Musings on the 8 Limbs: Yamas

Newsflash: I love yoga. Surprising, isn’t it? :)

But for me, yoga is much more than a physical practice. In Western culture, our path to yogic studies typically begins with postures, or asana, which tones and clears our physical body. It was the first thing I practiced, since I personally didn’t know anything else until the resonance of the postures brought me to deeper study. The practice changed me on such a profound level, that I felt an enormous responsibility to share what I learned and am still learning in a way that is accessible and understandable.

I’m fairly new to the world of Instagram (P.S. follow @yogawithmandi if you don’t already), and so far I’ve seen a lot of amazing yogis sharing their feats of strength and balance. Yoga has permeated our culture so quickly and with such vigor. It’s everywhere. And this is wonderful to witness, but I often wonder: What I can offer as a teacher that is new and informative to practitioners? Will students of yoga benefit from seeing me in postures? Maybe… in an aspirational way. But when I reflect and inquire as to how I can offer something deeper, the answer is clear: “Be a witness to what you know.” So, in hopes of offering inspiration to deeper study, I’m going to spend the next eight weeks musing and sharing my insight on the 8 Limbs of yoga. I hope you enjoy.

Please note: this is my personal insight based on my experience and intuition. I invite you to study the Sutras to develop your own understanding based on your unique practice.

Eight Limbs is a translation of the word “ashtanga,” introduced in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras as the eightfold path. The 8 Limbs (and I’m going to use the numerical 8 instead of “eight,” because it looks better) serve as guidelines to the yogic path -- and ways in which we can enrich our lives, raise our consciousness, be our best selves, and become a witness to our purpose. According to many interpretations, a master of yoga will be someone who lives and embodies the ashtanga.

Today’s post will focus on the first limb: the five Yamas, or restraints. The Yamas are structured around a sense of morality and choice, and by restraining that which doesn’t serve, we can become a better vessel to the many benefits of a yoga practice. Many interpretations of the 8 Limbs will tell you that they should be mastered in order, so in using this guideline, you would master Yamas first, before moving onto the next limb, the Niyamas.

The five Yamas and their rough translations are as follows:

• Ahimsa: Non-violence
• Satya: Truthfulness
• Asteya: Non-stealing
• Brahmacharya: Effective use of energy 
• Aparigraha: Non-grasping

I could write 10 pages on each of these Yamas and how I interpret them, but for now I’m going to focus on one in particular, Ahimsa. Why Ahimsa? In my view, if you master Ahimsa, you master all of the Yamas.

To be non-violent, you are making the effort to act and live your life in a way that does not cause harm to yourself or others. If you live in a way that causes no harm, you are truthful (Satya) because to be deceitful would cause harm. If you live in a way that causes no harm, you won’t steal or covet (Asteya), because to do so would cause harm. If you live in a way that causes no harm, you have learned to use your energy effectively (Brahmacharya) and release unhelpful attachments (Aparigraha), because otherwise you’re not living out of a place of love and compassion. I believe that true mastery of the Yamas means that you are making choices and actions that come from a place of love, and, to the best of your knowledge, cause no harm to yourself or others.

As you’ve probably noticed, some interpretations of the Yamas tend to create controversy. For example, many people believe that in order to master Ahimsa, you must be a vegetarian or maintain a plant-based diet, because otherwise, you’re causing harm to animals. I will put it out there right now: I do not eat a solely plant-based diet, nor do I believe it’s my place to advise others on what to eat. My study of Ayurveda has shown me that some people need to consume some sort of animal protein to maintain health. Additionally, I happen to believe that plants also have a consciousness, and research indicates they feel pain, and perhaps emotion, as much as sentient beings.

However, there are ways to practice Ahimsa in how you eat. Ask yourself, is the food you’re eating causing harm to your body? Is it nourishing? Was the food created in a compassionate way? These questions are just as relevant if you’re eating plants. The high demand for kale and avocados, for example, is wreaking havoc on our environment, and some people have actually experienced poor health as a result of too much kale. As well, it is very common for people to experience negative health effects as a result of eating too much meat, mercury-containing seafood, and especially processed or genetically modified foods. And we all know about the inhumane and unhealthy consequences of factory meat production.

If I’m starting to sound preachy, please know that I am far from perfect in this practice. There are certain things I won’t eat or drink for compassionate reasons, such as chicken, soda, and anything with sucralose, and I tend to stay away from red meat, processed foods, and liquor. (If you want to know more about this, feel free to contact me.) However, I love pizza and just thinking about it makes me hungry as I eat my locally grown blueberries. I also realize that it’s impossible to know (most of the time) where restaurant food is sourced from. (And let’s face it, eating out is near the top of my list of favorite things.)

My point in this tangent is that you don’t need to adhere to a strict diet to be a yogi. You don’t need to be celibate to be a yogi. You don’t need to give up all of your possessions to be a yogi. But what you can begin to practice is witnessing your actions, behaviors, or choices to see if they originate from a place of love. Witness whether the intent could harm (to the best of your knowledge) yourself or anyone else.  And have compassion for yourself. We are not perfect in our disciplines. We’re just trying our best.

If you have any questions about any of the Yamas or their interpretations, feel free to contact me for more information.