Niyamas

The Niyamas are the second constituent of Ashtanga Yoga. Where the Yamas govern how we deal with the outside world, the Niyamas deal with the way we interact with ourselves and our internal world. Following the Niyamas helps a person regulate their own behaviour and maintain a positive environment in which to grow — the energy generated through the Yamas is harnessed through the practice of the Niyamas. While some teachers list ten and the Bhagavad Gita eleven, Patanjali names five.

The five Niyamas

Saucha — purity

Saucha implies both external and internal purity. Just as water purifies the body, truthfulness purifies the mind and true knowledge the intellect, so the soul is purified by knowledge and austerity. It covers purity of the body, of speech and of the intellect.

Santosha — contentment

Santosha is contentment — not desiring more than one has earned through honest labour. It means that one's state of mind does not depend on external causes, and that a person maintains equanimity through all that life offers, practising gratitude and joyfulness and staying calm at all costs.

Tapa — austerity

Tapa is austerity — the power to withstand thirst and hunger, cold and heat, and the discomforts of place and posture, together with silent meditation and fasting. The ideal practitioner is one who practises both mental and physical austerity.

Swadhyaya — self-education

Swadhyaya is self-education — scriptural study. According to the tradition it consists of the study of the Vedas and Upanishads, together with the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra and the Om Mantra.

Ishwar Pranidhan — dedication to the Divine …