“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
-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.
