A Deeper Look at the Yamas and Niyamas

[@Snowymoon14]

This is such a wonderful episode and the things you are discussing here are things I have deeply contemplated and reading Bhagavad Gita and studying and practicing Yamas and yamas and studying sutras as well as practicing Ashtanga led me to the realization that I needed salvation and that it wasn't going to be anything I could ever do because it was impossible so completely fulfill these things and this is when I turn back to Christ I actually turn back to Jesus tears rolling down my face driving into the yoga studio to teach and now I am a strange blend of Jesus lover and astonga practitioner and it's the most beautiful thing I am saved and free I still continue to try to fulfill nonviolence and truthfulness as well as the commandments God has given me even though I know I'm human and will fail I'm thankful that he died once to save me forever bless you Adam I adore you and your beautiful mind!!!

[@keenonyoga]

thanks for listening! indeed, many things left unsaid here my mind is not half so beautiful as i’d like! 😂) . Nevertheless, what I would say is that we need an emotional connection with ethics - to make compassion in the face of suffering real. This is easier to find when connecting personally to our own culture - i feel the same about Jesus and these stories to be honest (over indian mythology- it’s just in my dna!)

[@andreas.samson]

Perfect timing Adam! I wanted to dive deeper into the limbs that are not really being discussed much in my local yoga community. I've been a bit frustrated with my (non Ashtanga) yoga practice lately, not really being able to pin point where the frustration lies. It all came into place when I watched the recent conversation with Johnny Scott and he told the story about Guruji telling him "John Scott, you are only exercising"

[@melissaa.8547]

Thank you for this ❤

[@keenonyoga]

you’re welcome! thanks for listening 🙏😊

[@dharmainthenorth]

Great episode, Adam. And I totally agree with you about the need to nuance these things. And, like you, I struggle to balance it all out in my mind. I think there's something in the idea of aligning with the context and values of the day - I sure wouldn't say or do some of the things I said or did in the 90s these days, and I think that's true for most of us, and in my view it's a good thing that we're evolving both individually as well as communally. But I agree that the likes of 'ahimsa' cannot be fully realised despite our best efforts. I've heard it relayed as 'to do the least harm' which probably wasn't what Patanjali was getting at, but it's definitely a good way to incorporate it into a non-monastic life. Anyway, lots to think about as always - thanks! 🙏

[@keenonyoga]

glad to hear you liked it. Wasn’t an easy one to do - namely , because I haven’t reached any cohesivity in my thinking yet! But, would I would say : which is really a missing point I wished i’d said after; is that yoga isn’t interested in social virtue; only in as much as keeping the social order allows for better practice conditions (rather than war). So, its morality is really a recipe for individual sovereignty - not goodness for the sake of goodness.. thanks for listening 🙏

[@dharmainthenorth]

@@keenonyoga I've actually been thinking a lot about this of recent in the context of Advaita Vedanta as how you've just laid it out there is exactly how it's been laid out to me over the years, and I've never felt comfortable with it. Some commentating around such has even sought to portray advaita, and by extension yoga, as a kind of socially conservative individualism. Even going as far as to say human rights are an obstacle and we should think of our duties, our dharma, rather than requesting any rights. And yet I'm currently taking a series of webinars with Hindus for Human Rights with a wonderful (and traditional) advaita scholar and practitioner called Professor Anantanand Rambachan who is arguing for the opposite to that - for a more socially engaged Hinduism. He's calling it Hindu Liberation Theology and it feels a lot like the Engaged Buddhism movement of the last decade or so. He's written a couple of excellent books around it over the last few years. Definitely worth a look if, like me, it helps you align some of these concepts to wider political and ethical ideaologies.

[@keenonyoga]

@@dharmainthenorththis is a good recommendation; will look now! 🙏😊

[@tonydare7614]

Very interesting take! I don't know if the Gita is deeper or more applicable than the Sutras. It is almost impossible to fully live fully by either in the modern world. Any mental image of what we are doing is ego and illusion, isn't it? And I do kill mosquitoes, om Shanti Shanti Shanti

[@keenonyoga]

i don’t think The BG is deeper than the YS. But, I would say it’s certainly more applicable; dealing with the real life dilemmas of action in the world as opposed to the rarified states p lf consciousness derailed in the YS. I would even suggest that ‘atttayoganussanam’ suggests now (when the aspirant has relinquished worldly life) starts yoga.. thanks for listening and taking the time to comment . 🙏😊

[@tonydare7614]

@@keenonyoga Thanks for your reply. Just to add that Patanjali warns against becoming enamored or attached to these "siddhis" or special powers or states..Really enjoy your channel and will subscribe. Thanks🙏🙏

[@BillLiger]

Do you remember that movie, The Pirates of the Caribbean? There's a line in it I remember. The lady is being made to walk the plank or something and she says she wants a parlay first (is that the term? a conference, a powwow), "Those are the rules", she says. And the bad pirate replies. "Well, they're not exactly rules, they're more like guidelines".

[@keenonyoga]

i’d be interested to you expanding that - is the Pirate society or Patanjali here ..? anyway, i like the bringing in of Pirates of the Caribbean! (parlay=from norman English to talk )

[@BillLiger]

Well, all I meant was that the YS are just aphorisms after all - short, pithy statements of an opinion or "saying". They aren't meant to be the end of the discussion, they're the beginning of it. As we know, we can talk all day about them and not exhaust the subject - there are too many nuances, circumstances... variations. This is one reason the YS are still relevant today - they can be adapted as circumstances change - don't you think so? Oh yeah - and thanks for the clarification about "parlay" - that's perfect!

[@keenonyoga]

yes, the question being ; how does asana relate to something OTHER than exercise? and it does, but only when the intention is there to use the stretch more to pull inwards , creating pressure on the nerves of the spine, as opposed to stretching outwardly, as in our western cultural perspective on stretching - which , sadly , does little to nothing on the inner energy… !

[@grantlawrence611]

The yogis were forrest dwellers in general. I dont believe they were living in monasteries. Probably not Ashrams either. They were devotees of solitude . The Bhagavad Gita presented another type of yoga from the traditional sannyasa. It is a life of Karma Yoga doing ones duty with detacment but through action and devoting oneself to Lord Krishna. Also Krishna says the greatest yoga is the yoga of devotion to the blessed Lord. There are a few yogas discussed in the Bhagavad Gita such as the yoga of knowledge, yoga if meditation.