Heart of Yoga, by TKV Desikachar
Chapter 11 - Living in the World
[A summary of the key points]
Desikachar begins by saying, as he has done before, that "yoga is not a recipe for
less suffering, though it can offer us help in changing our attitude so that we have
less avidya and therefore greater freedom from duhkha".
Through asana and pranayama we become more aware of who we are, where we stand, and
what is our relationship with the rest of the world. Once we are aware, and begin
to see our mistakes, we will gradually try to change for the better. In yoga, the
word for or relations with others is yama and the word for our relationship with
our inner self is niyama.
Yama and niyama are the first two limbs of the eightfold body of yoga as described
by Patanjali. They are described in Yoga Sutras 2.29-45. The words have many meanings,
but Desikachar's preferred meaning for yama is "attitude" or "behaviour".
Desikachar gives a detailed description of the five yamas that are listed in YS 2.30.
Briefly, they are:
• ahimsa - "not hurting", or kindness, friendliness and thoughtful consideration
for other people and things;
• satya - "truthfulness"; Desikachar quotes the Mahbharata - "Speak the truth which
is pleasant. Do not speak unpleasant truths. Do not lie, even if the lies are pleasing
to the ear. That is the eternal law, the dharma."
• asteya - "not stealing"; we take nothing that does not belong to us;
• brahmacarya - "movement towards what is essential"; in particular we should form
relationships that foster our understanding of the highest truth;
• aparigraha - "not seizing or grasping"; we should take only what is necessary,
and not take advantage of our situation.
Like the yamas, the five niyamas (listed in YS 2.32) should become part of ourselves:
• shauca - "cleanliness", both inner and outer; asana and pranayama are essential
as a means of ttaining inner sauca;
• samtosha - "contentment"; we should be content with what we have and accept what
happens to us;
• tapas - "heat"; it really means keeping the body fit, eating correctly, good posture
and breathing habits - all these help to prevent the buildup of rubbish in the boddy;
• svadhyaya - "self-examination"; often the study of ancient texts is a good way
to studying ourselves;
• isvarapranidhana - "laying all your actions at the feet of God" - th action of
a person who usually offers the fruits of his/her actions to God in daily prayer.
This chapter ends with "Further Thoughts on the Yamas and Niyamas" - a question-and-answer
section on how we should apply these principles in our daily lives.
