Yoga off the mat

Lately we hear a lot about people practicing yoga off the mat, but what does that really mean? Is it doing asanas on the street, beach or in the park? Nope, not exactly.

According to the yoga philosophy, which is largely based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, there are eight limbs of Yoga. Ashtanga Yoga does not mean dynamic yoga, as many beginners might think, but comes from Sanskrit, meaning eight, the eight limbs of yoga. The asana practice that we do daily on the mat is only one of these eight limbs, practicing yoga means practicing all of them.

The Yoga Sutras were written over two thousand years ago by Patanjali, who wrote down the great knowledge of Yoga, that has before then been passed on by word of mouth. Patanjali shows us that Ashtanga Yoga is a spiritual path that we should follow, trying to reach enlightenment. It doesn’t matter if you are looking for that higher goal or just started yoga to get more flexible, either way it’s nice to learn about the traditional meaning of this practice and how we can bring it to our lives. 

My teacher, Sharathji, with whom I study once a year in India, told us that to be a good yogi you do not need to be flexible, but most importantly you need to follow the first two limbs of Yoga: the Yamas and Niymas.  

I dedicated this series of posts to how I understand the first two limbs of Ashtanga Yoga. They are the dos and don’ts to put it simply, yoga’s ethical guide of living. Yamas regulate how we relate to others and Niyamas teach us principles and commitments to ourselves, that we should follow in our everyday lives. Finding a way to live according to this code is a lifetime journey of yoga.

There are 5 Yamas and 5 Niyamas. I explained their meaning in my previous post, but let’s just have a look again, as a reminder:

Yamas:

·       Ahimsa – non-violence

·       Satya – truthfulness

·       Asteya – non-stealing

·       Brahmacarya – celibacy

·       Aparigraha – non-attachment

Niyamas:

·       Shaucha - purity

·       Santosha - contentment

·       Tapas – self-discipline

·       Svadyaya – self-study

·       Isvara Pranidana - devotion to the divine

The truth is that if you start the journey of following the yamas and niyamas, it will help you become your best self, and just get your shit together. If you try to follow these rules in your daily lives, it will help you find balance in your life, find happiness in the little things, but also be a better person to those around you, to all living beings and to our planet.

Today I would like to tell you how I understand the yamas and how I try to live according to them. I dedicated my blog post “Going deeper into the Yoga practice” to the first of the yamas, Ahimsa, non-harm. If you haven’t read it yet, have a look:

https://www.downwardfox.com/blog/2018/5/24/going-deeper-into-the-yoga-practice-ahimsa-non-harm

SATYA - TRUTHFULNESS

The second of the yamas is Satya - truthfulness. It means being truthful in both words and actions. Not telling lies, but also not telling harsh truths to cause pain, only truth according to ahimsa, not causing harm to others.

I also understand Satya as being truthful to yourself, to what you truly believe in. Following a path that is true and honest. In our hectic, busy lives it’s easy to forget what we once believed in. But there must have been a time in our lives, before university, before the 9 to 5 job, when we had an idea of who we would like to be, what is important to us. I don’t necessarily mean career wise, as this does not always go according to plan. I mean on a deeper level, what kind of person do you want to be? 

I believe that if you can be anything in this world, be kind. Our world is harsh and cruel and is really in the need of more kind-hearted people. Be kind to yourself, be kind to your friends and loved ones, but also your neighbour, a stranger you meet on your way to work, the barista who makes your coffee in the morning. A smile and a kind word can go a long way...

Let’s lead a life where we share this kindness all around. You can start out with making conscious and sensible choices when planning your meals, doing your shopping, buying groceries, new clothes, cosmetics, etc.  I am trying to make a switch to buying cruelty-free products for myself and my home, recycling, choosing less plastic. I recently switched my family to our first bamboo toothbrushes! These might seem like small things, but if you bring them all together that is what counts. Each one of us can make a difference with our daily choices, so let’s choose wisely.

ASTEYA – NON STEALING

This means not stealing things and possessions, but also not stealing someone else’s work or ideas. Quite simple really, but some people might get lost in their ways and might need a little reminder. So, let’s start with being truthful to ourselves about this, have you ever stolen anything? Many of us might have a little thing on the back of our mind, that we shouldn’t have taken, but did anyway. So, let’s be reminded of this simple commitment.

According to the yoga texts, I if you practice non-stealing then you can really enjoy what is most important, like peace of mind, joy and happiness.

BRAHMACARYA – CELIBACY

Brahmacarya means celibacy and seems a like bit outdated topic, but we can also understand it a bit differently today. For me brahmacarya is being true to your chosen life partner, true in your love and also in your actions.

APARIGRAHA – NON-GREED

Aparigraha means non-greed and non-possessiveness. We live in a world where we are constantly tempted to buy new things, new possesions, no matter if you need them or not. The adverts you see everywhere are telling you that you need a better face cream, new jeans, a new handbag. It isn’t easy to not go along with this movement. So, when you are out shopping, think twice before you buy that new piece of clothing, do you really need it? This is quite hard for me as I just love new clothes! But I am trying to make better choices, buying from smaller companies that produce in a more sustainable and non-cruelty way. Buying better but less, for longer. I am also trying to limit the many many things in my home, only buying what is really needed and useful, giving away what I don’t need anymore. 

Christmas time is just around the corner, it’s a good moment to think about this. Let’s buy only well thought through gifts, consciously choosing the companies we purchase from. You can also let your loved ones know of this idea... In my family every year we used to make a Christmas list for „Santa”. It was a big poster where under our names we would all draw pictures of what we’d like for Christmas. This way you only get what you want! Why not give that a try?

I will continue with the Niyamas in my next post, stay tuned!