Foundations of Yoga: Ten Important Principles Every Meditator Should Know

By Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)

An in-depth explanation of the foundational principles of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga: Yama and Niyama.

Yama and Niyama are often called the Ten Commandments of Yoga, but they have nothing to do with the ideas of sin and virtue or good and evil as dictated by some cosmic potentate. Rather they are determined by a thoroughly practical, pragmatic basis: that which strengthens and facilitates our yoga practice should be observed and that which weakens or hinders it should be avoided. It is not a matter of being good or bad, but of being wise or foolish. Each one of these Five Don’ts (Yama) and Five Do’s (Niyama) is a supporting, liberating foundation of Yoga.

Yama means self-restraint in the sense of self-mastery, or abstention, and consists of five elements. Niyama means observances, of which there are also five. Here is the complete list of these ten Pillars as given in Yoga Sutras 2:30,32:

Ahimsa: non-violence, non-injury, harmlessness
Satya: truthfulness, honesty
Asteya: non-stealing, honesty, non-misappropriativeness
Brahmacharya: sexual continence in thought, word and deed as well as control of all the senses
Aparigraha: non-possessiveness, non-greed, non-selfishness, non-acquisitiveness
Shaucha: purity, cleanliness
Santosha: contentment, peacefulness
Tapas: austerity, practical (i.e., result-producing) spiritual discipline
Swadhyaya: introspective self-study, spiritual study
Ishwarapranidhana: offering of one’s life to God

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)
• Release date: Feb 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370466115

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Foundations of Yoga

Ten Important Principles Every Meditator Should Know

Abbot George Burke

(Swami Nirmalananda Giri)

Light of the Spirit Press

Cedar Crest, New Mexico

Published by

Light of the Spirit Press

lightofthespiritpress.com

Light of the Spirit Monastery

P. O. Box 1370

Cedar Crest, New Mexico 87008

www.OCOY.org

Copyright © 2017 Light of the Spirit Monastery.

All rights reserved.

Contents

Foundations of Yoga

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Foundations of Yoga

Toward the end of his comments on the Yoga Sutras, Shankara makes a valuable remark: There can be no lamplight unless the oil, wick and a flame are brought together. The idea is that the successful practice of yoga is not a haphazard or capricious matter. All the elements must be brought together. When united and complete, success is the result.

Since the classical Indian texts on Yoga are the basis of this chapter, the word yoga is used throughout. But it should be realized that the word meditation is equally applicable, for in ancient India yoga and meditation were synonymous.

Prerequisites for yoga

Yoga is for the purpose of knowledge of truth, says Shankara. Knowledge (jnana) does not come about from practice of yoga methods alone. Perfection in knowledge is in fact only for those who practice virtue (dharma) as well as yoga.

All things rest upon something else–that is, all things are supported by another. This is because a foundation is needed for anything to exist. Being Himself the Ultimate Support of all things, God alone is free from this necessity. Yoga, then, also requires support. As Trevor Leggett says in his introduction to Shankara’s commentary on the Yoga Sutras: This is yoga presented for the man of the world, who must first clear, and then steady, his mind against the fury of illusory passions, and free his life from entanglements. Patanjali very carefully and fully outlines the elements of the support needed by the aspirant, giving invaluable information on how to guarantee success in yoga.

The first Yoga Sutra says: "Now the exposition of yoga, implying that there must be something leading up to yoga in the form of necessary developments of consciousness and personality. These prerequisites are known as Yama and Niyama. Both Shankara and Vyasa in their comments on the Yoga Sutras say very forcefully that the mere mechanical practice of yoga will not produce enlightenment–that the aspirant must practice dharma in all its aspects, particularly yama and niyama. Commenting on Yoga Sutra 2:29, Shankara says quite forcefully: Following yama and niyama is the basic qualification to practice yoga. The qualification is not simply that one wants to do yoga, for the holy text says: ‘But he who has not first turned away from his wickedness, who is not tranquil and subdued, or who mind is not at rest, he can never obtain the Self [even] by knowledge’ (Katha Upanishad 1.2.24).

Yama and Niyama

Yama and Niyama are often called the Ten Commandments of Yoga, but they have nothing to do with the ideas of sin and virtue or good and evil as dictated by some cosmic potentate. Rather they are determined by a thoroughly practical, pragmatic basis: that which strengthens and facilitates our yoga practice should be observed and that which weakens or hinders it should be avoided. It is not a matter of being good or bad, but of being wise or foolish. Each one of these Five Don’ts (Yama) and Five Do’s (Niyama) is a supporting, liberating foundation of Yoga.

Reviews for Foundations of Yoga

[W. Spencer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a great book! Informative and engaging, this book is perfect for both the beginner and adept in meditation alike. The author’s style is comfortable, and his knowledge of the subject shines out from every page. I heartily recommend this book to any and all who are interested.