Yoga guides > Info Center > Yoga for beginners Part 4

Yoga for beginners Part 4

Firstly, you should understand a little bit more about yoga itself before you can truly understand it’s methods and ability to heal. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (a two thousand year old collection of oral teachings), is a kind of philosophical guidebook for dealing with the challenges that humans may face in their lives. The Yoga Sutras are known to provide an eight-fold path, that is called ashtanga. Of which translates into “eight limbs”. The eight steps are a basic guideline on how you can live a meaningful life. They are considered to be a prescription for moral and ethical conduct, even in the realm of yoga. Rather than a religious standpoint, it focuses on ones attention to their own health, and acknowledging nature in it’s many spiritual aspects.

In the next section of this series of articles for yoga beginners, we will focus on the eight limbs. Giving you an understanding of the only requirements yoga has for it’s practitioners. While important to the commitment to yoga, it isn’t always mandatory from all instructors.

The Yama is one of the first steps you will learn in yoga. While it isn’t related to the exercise of yoga, it is a way of bringing yoga into your every-day life. It is a step that will help you to deal with our own personal ethical standards and sense of integrity. Allowing one’s self to focus on how we conduct ourselves in every-day life. During the process of learning about yoga, your instructor will most likely begin by explaining the importance of the five yamas. Of which are:

Practice of non-violence: Meaning that you should refrain from harming or demeaning any living being. Whether it be human or animal. This yama also includes harming yourself by any action, word, or thought that you might have.

Non-lying: It is what it sounds like. It is the ability to control anything that isn’t completely truthful. Including being truthful to yourself and others.

Non-stealing: This is the yama of curbing your tendency to take anything that doesn’t belong to you. Not only material possessions but praise or position. IE: to take someone’s position at work, through being untruthful or through means of your own doing.

Non-sensuality: By far the most controversial yama. It is the ability to learn the art of self-control. To control any energy that is expanded in seeking or thinking about sensual pleasure. It teaches the ability to abstain from any inappropriate sexual behavior. Unlike “sins” it isn’t said to go against sexual behavior, instead it teaches against any self-harming sexual behavior.

Non-greed: The practice of abstaining from the feeling of greed. Allowing the person to differentiate the difference between a need and a want. It also teaches how to detatch yourself from desires of things or objects.

Along with the yamas, you also will be taught about Niyama. Of which are practices that have come to life, all to help you with self-discipline and development. These are the “do’s” of the yoga path, rather than the don’ts such as the yamas.

Purity: Striving for purity and the cleanliness of the body, mind, soul, and one’s environment.

Contentment: To seek contentment and acceptance. Whether you are going through good or hard times, it is important to be content in life. However, all while seeking ways to improve your future.

Self control: Controlling your actions, and having the strength to determine what and how you should handle a situation. The ability to replace any negative habits you might have with a more positive one.

Self study: The ability to study our own actions. Making it possible for us to determine if we are behaving in a harmonious manner in our lives

Devotion: Devotion in turning toward the divine, as opposed to the material objects of the world.

As you can see, these are all fairly simple do’s and don’ts for life. Simply giving us guidelines to live by, while embracing yoga as a way of life.

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