YAMA SERIES

five week focus

i am launching a series of virtual practices focused on yamas.

each sunday morning for the next five weeks i’ll post a practice focused on one of the yamas—i’ll also provide some background on that week’s yama.

if the idea of a “challenge” is fun and motivating for you—i invite you repeat the weekly yama practice i share every day of that week. (so you would complete seven rounds of each practice.)

keep a journal nearby and takes notes and observations after each practice to record what came up. what was the same? what changed?

if the yoga sutras and yamas are all new to you—don’t worry. you are welcome to try the practices and meditations i offer and explore the history, theory, and principles slowly over time.

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for those of you wanting to dig a little deeper right away—

“yamas” are a set of codes and moral principles that make up the first limb of the 8-limbs of yoga set out in The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali.

what are the yoga sutras?

a very old (~200 BCE-200 CE) text said to have been complied by the sage Pantanjali. they are a series of 195 or 196 (depending on who you ask) verses that detail yogic practice and lay out the 8-limbs of yoga.

what are the 8-limbs of yoga?

the 8-limbs of yoga are the spiritual foundation of a yoga practice. they are a set of basic practices and principles to achieve nirvana, enlightenment, bliss, “oneness with god”.

the 8-limbs are:

• YAMA – moral codes related to others

• NIYAMA – attitudes or guiding codes related to self

• ASANA – physical postures/shapes

• PRANAYAMA – breathing techniques

• PRATYAHARA – turning inward/withdrawal of senses

• DHARANA – concentration/attention

• DHYANA – meditation

• SAMADHI – nirvana/enlightenment

where can i learn more?

as with most things that carry both the weight of age and spirituality there is a lot of interesting history and controversy wrapped up around the yoga sutras.

if the history part is of interest to you, this is a fantastically detailed dive into the backstory

if the spirituality part is of interest to you, this is considered to be one of the most respected translations/commentaries on the original yoga sutras

if you just want to know more about how these principles can be applied in your life, maybe start here

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as always, feel free to comment or reach out to share knowledge/experience as we move through this series. i am so looking forward to practicing with you!