"Poke, Provoke, Confront and Elevate”. Yogi Bhajan….what a great personal challenge and intention for ourselves as we transition from summer to….…whatever is next for you!!!

 

In the spring I led a cleanse that did a deep dive into the Niyama’s of yoga.  I would like to take the next 5 months and spend some more time on these powerful components of yoga.  

 

What are the Niyamas? They are one of the 8 limbs of Patanjali’s path of yoga.  Here is a brief overview of all 8 - note the asanas, which are the physical poses, are only 1 limb and the Niyamas come before the asanas!

 

Yoga as a philosophy and a tradition has 8 limbs, these 8 limbs as they call them are a map, but in yoga as in life, the journey is more important than the destination.  We must simply remain open to our own spiritual potential and be willing to take action on our own behalf.  When we hear “yoga”, many of us think of people bending their bodies like pretzels and sitting in meditation all day, but in reality yoga is a way of life and has much more to do with our time off the mat than our time on the mat.

 

Here are the 8 limbs:

1.The Yamas are rules of moral code.  They are things not to do, or restraints.  self-regulating behaviors involving our interactions with other people and the world at large,

 

2.The Niyamas are rules of personal behavior.  They are things to do, or observances.  personal practices that relate to our inner world.

 

The Yamas and Niyamas are yoga's ethical guidelines laid out in the first two limbs of Patanjali's eightfold path.  They are the spiritual foundation of yoga which is important to have an understanding of as you start to practice the asanas, aka the poses.

 

3.Asana refers to yoga postures but in Patanjali’s initial practice, it referred to mastering the body to sit still for meditation. The practice of yoga asanas came about eight centuries later, which helped disciples ready their bodies for meditation.

 

4.Pranayama are yoga breathing techniques designed to control prana or vital life force.

 

5.Pratyahara means withdrawal of the senses.

 

6.Dharana refers to concentration.

 

7.Dhyana is the practice of meditation.

 

8.Samadhi is merging with the divine.

 

Again, the next 5 months we will break down the 5 Niyama’s and this month we will focus on the first: Saucha - purity.  This refers to purifying and cleansing our bodies, our thoughts, words and actions.  

Clear toxins, distractions, scatteredness.  

We will use this Niyama to feel less cluttered and heavy, so we can bring about a clarity and a brightness as we transition in our lives!!!

 

I also want to share a repeat article:

I can’t stress enough the fact that this is a unique time in all of our lives and we should not take this time lightly as we transition from pre pandemic living, pandemic living to post, to Delta variant ugh and from summer to ?????

 

Here is an article I shared with you earlier in the year, but I feel like it is worth reposting about a possible pandemic existential crisis.  

 

https://time.com/5925218/covid-19-pandemic-life-decisions/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=sfmc&utm_campaign=newsletter+health-tuesday+default+ac&utm_content=+++20201229+++body&et_rid=32613261

 

I looked up the definition of this: "An existential crisis may occur when a person frequently wonders whether or not life has any inherent meaning or purpose. A person may also question their own existence within a world that might seem meaningless.”  Does your life seem meaningless (I hope not!)? Does the world around you seem meaningless? My guess is none of us are at this extreme point in our lives, but I do think the pandemic has highlighted - what is important and what is not? Blessings and lessons. Let’s continue to work together!