Today I began my formal training to teach yoga. I participated in one of the Saturday sessions that delve into the eight limbs of yoga. The topic was Yama and Niyama, the "morale codes" for living your life according to the yoga sutras.
Yamas: ahimsa (non-harming), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), bramacharya (chastity), aparigraha (non-greediness).
Niyamas: saucha (purity), santosha (contentment), tapas (ascetic practice), svadhyaya (study), Ishvara pranidhana (devotion to God/The Divine).
We spent time drawing a chart of the yamas/niyamas and how they correspond to the koshas, and another chart of the yama/niyamas corresponding to the chakras.
Many aspects of yama and niyama are things I comprehend, but have a difficult time describing how they apply to my life. As I start to think about my actions and thoughts and applying yama/niyama to daily activities, I am sure I will understand more. It is a proof point on how yoga is a "way of life" not just a philosophy, prescription or hobby. During this session, Kathy demonstrated how yoga is adaptable. Pictures of postures of yogis like Swenson are guidelines, but you can change things to make yoga work for you. Very appealing!
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- jaycie
- My first experience of yoga was a physical ed credit in college. I also have been active in taekwondo, skiing, snowboarding and soccer. A knee injury return my interest to yoga, and I was amazed at how good I felt after the classes--so much energy! My ability in other sports increased mentally and physically, I think injuries were prevented by my flexibility and strength from doing yoga. I found that my preferred form of yoga is Ashtanga. I continued yoga through two pregnancies and eventually received my certificate to teach yoga from Yoga Vermont. I now teach classes regularly at The Edge and within my community.
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