Niyama
Niyama is the second limb or constituent of Yoga, which means laws
or rules. It contains the five internal practices of Niyama
(observance). Niyama can be described as the rules that need to be
observed by individuals, at the personal level. It can be divided
into five directives - Sauca, Samtosa, Tapas, Svadhyaya and
Isvarapranidhana. The niyamas are more intimate and personal, as
compared to the yamas. They refer to the attitude that we adopt
toward ourselves, as we create a code for living meaningfully. The
practice of Niyama helps us maintain a positive environment and
gives us the self-discipline and inner-strength necessary to
progress along the path of yoga. Read on to explore more on the five
niyamas of yoga.
Five Directives Of Niyama
Sauca
This is the first Niyama or rule of yoga and stands for cleanliness.
However, in Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, Sauca has a deeper meaning, with
both inner and outer aspects of a person included in it. Outer
cleanliness refers to personal hygiene, while inner cleanliness
indicates maintenance of a healthy body and mind, with positive
thinking. Cleanliness of mind is achieved by the removal of mental
impurities, such as jealousy, pride, anger and so on. On the other
hand, the purity of body is attained not only by cleaning one's body
parts, but also by consuming nutritious foods and following a
vegetarian diet.
Samtosa
This is the second rule of Niyama and stands for contentment. It
also means accepting the truth 'as it is'. Yoga sutra teaches us
that instead of grieving or complaining about the things that have
gone wrong, we should accept the truth and learn from it. It aims at
helping a person attain a state of calm and happiness, irrespective
of what is going on in the outer world.
Tapas
'Tapas' means the strength of being unaffected by opposites, such as
heat and cold, hunger and thirst, sitting and standing, etc. It also
refers to the activity of keeping the body fit, or to confront and
handle the inner urges without outer show. Tapas also signify
cleansing the inner debris existing in the body, through asanas and
pranayama. 'Tapas' deals with correct eating habits and breathing
patterns. The main purpose of this rule is to make our mind pure and
clean.
Svadhyaya
The fourth Niyama in yoga is Svadhyaya, which means becoming close
to oneself, through meditation and self-exploration. The name itself
explains the meaning - 'Sva' meaning self and adhyaya meaning
'inquiry' or 'examination'. It refers to knowing more and more about
oneself, intentionally. This rule teaches us to give up destructive
tendencies. It teaches us to be centered and non-reactive to the
dualities, to burn out the unwanted and self-destructive tendencies.
Isvarapranidhana
Isvarapranidhana, the fifth rule of yoga, is also known as
'Celebration of the Spiritual'. The simple meaning of
Isvarapranidhana is to lay all your actions at the feet of God. Yoga
Sutra teaches us to accept the fact that we will not always get what
we wish for, in life. We should only be concerned with putting all
our efforts in a specific task. As to the end result, it should be
left to God. This rule also instructs us to spend some time, each
day, in recognition and realization of the omnipresent force (God),
which is larger than us and is guiding and directing the path of our
life at all times.
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