Foundation of Yoga – Don’ts and Dos

There are many things / activities that are touted not just as an activity, but as a lifestyle by itself. Like, “running life style”, or “Page 3 lifestyle” or the “corporate life style”, to name a few. But all these lifestyles have an unwritten code of rules that one has to adhere to, so that they can fit in and function well. I can’t be a runner if I don’t adhere to the basic discipline of strengthening my body. I can’t be a socialite if I don’t understand and play with the social etiquettes and power politics.

But when we say yoga as a life style, it comes with a well defined, codified set of ethics that one must follow to call himself / herself a true yogi. They are the first two limbs of the 8 limbs or “ashtanga” of yoga, codified by Saint Patanjali.

These are the restraints and observances, or the don’ts and dos or the Yamas and Niyamas. Complementing each other and strengthening each other, they set very high standards for any spiritual aspirant.

Even otherwise – whether we have spiritual aspirations or not, applying these yamas and niyamas in our day to day life will definitely make our lives more introspective, conscious and free of unnecessary disturbances. It declutters our minds and thus, our lives.

It is also interesting to note that these are the two limbs that come first, acting as a solid foundation to the third and fourth limbs -asana and pranayama (the physical postures and the breath control exercises). To expect results only from the third and fourth limbs of yoga, without diligently working on the first two limbs simultaneously is like building a tall building with weak foundation. And as with any construction, if sufficient care and effort is invested in getting the foundation right and solid, we can be rest assured that the resulting building will be strong.

Here, lets attempt to reflect on the yamas and niyamas as we understand and try to apply them in our lives. These are like a kind of self-evaluation check list. A go-to list to examine ourselves, introspect and see where we stand and where we need to improve. This is not for us to apply on others and see where they stand. It is solely for us!

I draw huge inspiration from the writings of Swami Sivananda to understand and grasp the breadth and depth of these codes. Over the next 10 days, we shall reflect on all these don’ts and dos one by one.