Respect For Others & Self Restraint

The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has and will affect us all. Not least – the stamps will have to change! Whilst she might mean different things to each of us depending on our feelings about the monarchy, I think we can all agree that her dedication to public ‘service’ and ‘duty’ were a real inspiration.

I doubt very much that our late Queen practiced any yoga in her life, but the principles and beliefs about service and duty have parallels with the first 2 steps on Patanjali’s 8-Fold Path – which is the system modern yoga follows. It is only with belief in and dedication to yoga that it will be fruitful for you.

First, let me recap on the 8-Fold Path. These are the steps recommended for those who wish to live a peaceful (or sometimes referred to as enlightened) life. I’m happier with the translation ‘peaceful’ – I think enlightened sounds grand – but the steps lead to happiness; whatever that means to you. The 8 steps are –

Yama – respect for others

Niyama – self restraint

Asana – posture practice

Pranayama – breath control

Pratyahara – detaching at will from the senses

Dharana – concentration

Dhyana – meditation

Samadhi – contemplation and absorption

There are 5 Yamas and 5 Niyamas –

The five Yamas:

• Ahimsa (non-harming or non-violence in thought, word and deed)
• Satya (truthfulness)
• Asteya (non-stealing)
• Brahmacharya (moderation or ‘right use of energy’)
• Aparigraha (non-greed or non-hoarding)

The 5 Niyamas

• Saucha (cleanliness)
• Santosha (contentment) …
• Tapas (discipline) …
• Svadhyaya (self study) …
• Isvara Pranidhana (surrendering to a higher power)

You can find out more about these in Bernard Bouanchaud’s book The Essence of Yoga. This is a detailed guide and reflection of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. We will be studying the Yama’s towards the end of the year in our Yoga for Vitality and Gentle Yoga classes. Meditating on the principles and qualities that we would like to live by can help us to train ourselves to make better choices, actions and reactions in our lives.