8 limb path part 1

I want to share(to ingrain) more of what I learned in Yoga Teacher Training. The 8 limb path of yoga is brought to us by Patanjali, who wrote the Yoga Sutras. This philosophy is key to the path of yoga.

The first 4 limbs are external and the second 4 are internal. Adding to the idea of balance and importance of it. I will start with the first and slowly work through the 8 limbs with my reflections and ideas. These posts are not based entirely off fact, but my interpretations and how I apply them to my life. Please enjoy and reach out with questions or comments!

The first of the 8 limbs is Yamas which are restraints. These are a way of interacting with the external world. I like to think of social behavior that brings us into harmony with the world around us. General guidelines for interacting with society. Christianity has the pillars, and versions of all of these are present in most major religions.

The 5 Yamas are:

Ahimsa(non-violence). In Nonviolent Communication: A language of life By: Marshall B. Rosenberg, PHD,(A wonderful book I highly recommend, and am starting for the second time), Deepak Chopra writes in the forward, “ In India there’s an ancient model for nonviolent living known as Ahimsa, which is central to the nonviolent life. Ahimsa is usually defined as nonviolence, although its meaning extends from Mahatma Gandhi’s peaceful protests to Albert Schweitzer’s reverence for life. ‘Do no harm’ would be the first axiom of Ahimsa. … Recognizing that all stories lead to conflict, either overtly or covertly, he(Marshall) focused on connections as a psychological bridge. This is in keeping with another axiom of Ahimsa: It’s not what you do that counts, it’s the quality of your attention. ….No one can be enlightened who still has a personal stake in the world -that could be the third axiom of Ahimsa. But this seems like a teaching as radical as Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount when he promises that the meek shall inherit the Earth…. Ahimsa isn’t that you upgrade the illusion, which is what the ego is always striving to do with more money, possessions, and power. The payoff is that you get to be who you really are.”

As someone who has dealt with a lot of anger and violence in my life, internally and externally, I have felt the immediate benefits to implementing ahimsa in my life. When I do no harm to me I feel better and have more energy and love for others and the way I interact with life and others.

Satya(truthfullness). To me starting with the self, being honest about how I live and what I choose to do is the biggest element to Satya. If I can be truthful to myself I have a better chance of being truthful to those around me. As a teenager I lied to my parents a lot, I was keen on being a rebel. I felt the heaviness of these actions on my psyche and energy. Through my parents divorced I learned the power of honestly and how much harm can come from lies. I vowed to tell the truth from then on. It’s hard. Sometimes just telling people what they want to hear is easier than the alternative. This is an ongoing practice for me and something that takes a lot of work. But Im here to do the work.

What’s my truth? Im a liar and a sinner. Im not perfect even though I wish so badly to be. I have hurt many people in my life, I have left people behind in a wake of turbulence. I want to right my wrongs and choose to love. Through trying to be better i sometimes make things worse. But Im trying and I’m proud of me for doing so.

Asteya(non-stealing). When I was a kid maybe 8 years old, I stole fireworks from a stand and my mom caught me in the car. She promptly turned the car around and made me go return them and apologize to the stand owner. This was embarassing, hard, and an important lesson that I remember vividly.

Some good questions I ask myself:

In what ways am I subconsciously stealing from others or this reality? Am I trying to steal others time or ideas and make them my own? In what ways am I stealing from myself?

Through finding your answers you might find out theft shows up in many unexpected ways.

Bramacharya(moderation). In the sutras it is the “path to absolute truth” and will help gain spiritual vitality. Being a person of extremes I find this Yama to be one of the most important to me. To me balance is moderation. In the sutras Patanjali says “ Extremes of any kind disturb meditative stillness”. I like to think about what Im doing and if I’m over doing it, like climbing or training for climbing, I have gotten injured when trying to be too extreme about it, i.e overtraining without proper rest. If I can incorporate more moderation and balance my life seems to flow better. Simple as that.

Aprigraha(non-covetousness). Also stated as nonpossessiveness. When we can detach from all the “things” in our life we can better know our purpose. I want to know my purpose and embody it. I like to think of detaching from desires and material possessions. It makes me think of minimalism. it makes me think of goal setting, and honoring myself. Who are you and what are you hear to do really? Im trying to tap into this power. When I actively work against myself I feel the obstacles stacking in my life making it harder and harder. This is a sign to meditate and check in with myself and make sure Im inline with my purpose. It takes a lot of work but also no work at all.

Being someone who has dealt and still deals with dependency issues, the more I can let go the more I get in my life. I have been blessed to travel all over spending extended time in magical places. But is this my purpose? Maybe it’s meeting new people, sharing stories, learning and growing. Letting my purpose be a driving factor in my life I feel weight lift off me and allow me to relax, enjoy and love life more.

I really like the Yamas because to me they help bring balance to my life. The idea of them help me interact with others. I feel more vitality and energy when I am conscious of my impact on the world and choose a path of love.

Thank you

Much love

You’re life matters