Yamas, Niyamas, and Kleshas

The yamas and niyamas were originally part of the “Yoga Sutras”. The “Yoga Sutras” are a series of short sentences through with the guru Sage Patanjali portrays his teachings. These short sentences are known to contain a great amount of wisdom. Sage Pantanjali conveys the steps through which even an ordinary person, like myself, can realize God. According to the Yoga Sutras, the yamas and niyamas are the first two steps in the eight - fold path of yoga. They are both eternal. The yamas and niyamas can always be applied to people’s lives. The eight steps or branches of Patanjali’s path are: yama and niyama (self-restraints and fixed rules to observe as the first steps to yoga), asana (postures/practices), pranayama (breathing practices), pratyahara (disconnection of the mind from the indriyas, or ten sensory organs), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (a state of superconsciousness). The five yamas are ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (abstinence from theft, honesty), brahmacharya (being established in divine consciousness), and, last but not least, aparigraha (non-possessiveness). The yamas are mainly qualities that the spiritual individual should have in order to communicate and interact with the outside world and the people in it, They are also self-restraints from performing actions of the weaker lower mind. The niyamas are the self-disciplinary qualities which are entirely devoted to helping the individual on their spiritual journey. They are also fixed rules one should follow in order to do the practices of meditation (dhyana) and to reach samadhi. Practicing the yamas and niyamas is very joyful in itself, but the main aim and consequence is spiritual growth and evolution. There are two types of yoga. There is higher yoga and there is lower yoga. Lower yoga deals with the physical aspect - asanas, pranayamas and aspects of hatha yoga, which, if not practised along with the yamas and niyamas and other aspects of yoga, are only a minuscule fraction of higher yoga. A pure, flexible, good breathing body is a result of lower yoga. It is not possible to reach “samadhi” without the yamas and niyamas. The five main kleshas vary in intensity on our psyche. The kleshas not only create suffering, but are said to bind individuals to the endless cycle of birth and rebirth, and thus preventing us from achieving enlightenment. Avidya (ignorance) is the misconception of our true reality, believing that the “temporary is eternal, the impure is the pure,” and pleasure to be painful. Asmita (I-am-ness) is the identification of ourselves with our ego. We create a self-image of ourselves that we believe is us, but it is not us. At first this confused me, but as a result of intense research, I began to understand it. This “self image” can contain both external and internal false projections. People become trapped in projections within projections created in their own life. Raga (attachment) is the attraction for things that bring satisfaction to a certain individual. One’s desire for pleasurable experiences can create “mindless actions.” When an individual cannot obtain what they he/she desires, he/she suffers. This is an endless cycle. Dvesha (repulsion) is the opposite of raga, “aversion” towards things that create extremely unpleasant experiences. If one cannot avoid the things they dislike, they suffer. Even thinking about unpleasant experiences produces suffering. Abhinivesha (will to live) is the deepest and most universal klesha. Abhinivesha remains until you die. Although everyone knows that one day they will one hundred percent die, fear of death is still buried in the mind. The first stage of working with the kleshas is to acknowledge them. Reflection promotes self-awareness, self-understanding and self-knowledge to uncover and see the kleshas and their roots. For a while i have had trouble find happiness in my life, and have been very depressed. While researching the yamas, niyamas, and kleshas, I realized that there are other ways to find happiness besides money, friends, and food. For many years I relied on money, friends, and food to bring me happiness, so this research opened my eyes to happiness. I believe practicing yoga will absolutely help with my depression. I have had a hard time connecting with God lately, so hopefully yoga class helps with that too. I could not think of a better time in my life to begin doing yoga. If yoga helps with my depression, which I genuinely believe it will, I can see myself practicing yoga for the rest of my life. In addition, I will pass the practice of yoga on to my friends and family. I really hope there are more yoga classes like the one I am in right now.