Finding Moksha through Yama and Niyama

“The moment I have realized God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him - that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free.”
-Swami Vivekananda

This weekend we made our way to Santa Monica to participate in the Moksha Festival, celebrating “yoga, health and sacred music.”  I found it a wonderful opportunity to immerse myself in vibrations of mantra, spiritual community and good vegetarian Indian food.  What more could one ask in life?  “Moksha” means spiritual liberation and is the goal of life according to the yoga tradition.

The truth is, I am a bit of a crank when it comes to yoga.  I find the commercialized yoga that exists in this country to be a more or less appalling travesty of the spiritual science I have studied since 1970s.  Yoga has become synonymous with postures and the cult of physical perfection.  In reality the tradition of yoga is about methodologies for merging the individual consciousness with the Universal Consciousness through meditation, devotion, discriminative wisdom and selfless service.  However, what I discovered is that behind the commercialized trappings the true spirit of yoga does exist in L.A. 

For me, the essence of yoga is presented in the eight-limbed, or ashtanga path laid out by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras.  The eight limbs of yoga are 1) yama 2) niyama 3) asana 4) pranayama 5) pratyahara 6) dharana 7) dhyana and 8) samadhi.  These can be loosely translated as 1) self-restraint 2) right conduct 3) posture 4) breath-energy practices 5) mindful introversion 6) focused attention 7) meditative awareness and 8) super-conscious awareness.  The first four are generally referred to as the “outer” limbs of yoga while the second four are known as the “inner” limbs.  The inner aspect of yoga culminating in samadhi is the essence of yoga, however the outer aspects are a necessary support for its realization.

For now let’s just focus on the first two limbs of yama and niyama.  They form the ethical foundation on which yoga practice is based.  As Swami Satyananda Saraswati states, “Yoga is rooted in the notion of developing a positive personality. Therefore ethical discipline or the practice of correct conduct is necessary for success in yoga. This is the basis of yama and niyama, the two moral backbones of yoga. They define the attributes to be practised in everyday life by a spiritual aspirant.” 

It is important to note that the yamas and niyamas are not “commandments.”  They are not authoritarian rules to be met with external rewards or punishments.  Instead they are rules meant to help us develop inner peace, joy and spiritual awakening.  “When one is sufficiently advanced in the practices of yamas and niyamas,” states Swamiji, “one can face every temptation by calling in the aid of pure and restraining thoughts. When the mind becomes pure it attains the state of steadiness and becomes one-pointed. If these positive qualities are not cultivated, the mind cannot be led to steadiness. One needs to be well established in yama-niyama to attain perfection in yoga. When one is perfectly established in them, samadhi will come by itself.” 

Yamas and niyamas are each five-fold.  The five yamas are primarily concerned with self-restraint; restraining those impulses which lead to both negative consequences in life and to inner stress and turmoil.  They are 1) ahimsa – non-violence, 2) satya – truthfulness, 3) asteya – non-stealing, 4) brahmacharya - sexual and sensual continence and 5) aparigraha – non-covetousness.  Hopefully these are at least superficially self-explanatory.  They are the same rules that seem to underlie all of the religious traditions.  They help us to develop a healthy and positive personality. 

The niyamas are more concerned with the cultivation of positive qualities within ourselves.  They are shaucha – cleanliness, 2) santosha – contentment, 3) tapas – austerity, or “simplicity,” 4) swadhyaya – enquiry into the nature of the self and 5) ishwarapranidhana – surrender to a “higher power.”  The yamas and niyamas go together and support each other.  By developing the inner discipline of the niyamas self-restraint becomes easier.  “Yama and niyama are inter-dependent. Niyama strengthens and safeguards yama. For example, if one is contented, one will not steal, hurt others or tell lies and will find it easy to practise non-covetousness.”

So . . .   What I experienced at the Festival was a community of people who by and large exemplified yama amd niyama.  Certainly the vibes were non-violent.  Almost everyone seemed peaceful and content.  There was no overt sexual activity although there was a display of attractive physical features.  Overall it was stress free and blissful.  There was a plethora of sacred mantra chanting which is a powerful way of entering into spiritual surrender.  I found my kundalini dancing with devotional energy. 

Perhaps a cautionary note is needed as well.  We need to avoid becoming too harsh and perfectionistic in the practice of yama and niyama.  Don’t use them as a new way of shaming and blaming oneself or others.  I simply try my best and hope to improve as I go along.  Remember to practice forgiveness and compassion for yourself and for others.  No one is perfect, but we can all strive for a more positive way of being in the world and with ourselves. 

For a deeper understanding of yama and niyama please go to http://www.yogamag.net/archives/2009/ajan09/y&n.shtml from which the above quotations were taken.