The Eight Limbs of Yoga: Part 2: The Yamas Explained | 5 Powerful Principles to Transform Your Life & Practice

The second installment in the nine-part exploration of yoga’s eight limbs dives deep into the Yamas—the ethical foundation guiding how we relate to others and the world. While yoga is often associated with physical postures, these five moral observances are the roots from which the entire practice grows.

• Ahimsa (Non-Violence):
  • Extends beyond physical harm to our words, thoughts, and self-talk.
  • Sparks discussion about diet: veganism is sometimes seen as essential, but even plant-based diets can have environmental impacts.
  • Key takeaway: Non-violence is nuanced and personal, requiring mindfulness rather than rigid rules.
• Satya (Truthfulness):
  • Honesty in thoughts, words, and actions practiced with compassion.
  • Reduces the mental burden of maintaining falsehoods.
  • Aligns our inner and outer worlds and fosters inner peace.
• Asteya (Non-Stealing):
  • Goes beyond material possessions.
  • Includes respecting others’ time, energy, ideas, and boundaries.
  • Example: “Breadcrumbing” someone can steal their time through false expectations.
• Brahmacharya (Wise Use of Life Force):
  • Modern interpretation emphasizes intentional use of creative and sexual energy.
  • Encourages focus and meaningful engagement rather than mindless consumption.
• Aparigraha (Non-Possessiveness):
  • Teaches letting go of what no longer serves us.
  • Encourages freedom, clarity, and non-attachment.

Key Insight:

• The Yamas are guidelines, not rules with punishment.
• They help us live in harmony with ourselves and others, cultivating peace, balance, and connection.

Next Week:

• We’ll explore the Niyamas, yoga’s five observances toward ourselves.
• Subscribe now so you don’t miss the continuing journey through yoga’s eight-limbed path to self-realization.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to the Yamas
• 6:32 Ahimsa: The Practice of Non-Violence
• 14:26 Satya: Truthfulness in Word and Deed
• 18:55 Asteya: Non-Stealing Beyond Material Things
• 24:40 Brahmacharya: Conserving Life Energy
• 28:46 Aparigraha: Non-Possessiveness and Letting Go
• 33:05 Integrating the Yamas in Daily Life
• 36:27 Closing and Next Episode Preview

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Hello everybody and welcome back to the daily practice with me, benita. Today's episode is an exploration into the yamas, or the observances or disciplines of how to relate with others and the external world in the practice of yoga, as described by the sage Patanjali in his key work, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. So this episode is part two in a nine-part series diving into the eight limbs of yoga. The episode last week was the introductory episode, which outlined all eight limbs briefly, so if you didn't catch that one, I invite you to maybe listen to that one first. If you don't feel for it, don't worry. This is a perfectly fine standalone exploration of the yamas, or the moral or ethical observances towards others in the practice of yoga. So a little bit of housekeeping again. I invite you to subscribe to this podcast. I release a new podcast episode each Monday at 10 am, mountain standard time or my mountain daylight savings time, whichever applies. And yeah, there's also my youtube channel. Perhaps you're listening to this on youtube, but on the same channel you can also find new yoga or meditation or practice videos each Friday morning at 7 am. So be sure to check those out too. And I am also relatively active on Twitter or X so you can follow me there at bsmbird or you can just search for daily practice with Benita and my profile should come up. So let's begin.

Speaker 1: 2:33

So just a brief context. Yama is Sanskrit and Sanskrit is the ancient, or actually it's one of the most ancient written languages that still exist, according to most people, or a lot of historians or linguists. And it's like I said, it translates roughly to ethical disciplines or how to relate to the world around us, and it is very clearly stated in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali ahimsa, satya, ashteya, brahmacharya aparigara. These are the restraints. So you can think of these yamas as the roots of the tree of yoga and unless we practice these kind of, the whole practice, the whole tree might grow crooked. But it is also interesting and important to realize that these aren't the eight limbs, aren't steps in a program. So when we practice one, naturally the other limbs develop. But the yamas and the nyamas especially are ones that once we find more purity in body through the practice of postures and breathing, these kind of naturally occur, because it's hard to have a pure physical body and attain that kind of alignment without actually impacting also the mental, spiritual, energetic aspects and the moral ones that we are talking about today.

Speaker 1: 4:32

So, like I mentioned, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, where the description of these yamas are found, are often dated to around 400 after Christ or a common era, depending on how you want to call it, and they are definitely written or they are attributed to Patanjali, but these are really drawing on older, already existing Vedic traditions that were present in India around that time. In India and in yoga they are considered as universal vows, in Sanskrit called Mahavrata, and they are meant for all people, regardless of time, place or social status, for all people regardless of time, place or social status. So, interestingly, you know, I've, in this context of publishing that previous podcast episode outlining the eight limbs of yoga, I got into some conversations, arguments, even on Twitter, about whether or not the practice of yoga is compatible with Christianity, and a lot of Christians might say absolutely not. Some say of course it is, and especially people who are more inclined to some kind of mystical or perhaps Gnostic Christianity, for sure are often friendlier towards the yogic tradition and recognize and value the teachings of people like Patanjali and these kind of practices. So, essentially, we could contrast these yamas to the Ten Commandments, which are ethical guidelines before spiritual practices. But it's important to note that the yamas are not as much as the Ten Commandments like divine decrees. They are more akin to inner disciplines that naturally align us with truth and the divine. So, just as Christians might read the Bible and look to something like love thy neighbor as thyself as a guiding moral compass, somebody who's on the path of yoga will look at the yamas as a living practice. So let's get into it. What are the five yamas? What are the five restraints or observances as described by Patanjali?

Speaker 1: 7:26

The first one ahimsa, or non-violence. So once again it comes. All these words that you might not recognize as English are Sanskrit and Sanskrit. In Sanskrit, ahimsa means no harm, so ah is negation and himsa means harm. So it's no harm, not doing harm, and it's important to note here that its significance reaches beyond just physical harm or physical violence or physical hurting another person or being. This includes words, thoughts and including how you talk to yourself or think about yourself. In the Yoga Sutra 235, it's written. So how can we practice this?

Speaker 1: 8:37

Some people who are on the yogic path argue or insist that we must be vegans or vegetarians in order to truly practice ahimsa, because it is seen as, or eating animal products is seen as harming animals, and I've posted about this on X before and I've gone back and forth and I've held that belief myself that in order to be a good yogi, one must eat a plant-based diet. Personally, that plant-based diet was causing me harm and I wasn't able to get all the nourishment I need or that my child needs when I was pregnant and or nursing. So I've turned to including animal products in my diet, but I try to do my best to choose products, foods, that are causing the least harm. Okay, humanely raised animals, honey, eggs, all things that are given to us in this creation, in this world, and also recognizing that when we try really hard to be vegan in order to practice, ahimsa, a lot of the times, those foods that we end up consuming whether it's grains, soy beans, legumes, soy beans, legumes a lot of these monocrop products or farms, monocrop industrial grade Agriculture is actually killing a lot of habitats. It's destroying the places where a lot of animals live. So sometimes, actually, we end up causing more suffering and more harm to animals by exclusively eating vegan foods, not to mention the fact that a lot of these so-called plant-based meats or products might contain a lot of weird stuff to make them taste a certain way, or they are heavily processed and they're not really appropriate nutrition.

Speaker 1: 11:05

But this is a whole other topic. I was just going to mention that, according to some yogis, ahimsa definitely means vegan diet. Others, like myself, have gone through that cycle and I've recognized that, in order to not harm myself and to nourish myself and my family properly, I have chosen to include animal products in my diet. So, but like I mentioned, this principle of ahimsa isn't just about physical harm, it's not just about hurting or killing, it's also talking, it's also speech, it's also thought.

Speaker 1: 11:47

So, as much as possible, we try to keep our thoughts gentle, pure, kind, and sometimes controlling your thoughts is hard, but that's truly the practice of yoga. Is yoga is the control of the thoughts, or yoga is the cessation of movements of the mind? That's also written in the same text of Patanjali. And if you're having a hard time controlling your thoughts, then at least we can have a little bit more control of the stuff that comes out of our mouths. And of course, everybody has tendencies to do mistakes here too. So I know that when I'm in the heat of the moment and if I'm angry or upset, or stressed or tired or hungry or hangry or anything.

Speaker 1: 12:43

It's sometimes hard to hold your tongue and we say hurtful things, but that's why it is a practice. So to practice ahimsa, it's also to be kind to ourselves. If you have hurt somebody with your words or your actions, acknowledge it, apologize, apologize to yourself and forgive yourself. So, choosing to speak with kindness during an argument rather than trying to win the fight by saying mean stuff, that's ahimsa. And also refraining from harsh self-criticism when you make a mistake, forgiving yourself, that's ahimsa. And once again, we can see that it's not too far from stuff that we find in the Bible. Blessed are the peacemakers, as is written in Matthew 5.9. So, moving forward, you can try to do your best to practice Ahimsa through action word what you consume, ahimsa through action word what you consume and probably you'll have a more peaceful, joyful existence for that.

Speaker 1: 14:09

Okay, let's move on to the next yama, called satya, and you'll notice throughout this episode and throughout this series that all these practices and all these observances or restraints are related. So satya is truthfulness, and this means, again, honesty in thought, word and deed. So, again, it's not saying whatever mean thing, even if it's true. It doesn't give you a free pass to say things that are obviously true but obviously hurtful. So it's not this kind of brutal honesty. This is always in the light of the first observance, ahimsa, you can speak the truth, but not one that is intended for hurt.

Speaker 1: 15:09

Again, in the Yoga Sutra 236, when one is established in truthfulness, actions and their results become aligned. So it's important to also recognize that when we start practicing one, the other ones kind of naturally follow and unfold. And it is also written in the yoga texts that when you practice asana, pranayama, pratyahara, the other limbs of yoga, the other limbs of yoga, naturally your energetic body aligns and there is nothing but truth that can come out at the embodiment of truth. Okay, so how can we practice satya? Obviously, don't lie.

Speaker 1: 16:08

Okay, white lies you know there's always this weird gray zone of white lies. Okay, maybe sometimes it's best to stay quiet. Maybe it's best to practice truthfulness instead of saying, oh, coming up with an excuse for something if you don't feel up for something, actually being radically honest like, hey, listen, I know you invited me to this concert, but actually, in order to be truthful and honest to myself, I'm really too exhausted and I can't go. So see how that feels. Instead of saying, oh, something came up, or my niece needs me, I don't know what it is. Whatever your go-to excuse might be like, instead of coming up with a half truth, just stay aligned and notice yourself lifting up and feeling more coherent and noticing the peace that arises from actually speaking the truth. Because we know that for each lie we tell, we have to come up with like seven more to you know, cover up for our own lies. So actually this, satya, this truthfulness is so important for our peace of mind, because how are you supposed to attain any level of enlightenment or realization of your higher self or the divine, or connection to God or whatever, if you have this thing that you're like oh, I shouldn't have said that, oh, like, oh, what if I get caught? Like? There's no peace of mind, and I think that's an aspect of this yama that has really I don't know. I've really learned that in my life that when we do something that we know that it's wrong or it's not true, when we say stuff that's not true, then it causes us to not have an inner peace, and that's really what it's all about. Yeah, and once again in in the bible too, you know we're not doing something that's against God. Of the Christian faith, speak the truth in love. Ephesians 4.15. We are practicing honesty, truthfulness and integrity.

Speaker 1: 18:55

Alrighty, let's move on to the next one, asteya, which means non-stealing. Once again, coming from Sanskrit, language a is a negation and asteya is taking okay, or taking with that. It really is refraining from taking that which has not been given. Again, this is not necessarily talking about like oh, oh hey, I picked an apple from a tree that's not mine, or I shoplifted this thing or whatever. Like I, whatever you might consider as theft, you know. Or obviously there's more severe forms of theft. There's more severe forms of theft that would fall under this category. But this is also stealing, or taking time that has not been given, energy, that's not freely offered ideas or joy from other people.

Speaker 1: 19:55

In the yoga sutra 237 it says when one is established in non-stealing, all jewels manifest. When we practice not taking that which has not been given, we actually receive more, because stealing is always. It's a scarcity mentality. It means that you think that you have to take something because you don't have enough as it is. It means that you're like grasping for stuff because you're operating from a place of lack. So when you stop taking and relax into all that there is, you shall receive more.

Speaker 1: 20:51

Also, like I mentioned, it's not just about stuff, it's about thoughts, ideas, plagiarism. You know, I had a situation some time ago, several years ago, when I was working for a yoga studio and I had set up my own website and the lady whose studio I was teaching at she basically copy pasted my website and then she would even claim that she didn't. So she was actually running a yoga studio, but at the same time she was not only stealing but also lying. So she was definitely not practicing asteya, nor satya. And I brought it up to her and I was like, hey, listen, what, what's going on? And and then she denied and whatever.

Speaker 1: 21:40

But it's just, you know, at whatever level we are at, even if we're teaching certain practices to others or even if we're trying to get ahead in life or whatever it is, and it's just, it's just bad vibes also, because when you do take ideas from others or copy-paste or whatever, it's just disrespectful and that doesn't build trust, it doesn't generate authentic, loving, kind, respectful relationships, whether it's in professional life or family or studying or whatever it is. Yeah, I think it's really useful to expand this idea of Asteya to all the different layers or aspects of our lives. So let's not take credit for someone's idea at work or at home or wherever it is, always giving credit where it's due. And also, this is one that I think a lot of people might not think of.

Speaker 1: 23:08

But also don't steal people's time. People's time if you're always late, if you're making people wait, if you're just I don't know, if you don't, if you don't show up for a meeting, or if you, if you stand people up, whether it's in a when you're dating or whether it's when you're at work or whatever, like, like that's actually, if you made a commitment to be there for someone, don't take their time. And this is also actually interesting in the arena of dating, like, I would even extend this to stealing people's time. If you're dating somebody, or if in a relationship or whatever situation with somebody and you're leading them on, you're stealing their time. You're taking away something that was not given. If you're you're keeping up somebody's expectations, breadcrumbing, whatever, that is literally stealing. It's taking that which has not been given or that which has been given, but under false expectations.

Speaker 1: 24:33

So okay, and this next point, next yama, relates to that. So brahmacharya moderation of energy. So, once again, these the interpretations of these yamas and all concepts in yoga, like any ancient text have. There's a lot of interpretations, there's a lot of room for discussion and this one has traditionally been celibacy, it's conserving the sexual creative energy, and it has been more, yeah, like for an ascetic or monastic traditions is Brahmacharya and therefore generate or attain states, spiritual states, beyond the normal householder, let's say. But I guess for most people who are in the modern world or have families, that's obviously not the expectation or the case and you can be on the yogic path and have a relationship and have a family.

Speaker 1: 26:03

But there is a wise use of life, life force that it implies and in the yoga sutra 238 it says when one is established in Brahmacharya, the vitality is gained. Okay, so I guess this has been quite popular on, I guess on the internet there's like this no fap movement. Fap movement or, you know, stopping watching porn, and all these are perfect and beautiful examples of brahmacharya, of actually conserving your life force and I think for men especially, refraining from ejaculating, even during intercoursecourse, which is definitely possible, and that's a whole other discussion, but those practices are very much appropriate and directing that creative sexual energy into your creative projects and or spiritual practices when you're not actively trying to conceive. This isn't again, this doesn't mean that you have to not have intimacy with a partner, but you can actually together, choose to cultivate that sexual energy and have those even ecstatic moments, but perhaps, at the moment of climax, redirecting, recirculating that energy into your relationship, into another thing, into a creative project or into a spiritual goal. So it might mean that Another thing that's much more, let's say, mundane, is like not giving your attention away, not giving your most precious gift to doom scrolling or comparing yourself to people on instagram or whatever it is, or, you know, binge watching some show on netflix. Or this could even be like not giving up your creative life force to abusing drugs or drinking. You know, these are all potentially unwise uses of your creative life force, energy and they're draining. So uses of your creative life force, energy and they're draining. So those are all examples.

Speaker 1: 28:44

Next let's move on to aparegraha. This is translated as non-possessiveness or non-hoarding, and this could be exemplified by just like letting go of stuff that no longer serves you. So whether it's physical, mental, material, energetic relationships, just releasing stuff. In the yoga sutra 239 is written when one is free from greed, the knowledge of the why and how of existence becomes available. What does this look like? I have become quite a I wouldn't say devout follower. That's the first thing that came to mind, but I am definitely into, or I am definitely aligned with, the message of Marie Kondo and this KonMari thing.

Speaker 1: 29:44

When I look into my space, when I look at my stuff, I hold it to my chest and I'm like does this spark joy? If it doesn't, it's time to let it go. Do that with your relationships. Do that with maybe it's, uh, your workplace or maybe it is whatever aspects of your life. Maybe it's a friendship, maybe it's a relationship, maybe whatever. It is just recognizing the things that actually spark joy, that actually uplift you and feel appropriate and good for you in this part of your life, and those things, that which do not serve you, let them go. Also, if you lose something, try not to stress about it. You know this is hard. Okay, of course we lose things, people, friends, you know, personal items that we are attached to, but that's when we practice Let go, let go.

Speaker 1: 30:56

I had a situation several years ago. I was still studying at the University of Helsinki and I was in this course basically with philosophy, metaphysics, and I was really into studying all this stuff and reading about all these different interpretations of continuity, blah, blah, blah, all these things. And as I was sitting on the beach, I had all my study materials with me. I had a big, chunky book on metaphysics and I had my MacBook right there with all my study notes, all my everything, and a huge big wave just rogue wave washed over me and that was the death of my laptop and also of my other study materials, and in the moment I was, of course, bummed because it was an expensive piece of technology that I lost. But also it came to teach me like okay, like this is not for you right now.

Speaker 1: 32:09

I didn't cry about it too much. I might have been like a little bit shocked or annoyed, but then I was like, oh okay, that was actually a time where I needed to be focusing on other stuff in my life, so I needed to let something go to make space for something else. So it's important to let stuff go. You can never lose what truly belongs to you. And once again, to note that these practices are not against the Christian faith, we can read in the Bible do not store up treasures on earth, like it's written in Matthew 6, 19. Let stuff go.

Speaker 1: 32:56

Okay, how can we integrate all these yamas? Well, I've already given you examples of how practicing these might look, how practicing these might look, and it's not I mean where the yogic path differs from. Well, I mean, of course, it's important to note there are multiple yogic paths, there are multiple spiritual paths, and a lot of them have a lot of parallels and a lot of similarities. But the yogic path that I'm describing and the eight limbs of yoga as described by patanjali, are not rules and you're not going to be punished by somebody who you know up there if you don't obey. You know it's not the same. This is like another conversation I had on x or twitter. Is that, like I don't?

Speaker 1: 34:04

As a, as a somebody who practices yoga, I don't necessarily believe in sin. I know that if I stray too much from these practices, I lose connection to myself and to my higher self and to the divine and the universal self, which I consider source, god or divine Right. So it's not about sin or repentance or feeling guilty for not doing these things. It's just recognition that these are guidelines to help you align and become more coherent with the truest, highest part of yourself, which is connected to the all. So it's just practice, and a good practice is the one you do. So noticing, just becoming aware of these yamas help you notice. Also, you might already be doing that stuff in your everyday life. You might be already practicing it, or you might, now that you're more aware, you might notice oh hey, maybe this is a place where I can let go. Oh hey, maybe my life actually becomes better, easier and more aligned if I actually speak the truth here, or it becomes better and more peaceful if I hold my tongue here. So I think that's all.

Speaker 1: 35:44

Again, yamas are the ethical foundation of yoga. It's all about how we relate to the external world, how we relate to people and everything that is outside of us. In the Bhagavad Gita, one of the ancient Vedic texts, it said Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self to the self. Wow, thank you so much for tuning in. It has been a pleasure to share this with you.

Speaker 1: 36:32

So this has been part two of a nine-part series on the eight limbs of yoga as described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, and next week we are going to be talking about the niyamas, which are the observances or restraints toward ourselves. So if you have found this meaningful or interesting, please do tune in next week, subscribe so you don't miss it, and also, of course, share with any friends or family that might enjoy this kind of content. And, of course, please do leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you're listening, and if you are watching or listening on youtube, that's a perfect place to leave a comment, like and share and subscribe. As always and I think I mentioned earlier my patreon is up and running and I'm just waiting for more of you to join the fun, and there will be a lot of exciting perks, including early access to these episodes and much more on there, to these episodes and much more on there. So, once again, thanks so much for tuning in and I will see you or connect with you next week. Bye, thank you.