A Blissful Life 3/4/25: Ethical Disciplines For A Well-Lived Life

A foundation piece of all yogic thought, the Yamas and Niyamas are a set of ethical guidelines to live by and the first two steps of yoga’s eight-limbed path. Translated from Sanskrit, the word ‘Yamas’ means “restraints” and ‘Niyamas’ means “observances”. Each of the ethical disciplines included in the Yamas and Niyamas are a nugget of wisdom serving to direct us toward a joyful, well-lived life. In today’s column, I will introduce you to the ten Yamas and Niyamas. As you read through them, I invite you to pause and think or journal about each one, asking yourself, “How am I already practicing this in my life, and how can I practice it more?”

The five Yamas, or “restraints”, come first in the following order: nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing, nonexcess, and nonposessiveness. Nonviolence is the first Yama and it functions as a foundation for all of the other guidelines. As Deborah Adele states in her book, ‘The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice’, “Nonviolence is a stance of right relationship with others and with self that is neither self-sacrifice or self-aggrandizement.” This Yama encourages us to live our lives without causing harm to others or ourselves. Next, comes truthfulness– think, speak, and act in integrity. Practicing truthfulness and nonviolence together results in you being able to speak your truth in a way that does not cause harm to others. Third is nonstealing. The impulse to steal arises because of a lack of faith in ourselves to create or obtain what we need honestly. Instead of looking outside to fill your emptiness, work on feeling whole and complete within yourself. After nonstealing comes nonexcess. You can also think of nonexcess as “right use of energy”. This Yama encourages us to turn our energy away from external desires and tune inward, to listen to our bodies, and to find peace and happiness within ourselves. Finally, the fifth and final Yama is nonpossessiveness, which frees us from greed. Reflecting on this Yama reminds us that clinging to people, objects, or ideas only weighs us down and creates disappointment. Krishna said, “Let your concern be with the action alone, and never with the fruits of action. Do not let the results of your action be your motive, and do not attach to inaction.” When we practice letting go, we experience the freedom and joy of a life that is expansive and fresh!

The five Niyamas, or “observances”, come after the Yamas in this order: purity, contentment, self-discipline, self-study, and surrender. Purity is the first Niyama and it invites us to clean up our bodies, attitudes, actions, environments, and relationships. A clean space puts us into greater alignment and increases our awareness, helping us to act in integrity. The second Niyama is contentment. To experience true contentment, we must work on accepting and appreciating ourselves and our lives just as they are. Next, is self-discipline. Discipline helps us to do what we know is good for us, even when we don’t feel like it. By committing to ourselves and our practice, we co-create an improved version of ourselves daily. After self-discipline comes self-study. With this Niyama, we get to know ourselves on a deeper level by paying close attention to our thought patterns and habits, which shape us and the life we are living. Ultimately, this guideline helps us to release false and limiting self-perceptions and find the truth of what we are at a core essence level. Lastly, the final Niyama is surrender, which, as Deborah Adele writes, “reminds us that life knows what to do better than we do.” She says, “Through devotion, trust, and active engagement, we can receive each moment with an open heart.” Instead of paddling tirelessly upstream, flow with the current and enjoy the ride, trusting that what is meant for you will find you.

If you are interested in diving deeper into the Yamas and Niyamas, I recommend Deborah Adele’s book, ‘The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice’. Also, I invite you to join us at Ocean Bliss Yoga to explore all of these ethical tenets on the yoga mat and learn new ways to bring them into your life off the mat. Sign up for classes and workshops at oceanblissyoga.net. Call me with any questions at 917-318-1168.