher says, "Okay, just take it easy today."
Here's what I'd say instead: "Okay, let's work out how you can still practise with discipline and work hard on your mat, around your injury."
Because now you have something that needs your attention. You still have to do your absolute best, and you'll learn more about yourself than you ever have before. That's tapas and svadhyaya in action, right there on your mat.
Off the mat, there's no free pass either
Think about the tough times: a sick parent, a painful break-up, a nightmare at work. Life doesn't hand us a note saying "take it easy today". Most of the time we have to dig deep, rise above it and move through it.
That's exactly what asana trains us for. Every time you stay with a hard pose, breathe through it and work around what isn't working, you build strength and resilience in your mind, your breath and your body.
So when you step off your mat, you're strong and well informed. You can move through this world with grace, ease, purpose and intention, feeling balanced and content. Even when life is wobblier than your tree pose.
Come and dive deep with me
We'll be diving deep into the yamas, the niyamas and the rest of the eight limbs in two places coming up soon:
- Our Yoga Teacher Training in February. It's the perfect chance to really understand the philosophy behind the practice and learn how to share it with others.
- Our Ubud Highlands retreat in May. Expect jungle views, rice fields, delicious food and some big "aha" moments on the mat.
Bring the dodgy knee. We'll work with it.
Namaste and high fives,
Patty Perlman
