Satya & Samtosha
Although the best way to teach the yamas is to live them, here are some practical ways to incorporate their lessons into an asana class. Learn how to seamlessly incorporate the five niyamas into your hatha yoga class. [Aadil Palkhivala]
Yoga teachers have two choices, either they can simply stress on the practicing of asana or teach it as described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. If you select the complete yoga then first two steps of the eightfold path are the yamas and niyamas. These moral and spiritual practices aid in building the depth of human qualities.
The first limb of the eightfold path is known as “yama”. Generally this refers to as “bridle” or “rein”. It has been depicted as a constraint Patanjali that we agreeably and happily lay on ourselves to concentrate on our attempts, similarly the way a rein permits the rider to direct his horse to the way he wants to go. In this context, self-control acts a positive influence in our lives, the essential ability to complete one’s tasks enables one to move ahead in the direction of the realization of our dharma or as you may say “purpose of life”. There are five yamas namely; kindness, truthfulness, abundance, continence and self reliance focus on our general conduct with publish and enable us to live together peacefully with others around us.
Karl Menninger said that, “What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches”. The good approach is thus that one should live yamas in order to teach them. If we exercise them in our actions and manifest them in our behaviour, we will turn into an example for our students. Therefore, we teach without making an effort. But there are certain ways to embody yamas into an asana class.
In classical yoga, Patanjali placed yama and niyama before asana on the eightfold path. Most modern students learn asana first, without reference to the other essential limbs on the tree of yoga. If you teach hatha yoga, it can be difficult to ground the teaching in classical philosophy. Here we offer ways to seamlessly incorporate the five niyamas into an asana class.