The Eight Limb Path: The Niyamas

Jessaman has a similar interpretation of the other three yamas principles. They're there, so our minds don't get twisted up. And so that we can preserve our spirit./nThese final free principles include satya or truthfulness. Basically, don't lie to people and commit to living in truth, even when doing so is painful. Then there's astaya, which tells us not to be covetous. Astaya is all about nipping that greeneyed monster of jealousy in the bud and to try to avoid social comparison generally. And finally, there's aparagraha, which is freedom from desire. Aparagraha fits nicely with the happiness strategy we talk about a lot on this podcast. Remembering that more stuff and more accolades are not going to make us happy. Aparagraha is all about trying to notice times when we're feeling a little greedy. It's really not like hard rules. It's opportunities to engage with yourself on a more visceral level./nThe next limb of the eight limb path, the niyamas, is even more focused on engaging internally. And that's because the five principles of the niyamas are focused on the responsibilities we have not towards other people, but towards ourselves. Those principles include sautya, keeping your body clean physically, mentally, and emotionally. Tapas, a sense of austerity and selfdiscipline. Svadhyaya, a commitment to studying yourself and looking within.