Tuesday TeaThyme 2/12

Tuesday’s TeaThyme           

Your weekly wisdom and inspiration!

a personal spiritual path

Part 2: Niyamas

All of us have a desire for finding a better way.  Hoping that we make an impact on the world around us.  We want to contribute in some way that makes a difference.  

Part 1 describes the 8 limbs of yoga.  Patanjali, a Sage from the second century, wrote about the Yogic life style.  

     Part One describes the Yamas, moral code of conduct

Here I will talk about the second limb called, Niyamas.

Niyamas are the practices to support the individual who is creating a more spiritual path.

Bring these practices into your daily life to foster true awareness of who you are as well as a soft heart.  

Finding the joy and sorrow in our life as blessings.  Treating them equally in your mind, body and spirit.

Niyamas:

     1.  Saucha - purity and cleanliness

     2.  Santosha - contentment, embracing the moment

     3.  Tapas - discipline, training the senses of the body and mind

     4.  Svadhyaya - sacred self examination, contemplation

     5.  Isvara Pranidhanan -  surrender  to the Divine

Tuesday Tea Thyme 2/5

Tuesday’s TeaThyme           

Your weekly wisdom and inspiration!

Patanjali's Eight Limbs of Yoga 

Part 1

Patanjali, a Sage from the second century, compiled four books called the Yoga Sutras.  He describes eight aspects of a Yogic lifestyle.  These eight limbs represent a guide to a meaningful and purposeful life.  A well rounded life is his goal to educate people on the limbs.

The limbs are not rungs on a ladder, but spokes on a wheel.  You work all eight at times, or you can work on one at a time.  They limbs are not progressive, but a collective and united way of being.

1.  Yamas:  The Yamas are moral codes of conduct.  the way we interact with each other, and how we treat ourselves.
     a.  Ahimsa- non-violence, non-harming, kindness and compassion to all
     b.  Satya - truthfulness, honesty, and integrity
     c.  Asteya -non stealing, not taking from others, having a big heart
     d.  Brahmacharya - non excess of energy, awareness of energy
     e.  Aparigraha - non possessiveness, non-greed, non-attachment, awareness of abundance