The Niyamas of Yoga - 5 Ways To Get To Know Yourself Better

Back in the 2nd century BCE, a Hindu sage called Patanjali wrote The Yoga Sutras, a guidebook for attaining freedom and contentment.

The practice of yoga consists of 8 parts, or limbs. The first limb is the Yamas, or moral guidelines, which I overviewed in last week's blogpost. This week, the second limb of the eight-fold path of yoga, the Niyamas, is under the spotlight:

Whereas the Yamas concern your relationship with the world, the Niyamas are personal observances which point the way to a happy and healthy life.

The 5 Niyamas are:

Saucha - Purity: Practice purity by observing how you treat your body and your mind. Some of the ways to keep the body pure are by eating clean and healthy foods, taking care of personal hygiene and using asana practice (the postures) to cleanse by stimulating the blood, lymph, digestive and respiratory systems. The mind can be kept clean by meditation, letting go of grudges and perceived difficulties and also by practicing mindfulness in everyday living.

Santosha - Contentment: The yogic path teaches acceptance and gratitude for what you already have. Yoga practice is a constant reminder to be in the present moment, not wishing that things were as they used to be or comparing ourselves to others and wishing we were like them. Practice Santosha by regularly reminding yourself of all the many blessings you already have in your life - your family and friends, the spring flowers and the buds on the trees, your home, the warm clothes that you have to wrap up in on a cold day.

Tapas - Self-discipline: This Niyama is about sticking to your goals and being authentic. It's about having enough inner fire to stay focussed and committed to your intentions. Practice Tapas when you notice those excuses coming up about why you can't do your yoga practice today!

Svadhyaya - Self-study: "Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are" Jason Crandell
When you pay attention to how the body feels during your yoga practice, you start to notice habits and conditioning. You become aware of how you react to every pose, where you feel limited, stressed, peaceful, annoyed or relaxed, for example. You are getting to know yourself. When this starts to happen "on the mat" you can shift your awareness to your reactions to situations that occur off the mat.  You'll be getting to know yourself a little better - it's useful information which will help you become more comfortable with who you are.

Ishvara Pranidhana - Surrender: The last Niyama is about trusting life and letting go of limited beliefs. It's about opening to possibilities, living more spiritually, having a sense that the Universe is taking care of things so you don't need to try to control everything. You can practice Ishvara Pranidhana in daily life by doing the best you can do and letting go of the need for the results to turn out a certain way.

If you are interested in the Yamas and Niyamas, the first and second limbs of yoga, take a look at this website http://www.theyamasandniyamas.com/resources.html which has a short video about each one.

Next week I will be writing about at the third limb, Asana - the physical practice of yoga.

This week I am making... Warm Butternut Squash and Feta Salad

For this healthy, nourishing lunch you will need:

1 butternut squash
Quarter of a pack of feta cheese
Rocket or other salad leaves
1 tablespoon of pine nuts
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180degrees/gas mark 4. Peel the butternut squash and cut into chunks. Place the pieces in a roasting tin, add a splash of olive oil and mix well until the pieces are covered in the oil. Place the tin in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven and add a splash of balsamic vinegar, mix well and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes. The squash should now be soft and deliciously browned.  

Turn the oven out and put the pine nuts on a baking sheet into the oven for a couple of minutes. The remaining heat of the oven will be enough to brown the pine nuts. Put your salad leaves in a bowl, put the butternut squash pieces on top, crumble the feta cheese over the squash, add a twist of black pepper to taste and sprinkle with the pine nuts. Yum! And there's enough left over to have for lunch tomorrow too!

This week I am visiting...Somerset

In my quest to visit new places and have new experiences I booked a family weekend away and ended up visiting three places I've already been to before! We stayed in a lovely, newly renovated cottage in the village of Wookey Hole which is famous for it's cave system and slightly tacky amusement park. Arriving in Wookey Hole on Friday lunchtime we had a good veggie lunch in the local pub and then chilled out in our cottage for the rest of the afternoon. On Saturday we went for a walk up Ebbor Gorge under blue skies and glorious sunshine. This steep ravine is cut deep into the limestone cliffs of the Mendip Hills. The walk is moderately challenging (Small Brown Dog needed a bit of a push up some parts of the craggy, rocky path), and offers wonderful views of the Somerset Levels from the top of the cliff edge.  

Ebbor Gorge

In the afternoon we visited Wells. This historic city is famous for being the smallest city in England.  It qualifies for this title because, although it only has about 12,000 inhabitants, it has a cathedral.  And it is some cathedral!  

Holiday Headstand

On Sunday we visited Glastonbury.  This town, most famous for its music festival, is also well-known for its myths and legends, notably King Arthur, the Holy Grail and the Holy Thorn. It has a quirky High Street with independent shops that have a New Age feel. By lunchtime the weather had deteriorated and as we climbed the Tor we were almost blown away. The views were not so good because of the weather but it did show us the extent of the recent flooding. 

Glastonbury Tor

Digby looking a little windswept!

We enjoyed afternoon tea with delicious vegan, gluten free cakes in one of the many cafes and I had a lovely time browsing in some of the shops, buying incense burners and hanging bells until I was dragged away by the rest of the family.

I'm already planning our next weekend getaway. These short breaks are a breath of fresh air (literally this time!) - I get to spend time with my family and give them my full attention without everyday chores getting in the way. They offer me a chance to explore our wonderful country and an opportunity to look at things with a fresh perspective.

This week I am growing... Rocket

I eat a lot of salad which I love, but most of it comes in a bag, which I don't love. In the summer I grow mixed salad leaves in the garden, but Rocket grows better in the cooler months as it has a tendency to go to seed quickly when the weather is hot.  So for the next two or three months I'm going to sow a tray of Rocket every couple of weeks so that I have a continuous supply.  A packet of seeds costs less than £2 and should last two or three sowings.

It's really easy to do:

Fill a seed tray with multipurpose compost and pat gently down. Sprinkle on about a teaspoon of seed as evenly as you can, then cover with a fine layer of compost. Water, cover with a perspex lid and put in a sheltered spot (I've put mine up against the patio doors where I won't forget to water it) or put in a greenhouse.  Keep the compost moist. The seedlings will come up quickly, and Rocket is best harvested when the leaves are really young by cutting the leaves off with scissors.  

Fill a seed tray with compost

A teaspoon of seeds should give a good crop

Secure the lid with a heavy stone!