The Yama: First Steps To a Calm Mind
The true purpose of yoga is to calm the mind. What most people think of when they hear “yoga” is the physical expression, the asanas or postures. What they may not realize is yoga is a path, an eight-limbed path. More than movement, yoga encompasses breathwork, mindfulness, and meditation as well as guidance for our behaviors and actions.
The yoga path doesn’t have rules or commandments, but instead offers a sort of code of ethics, called the yama and niyama. Yama are the guidelines of how we treat others and niyama are the guidelines for how we treat ourselves. They were designed to shape “our social attitude and lifestyle, how we interact with other people and the environment, and how we deal with our problems.”(3)
There is a reciprocity element to the yama and niyama. For example, the first yama is ahimsa, or kindness. We would never say something harmful to a loved one. Instead, there would be the natural inclination to say kind things to them and lift them up when they are feeling down. But when speaking to ourselves, we tend to be our own meanest critic. Even though the yama ahimsa is how we are supposed to treat others, we also need to treat ourselves with ahimsa, with kindness.
According to Desikacher, we really can’t practice yama or niyama like we can practice pranayama, asana or even meditation. Instead, we discover them through those yogic practices. However, the philosophy of the yama and niyama can be expressed by how we interact with others and ourselves.
The yama, in particular, acts like a code of ethics that influences our behaviors and actions so that we do not cause any harm, or at least, not intentionally. The Yoga Sutra 2.29 defines “yama, our attitudes toward our environment.”(3)
The more we express the yama, the more others will feel our inner light.(Barrett, 126) Individually and together, the framework of the yama will guide us during hard times so we have the energy to enjoy the good times.
The Five Yama
The yama serves to guide us as we make decisions and interact with others. They are the foundation that informs a yogi’s morals, integrity, and values. One way to think of the yama is that they are like a personal code of ethics, which is different from a professional code of ethics.
For example, a professional code of ethics would require you to behave in a certain way, like not stealing company property or resources. But as a yogi, following the yama, you believe in being considerate and not engaging in harmful acts. As an expression of asetya and ahimsa, you wouldn’t take company property because of your belief system, not because of a third-party requirement.
There are five yama: ahimsa (a-him-sa), satya (sat-ya), asteya (a-ste-ya), brahmacharya (brah- ma-char-ya), and aparigraha (a-par-i-gra-ha). They translate to kindness, truthfulness, non-stealing, moderation, and non-hoarding. Each yama is defined by Yoga Sutra 2.3.(1)(3)
Ahimsa (kindness)
Ahimsa is defined as a “consideration for all living things, especially those who are innocent, in difficulty, or worse off than we are.”(3)
Translated to “non-violence” or “absence of violence,” modern interpretations of ahimsa are “kindness, friendliness, and thoughtful consideration of other people.”(3)
Ahimsa is essentially not causing any harm to others, ourselves, or our environment. This includes harmful actions, words, intentions, and even thoughts. As self-governed individuals, we are responsible for our behaviors, regardless if they result in reward or consequence. Kindness is a choice, one with intention.
It should be noted that the expression ahimsa doesn’t prevent you from defending yourself in moments when you may be at risk to be harmed. Protecting or standing up for yourself isn’t an act of unkindness nor does it have to be violent.
Satya (truthfulness)
Satya is defined as “right communication through speech, writings, gesture, and actions.”(3)
Often translated as “truthfulness,” satya can be expressed as acting with sincerity and being authentic with your actions. When we are being truthful and authentic, we must take care not to accidentally cause harm with our actions or words. Sometimes we have to temper our truth with ahimsa, soften our words without being untruthful.
Asteya (non-stealing)
Asteya is defined as “noncovetous or the ability to resist a desire for that which does not belong to us.”(3)
Translated as “don’t steal or non-stealing,” asteya can be expressed as being respectful and considerate of others' time and energy, not being wasteful, and by not taking advantage of others. Giving space for people to speak and listening to what they have to say is an expression of asteya. If you talk over another person or are just waiting for your turn to speak, you are not expressing asteya.
Brahmacharya (moderation)
Brahmacharya is defined as “moderation in all our actions.”(3)
Even though brahmacharya is traditionally translated as “abstinence,” a modern perspective is moderation and right use of energy. Having an awareness of how, what, and where we use our energy and resources is an expression of brahmacharya as well as conserving and protecting our energy.(3) Directing and channeling your energy in ways that will benefit you is a powerful way to express this yama.
Aparigraha (non-hoarding)
Aparigraha is defined as “nongreediness or the ability to accept only what is appropriate.”(3)
Translated as “non-hoarding,” this yama is a cleansing and releasing expression of letting go. This can be letting go of physical things, emotional weight, and limiting beliefs. Other expressions of aparigraha include enjoying what is in the here and now and to only take what we need and nothing more. Aparigraha teaches us not to be greedy and is an expression of consideration and kindness.
How the Yama Interact with One Another
The connecting thread of the yama is ahimsa, kindness. The first yama is the first step on the yoga path and leads every step going forward. Ahimsa’s influence on satya manifests when we don't share a mean truth nor tell pleasant lies. It is with ahimsa’s kindness, we also express consideration with asteya, moderation with brahmacharya, and releasing with aparigraha.
And they feed into each other, constantly. For example, the more we are able to let go of things (aparigraha), like mental thoughts and feelings, the less of an emotional burden we carry, giving us more energy to use in a better, more productive way (brahmacharya). When our hearts and minds are light and we are engaged in activities that serve us, we are less stressed, more present, and happier.
When we combine expressions ahimsa and satya, we act with authentic consideration, a friendly honesty that will endear us to others and gain trust. As we interact with others in an amiable way and develop relationships, we will feel less lonely and more like we are a part of something bigger than ourselves.
And the positive effects have a compounding quality. The more you act with the considerate attitude of the yama, the more you become a kind and considerate person. And you have the potential to inspire and motivate other people to be kind and considerate as well.
For example, a 2018 study published in the journal Emotion investigates what effect acts of kindness have on human behavior. The study took place in a Spanish corporate office with 111 participants. The participants were split up into three groups: the givers, the receivers, and the control group. Over four weeks, the givers were given five assigned acts of kindness to perform for the receivers. The receivers were assigned to count how many acts of kindness they received. The control group was not assigned anything.
The study discovered that both the receivers and givers showed signs of greater happiness and more satisfaction with their lives compared to the control group. Even though it was a short-term study of a month, the participants reported positive feelings two months after the study concluded. Not only that, but the receivers reported an increase in performing random acts of kindness, 278% more than the control group.(2)
The kindness and consideration of the givers to the receivers had a long-term effect of reciprocation. The givers set the example and inspired others to follow, spreading consideration into the community. Expressing the yama, which are threaded together with the kindness of ahimsa, is a way to positively connect with others, develop relationships, and be a happier, more satisfied person.
Hannah Barrett, the author of Yoga Happy, said it well when she wrote, “we all share the same divine inner light, we are no better or worse than another, we are just modelled by different experiences that shape us and affect the way we behave.”(1)
Concluding Thoughts
The yama teaches us to be kind, to speak truth, not to steal, use our energy wisely, and to not take more than we need. Letting the yama inform and guide your behaviors and intentions will help you let go of the small stuff, so that they rarely compound and become overwhelming.
Your want of material things will lessen and you will develop more appreciation for the blessings already in your life. Mental and emotional weight will always be with us but it will lessen and become easier to bear. The yama will give us the grace to forgive others and even ourselves. And they will help us direct our energy in ways that will energize and empower us.
The yama lays the foundation for us to discover and become our higher self, the best version of ourselves. They set us on the path towards samadhi, the bliss of universal oneness. The yama are the first steps to a calm mind.
Bibliography
1- Barrett, Hannah. Yoga Happy, 126, 128-132. Hardie Grant Quadrille, 2022.
2 - Chancellor, Joseph, Seth Margolis, Katherine Jacobs Bao, and Sonja Lyubomirsky. “Everyday Prosociality in the Workplace: The Reinforcing Benefits of Giving, Getting, and Glimpsing.” Emotion 18, no. 4 (2018): pp. 507-517.
3 - Desikachar, T.K.V. The Heart of Yoga, 97-99, 174-175. Inner Traditions International, 1995.
Cultivating Chill hopes you found the content informative and helpful. If you have any questions or want to share anything, please feel free to leave a comment.
Disclaimer: Cultivating Chill is a space where we explore various topics about yoga, yoga science, and all the yoga things in-between. As a result, there may be content that may not align with personal points of view or beliefs. Neither Cultivating Chill nor any authors are trying to judge or claim authority on a topic. Cultivating Chill is a safe space to share ideas, information, and more about yoga–we are exploring and growing and open to trying new things.
Please feel to take what speaks to you and leave the rest.