Daily Practice with Benita
I see you.
You know there’s a better way.
You’re done with numbing, escaping, people-pleasing, feeling like you’re missing something.
This podcast is your invitation to come home to your sexy feminine body and radical authenticity — through self-discovery, breath, movement, sweat, and the timeless wisdom of Ayurveda and hormone-smart biohacking.
Yoga, Pilates, and mindful strength training aren’t just practices here — they’re your sacred rituals to awaken your sensuality, radiance, and fierce feminine power.
A good practice is the one you do.
Daily Practice with Benita
The Eight Limbs of Yoga: Part 3: The Niyamas Explained | 5 Transformative Practices for Inner Growth & Daily Life
The Niyamas are the ethical observances toward oneself described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, forming the second limb of yoga’s eight-fold path. These five guiding principles—cleanliness, contentment, discipline, self-study, and surrender—offer practical ways to live yoga in daily life, whether or not you ever step on a mat.
- Saucha (Cleanliness) – Purify body, mind, and environment. Keep your home organized, your body nourished, and your mind clear by being intentional with the media you consume.
- Santosha (Contentment) – Practice radical acceptance. A simple gratitude list of three things each day can shift your perspective toward peace.
- Tapas (Discipline) – Build transformative heat through consistent practice. Even when you don’t feel like it, showing up for your routine dissolves old patterns and creates growth.
- Svadhyaya (Self-Study) – Observe yourself and explore wisdom texts. Journaling is a powerful tool to uncover repeating thoughts and behaviors.
- Ishvara Pranidhana (Surrender) – Release control and trust divine will. Small daily acts of letting go help you live with more ease and faith.
The Niyamas remind us that yoga is a way of being, not just a series of poses. Start small—choose one practice to weave into your daily rhythm, and let it grow from there.
New episodes drop every Monday at 10 AM. Next week, we’ll explore Asana, the third limb of yoga, and how the physical practice prepares us for deeper awareness.
Thanks for tuning in to the show.
If this episode moved you—share it, send it, or speak it out loud. Your voice matters too.
Patreon:
[patreon.com/dailypracticewithbenita]
YouTube:
[youtube.com/@dailypracticewithbenita]
X:
[x.com/bsmbird]
New podcast every Monday.
New video every Friday.
Thank you for being part of this unfolding.
—Benita
Hello everybody and welcome back to the daily practice with me, benita. Today's episode is exploration of the Niyamas. Those are the ethical observances or restraints towards oneself, as described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. This episode is the third episode in a nine-part series on the eight limbs of yoga from that book, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. So last week we went through the yamas, which are the ethical observances towards others, or the restraints towards others, which is the first limb of yoga, and the first episode was a brief outline of all eight. So feel free to go listen back to those ones before diving into this one or at the same time.
Speaker 1:This episode is perfectly fine stand alone. Listen just to this one and you'll find a lot of this, maybe a little bit less well-known part of yoga. Okay, so just before we get started, a little bit of housekeeping. So this podcast is a part of my little ecosystem of offerings. I release this podcast each Monday, 10 am. I also have a short practice video which is published each Friday at 7 am on YouTube and you can also find me on ex-formerly Twitter with the handle bsmbird, or just look for daily practice with Benita and you'll find me there. Please do subscribe, share and like on all those platforms. And yeah, that's it, let's get started.
Speaker 1:So the quote about the yamas is from Yoga Sutras 232, and it goes in Sanskrit Saucha santosha tapa svadhe svara pranidanani nyama. In English, the A translation is cleanliness, contentment, discipline, self-study and surrender to God are the observances. So one way to look at this is that, if the yamas, which we explored last week, are about pruning or kind of containing your behavior outwardly, the nyamas are the soil and the water that nourish ourselves from the inside. So let's talk a little about um, about the context of the nyamas. So, like we said, the nyamas are the restraints, like what kind of not to do in relating to the others, whereas niyamas are more accurately described as observances. What are we cultivating inwardly? And these are very much practical, straightforward principles that you can really apply in your daily life, and that's what this episode is all about how to practice yoga every day. You know, whether or not you do your asana or your stretches or whatever it is that you maybe consider yoga, going to yoga class, doing a yoga practice online or at home, these are actionable, practical things that we can really start doing every day, every hour, every waking moment and even every sleeping moment we can practice yoga and cultivate these niyamas. So they're really daily habits of mind and action, so both internal and external, what we think, what kind of energy we have and what we do in the world. So if we think about another spiritual path or outlook which is common, which is Christianity, we can find very much parallels Prayer, fasting, study, confession these are all Christian practices that actually are very, very close to the niyamas that I'm describing in this episode. So Christianity often emphasizes grace and obedience to God. The Niyamas are more about cultivating inner clarity so we can see truth as it is and that is coming closer to the divine. It's really, it's very, very similar practice. It's just we're kind of taking a different route, but we are here to connect with God, with the higher self, with Brahman or God or source or whatever you want to call it, universal consciousness.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let's have a little exploration of each of the five niyamas with practical, real-world examples. So it's not something out there in like a weird language that you don't quite understand. It is actually stuff that you can do every day, all day, every day. So first one is Saucha, which means cleanliness or purity, and the Yoga Sutras 240-241 says, from purity comes indifference toward one's own body and non-attachment to others. It continues Sorry, my pronunciation is maybe not the best. Eka Grendriya Yaya Atma Darsana Yogyatvani Cha. Through purity one develops clarity, cheerfulness, mastery of the senses and fitness for self-realization.
Speaker 1:So I have previously mentioned this I'm not sure if on this podcast, but for sure I remember writing about it on X where when I do my yoga practice whether it's Ashtanga yoga or even like a Pilates yoga sequence, whatever it is if I'm in my space and I do my practice in the morning, I just kind of naturally start aligning my space as well. I mean, ideally we take a bath or a shower or we clean ourselves outwardly before doing our practice. But then I do notice for sure that after aligning myself energetically and physically through my practice, I just naturally want my space to be more tidy. So it's like decluttering, wiping surfaces, like just, and it just kind of flows. And that's really interesting, like I mentioned previously in this series, is that all the eight limbs of yoga support one another and they kind of grow together. And so when we do our energetic and physical yoga practices on the mat or meditating or doing our asanas, then also the yamas and niyamas happen more naturally and they kind of flow or spring out of those practices.
Speaker 1:And, importantly, this is about our physical bodies, our physical environment, but it's also about our thought. We want to keep our thoughts pure and clean. Okay, how can we cultivate that? That is by actually engaging with literature that is uplifting, whether it's yogic texts, maybe it's the Bible, maybe it is learning about psychology. You know, there's different ways of purifying and cleansing the mind, but also just taking a break from things that might contaminate our thoughts, whether it's social media, whether it's certain kinds of music.
Speaker 1:My vice, for sure, is I listen to maybe too much, certain kinds of rap music or music with certain kind of lyrics that make me think about things that are at a lower frequency, and they kind of and that's a tricky one If, like, if you grown up in a certain culture or if you're kind of like just vibing to a certain kind of music, like it's almost a kind of an addiction or it's like a part of what you've been used to doing, but then like, yeah, through the practice of Saucha, we can see that, okay, like, are these lyrics or is this kind of music or this kind of social media content actually elevating my being. Is it actually good for me? And like, how am I programming myself when I allow myself to be exposed to this? So, yeah, uh, having a discernment about the kind of music you listen to and the kind of media you engage with, what kind of movies you watch. This is including, like, I've definitely started to say no to any kind of horror or scary movies, because those are kind of planting seeds of impure or kind of damaging thoughts in the mind. And once again we can see that also in Christianity there's like a certain emphasis of cleanliness. We can read it in Psalm 51, 10 create in me a clean heart, oh God. So once again, it's not necessarily so. Once again it's not necessarily against anything we would find in the Bible. You know, these are practices that are bringing us closer to godliness, closer to the divine.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let's move on to the next nyama, santosha, or contentment. In the Yoga Sutra 242, it's written santosha anuttama sukha labha Again, excuse my Sanskrit pronunciation, I haven't been brushing up on it From contentment comes supreme happiness. And it's important here to realize that contentment is not the same as complacency, it is just radical acceptance of whatever is before us. And how can we practice this. So on a daily basis, what I do is I write in my little journal three things I'm grateful for. So I try to, even on a day that feels heavy, shitty, whatever it is, even if there's a lot of things going on or difficulties, I try to stop and write down three simple things that I'm grateful for. That might be just the cup of coffee I'm having that morning, the fact that I'm able to enjoy the ocean around me, or my daughter, my family, my pets, you know, like simple things like that. I just jot down okay, these are the things I'm grateful for and really try to feel that gratitude and cultivate that contentment on every day. Also, a great time to practice contentment and when you really have done some kind of physical practice, whether yoga practice or any kind of physical exercise at the end of the practice or workout, you know when you're cooling down, whether it's lying down in Shavasana or just maybe stretching at the end of a run or whatever you do is just taking a few moments to thank your body, thank your physical body for allowing you to do your workout and being alive and really cultivating from a very basic kind of point, feeling that gratitude off, just simply existing.
Speaker 1:Once again, there is a parallel in Christianity. In the Philippians 4.11, it's written I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances, because God is present in every moment. So once again, we are opening ourselves to the entirety of creation and feeling a sense of gratitude, contentment for whatever it is, and that's true love as well, when we are able to accept and honor the situation that reality presents to us. That's truly loving life, and the more we can practice that, the more we love and also feel and receive love. It's not the little snacks or bites from Spain, but it is discipline or austerity. In the Yoga Sutra 243, it's written Through tapas, impurities are destroyed and mastery over body and senses is gained.
Speaker 1:Tapas is also seen as heat, and it's the fire of discipline, of practice, of showing up, of consistency. So it's the thing that erases what's called samskaras, or patterns of behavior that we might have accumulated from our past karmic actions. So the tapas discipline, showing up, consistency, discipline, discipline, showing up consistency, discipline that's the fire which burns through all the things that kind of cloud our path, the things that make it harder for us to see ourselves as we truly are. So what's an example of this is a consistent yoga practice, a consistent meditation practice, when you show up even when you don't feel like it. Okay for me.
Speaker 1:A tapas that I'm practicing right now is actually producing this podcast. Sometimes it's hard for me to show up there doesn't seem to be the right time or there are certain obstacles or whatever. But I've committed to my schedule. I've committed to showing up and, whether or not anybody's out there hearing what I'm saying, I know that I'm doing this also for myself, showing that I can stick to a schedule and actually produce something, create something of value, whether it's for others or for myself, I can look back and I'll say, hey, I did that Same thing showing up for your, even when it's a five-minute yoga practice, whether it's a five-minute, three-minute breathing practice, whether it's sticking to a three minute breathing practice, whether it's sticking to a journaling practice for a week just collecting proof for yourself that you can be disciplined, so that you have no choice but to succeed and to be confident in yourself. Once again, there is a Christian parallel. There's a lot of examples of fasting or Lent, or there's an intentional sacrifice that you do during a certain period of time, when you give up something to become closer to God, including prayer.
Speaker 1:Okay, the next nyama is called svadhyaya, which is self-study or study of sacred texts. It's written in the Yoga Sutra, 244. Svadhyaya ishta devata sampra yoga. Okay, through self-study, communion with one's chosen deity is attained. There are two aspects. Well, there are really more, but there are maybe two main aspects to this.
Speaker 1:So one is studying sacred texts, whether it's the Yoga Sutras, bhagavad Gita, bible, rumi, you name it, find your sacred text, and personally I would include into this also studying scientific journals, studying psychology, studying, you know, psychoanalysis, and actually, like there are so many paths to discover yourself, whether it's through spiritual, scientific or even through literature. There's like aspects of oneself that one can recognize and learn about through including watching movies, but again, once again, being kind of discerning of what kind of content you let in. But also watching movies or reading literature, like what I mean is fiction, is also a way to learn about human psychology and learning about yourself. And the other side of the coin here, of course, is turning inward. So it's journaling, reflection, noticing patterns and habits from yourself, and that's how you can learn about who you truly are and what are certain patterns that are positive or uplifting or bringing you closer to your highest self or godliness, and then which ones are maybe holding you back or destructive, or what are you needing to learn from those patterns? So yeah, like I said, one practice is just a fiction or some science paper or reading sacred texts and then having in parallel a journaling practice and noticing what's going on. How are the fruits of your labor, of tapas happening or manifesting in the world? And once again, it's obvious that Christianity has the same path, the same practice of daily Bible study, of Lectio Divina, of daily Bible study, of Lectio Divina. Once again, we're not doing anything that is going against the Christian God.
Speaker 1:Although you might have picked up on when I read you the translation of the sutra, communion with one's chosen deity is attained. So maybe, as a Christian, you might think like hold up, I can't, like choose my God. But I mean, of course there are different ways to interpret the deities and like is it idolatry or whatever For me, like deities like Hanuman or Ganesha or whatever there are, like Kali Krishna. I mean, of course there are Hindus and yogis and people who, like, believe that those are like real beings and real entities. But I mean this is there are Hindus and yogis and people who believe that those are real beings and real entities. But I mean, this is a whole other conversation.
Speaker 1:But the way I practice is like when I look at the Hanuman, the monkey god, for instance. It's like that deity, for instance, shows us that he only has his divine powers, his superpowers, supernatural abilities, only when he is serving love and when he is serving the great divine, the great creator. So, so like it's they are. For me, they are like just ways to make it easier to understand principles. It's like they're like characters in a story and it's like, oh okay, like in order for me to like, really harness these divine abilities, I need to actually serve god and that's how miracles happen. So it's just a illustration or it's a help to understand through parable how divine miracles, divine powers, can be harnessed through serving God and love. Anyways, that's a whole other story, but maybe we'll circle back to that in a different episode.
Speaker 1:Now we just have one more nyama left, which is Ishvara Pranidhana, which is surrender to God or the higher power. Yoga Sutra 245 says Samadhi, sidhir, ishvara Pranidhana. By surrender to God, perfection in Samadhi is attained. Surrender to God, perfection in Samadhi is attained. Letting go of control, trusting divine will, is the principle of surrendering. So this is really like when we look at the two previous Niyamas Tapas and Svadhyaya.
Speaker 1:Tapas is where you show up, you're disciplined, you're consistent, you do this, you do that and you stick with it. You do your practice. Remembering a good practice is the one you do. And then svadhyaya is self-study. So, whether it's through literatures, through scripture or observing the fruits of your labor, you get to know who you are and how you operate in the world. But then Ishvara Pranidhana is actually just letting that go. You've done what you can, you've done your discipline, you've done the tapas, you have learned about it and then, finally, you can just let it go and you just trust that the seeds have been sown and whatever needs to happen, will the divine, the source, god, whatever will actually help the reality manifest as it should, as is for the highest good. So once again we can see that in the Bible, in Luke 22, 42, it's written not my will but yours be done. So we can have goals, we can have intention in life, we can have practices to become closer to our perfected selves, but in the end it's about releasing it to the higher power, to the higher source, to the divine, to God, and that's what it's all about.
Speaker 1:So how can you start integrating these niyamas in your life? So, like I mentioned, there's simple, very straightforward ways to do each of these. So, saucha, for instance, you can start today, right now, go into your kitchen and declutter a drawer. Santosh, very simple, just expressing or writing down gratitude about something simple, whether it's in the morning, after your practice, at nighttime, tapas, whatever it is. Maybe it's just starting your mornings with five deep, long breaths, that's it. But just do that for seven days, do that for 14 days.
Speaker 1:Svadhyaya, self-study. So maybe that's just reading or writing just one page, even one paragraph, each morning or each evening, practicing, letting go, releasing your practice, releasing your discipline, and just watching the outcome outfall. Just maybe, start with one this week, do another one next week and see how you go. And remember it's always a good practice is the one that you do. So, just to recap, the niyamas are the inner observances that cultivate clarity and devotion in our yoga practice, and I remind you what is written in the Bhagavad Gita yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self. So thank you so much for tuning in to the daily practice with me, benita.
Speaker 1:More episodes like this coming each Monday, 10 am. Next week. We're going to talk about asana, which is what we all think of often when we think of yoga. Asana, the physical posture practice. We're going to get back to that next week and a practice video on youtube each friday morning at 7 am. And, like I said, you can also find me on x or formerly twitter, with the handle bsm bird, or just look for daily practice with benita. If you have enjoyed this content, uh, this exploration into the nyamas, please do share with a family member or friend. Subscribe to my channel, of course, and also, if you're listening on apple podcasts or any other platform where it's possible to leave a review, I would massively appreciate that and that will help more people connect with the practice. So, thank you so much for tuning in and I will see you next week or on Friday on YouTube. Thanks so much and remember a good practice is the one you do.
