Yoga Psychology | Yama & Niyama: Preparing the Inner Architecture for Spiritual Living

By: Dr. Adam M Cohen

Published by the Tureya Foundation (www.tureya.com)

Perhaps one of the more monumental texts of Yoga, the Patanjali Yoga Sutras provide a spiritual
practitioner with a firm outline of how to pursue a soul-centered life without much concern for a
concept of God or Lord (although one can easily implement such an idea within their own
practice and observation of Patanjali’s Yoga). Provided within the pages of this ancient and
profoundly significant text is a clear and concise system which addresses the critical issues
relating to the evolution of the human mind, body, and spirit. This system is referred to as
Ashtanga Yoga, or the 8 limbs (aspects/dimensions) of spiritual living.

Of the 8 unique stages for the cultivation of the inner spiritual life are the two initiating phases of
Yama and Niyama. The etymology of these words is significant and provides us with a point
from which we can begin our exploration of the evaluation and application of yama and niyama
within our lives. Yama comes from the Sanskrit word Yam which means to subdue or control.
Extrapolating upon this meaning, yama is a way to subdue or control one’s life by changing the
way in which we interact with the world. Yama is primarily concerned with our actions and
involves a process of reforming our interactions within the world to make them more harmonious
with the needs of the external world including our relationships with others.

As for niyama, the etymology is similar with the compound of two words ni and yam which
together mean to hold back. While yama serves as a method for controlling the extra life, niyama
guides us in controlling our internal life. We are literally holding back our negative thoughts
which may otherwise cause harm to ourselves and others. As it may be observed, niyama is
slightly more difficult to practice than yama as niyama is more concerned with the mind rather
than yama which is concerned primarily with physical action, and as one may observe through
experience it is much easier to control physical activities than it is to control mental activities.

In terms of morality, yama serves the social dimensions of our lives and forms the external codes
of conduct for spiritual living while niyama occupies the space of personal values. Looking at it
in these terms, yama is associated with how we choose to affect the external world and niyama
involves how we choose to affect the internal world. Although both yama and niyama have a
cause and affect relationships with both the self and others, in theory yama is an expression of
niyama. In other words, our internal values affect the way in which we act in the world, and
without some sense of responsibility to the world our external actions can remain void of moral
evaluation such as any conception of the moral duality of harmful and helpful actions.

Yama: Harmonizing Life in the World

In its essential form, yama involve a process of bringing the external life into balance. In the
process of cultivating yama we are affectively reforming our lives to be more sensitive to the
needs of the world. There are many components that contribute to the dimensional sphere of
yama: first, yama often necessitates a profound degree of egalitarianism and humanitarianism.
We must try to act in the world in the same way we would imagine a saint or altruist individual
would act. Next, yama also enforces values of ecological concern and respect for nature. An
individual who chooses to practice yama becomes an environmentalist because they see that the
health of nature directly affects the health of their lives and their spirituality. Whether we realize
it or not, a direct relationship exists between ourselves and nature: if nature is in a poor condition
than our bodies and minds will also embody the same traits.

Five branches make up the tree of yama which provide us with an outline of how to conduct our
lives. These include: Satya, Ahimsa, Asteya, Brahmacharya, and Aparigraha. Satya is associated
with the quality of truthfulness. In association with yama, satya is related to the mouth, the
vehicle of speech in which we project our ideas and opinions into the world. By observing satya
we are restraining from telling lies (in a general sense) that would otherwise inhibit our
relationship to the spiritual world. One of the more obvious reasons why we should be truthful is
because telling lies usually indicates that we are trying to conceal some information which may
be of use to someone. On another level, lies usually conceal our guilt or misdeeds which relate to
harm that we have inflicted upon someone or something. A more than common scenario involves
theft in which someone steals an item that does not belong to them. When confronted, the thief
lies and hides their misdeed from the victim or investigator.

A perhaps less conspicuous wisdom about the harms of untruthfulness is the fact that lies usually
cause an internal complex in that the more lies we tell the more stories we have to develop to
conceal our lies. For example, if someone (let us call him John) who missed work to go to a
party lies to their boss by saying that they were sick, John will need to construct an elaborate
story about the illness that will satisfy their boss. But in the mean time, if one of John’s friends
strikes up a conversation about the party and John wants to express how great it was to see Jack
Johnson in person he will need to again switch back to the original story that he was at the party.
In essence, John will have to maintain two lives. The more lies he tells, the more lives he will
need to construct. This, of course, takes a great deal of energy and can even fracture John’s
personality as he tries to cope with several identities at once.

The next Yama is Ahimsa. Ahimsa reflects the power of non-violence, a conscious act of
avoiding the causation of harm or pain to others including all being from the micro-organic to the
anthrop. Non-violence was popularized by Gandhi but has been in existence for millennia
together, originally introduced by Jainism. Ahimsa involves having respect for all living creates
and treating them with utmost love. This means that when we look at a human being we should
try to envision them as the divine mother, father, brother, or sister who deserve utmost respect,
love and care. As for the other living creatures of the earth, including both the Animalia and the
Plantae, we should express care, love, and concern for their wellbeing. The Native Americans are
the greatest teachers of Ahimsa towards the non-human life forms. For them the earth itself is
Divine. When they look at nature they see living and non-living things as various manifestations
of a mother, father, ancestor, or teacher all of which are to be adorned with respect and love.

Asteya refers to the value of living honestly and is the third aspect of yama. Although asteya and
satya may appear similar upon first examination, we should assess asteya as a means for living
wholeheartedly, with strong conviction and determination. From this perspective, asteya guides
us in living life to the fullest, not wasting our skills and energy on meaningless things but rather
investing our lives in activities that are going to strengthen our spirituality and support the world
in a positive way. In spirituality we firmly believe in the concept that life is a gift that was
endowed to us by creation and with this human life arose an even a greater gift of consciousness
and willpower. Together, life and consciousness provide us with the power to create, change, and
alter the universe! Therefore, with life comes great responsibility, and when we live with asteya
we are using our life to its fullest potential.

The next branch of Yama is Brahmacharya. Brahmacharya is often translated as abstinence, but
when we look at the etymology of the world we find a different meaning: Brahmacharya comes
from the Sanskrit words Brahman (the cosmic spirit) and charya (conduct or practice). Under
this translation Brahmacharya is understood as conduct which is in accord with the cosmic spirit.
This interpretation is quite different from the translation of abstinence but we find that this
understanding of Brahmacharya to be less dogmatic in nature (i.e. you have to be abstinent from
sex in order to be spiritual) and more profound. To be a Brahmacharya, in our translation, is to
live a spiritual life and to act in the world with the knowledge that our lives are essential divine.
Imagine how much this knowledge will affect the way in which we live: every step we take in
the world reflects something Divine and therefore we choose actions which enforce our divine-
like nature. We act knowing that we can embody qualities of the divine if we make the conscious
choice to do so.

The last aspect of yama is aparigraha which means non-possessiveness. It can also be translated
as non-greed. Both of these are important translations which are going to help us understand the
weight of aparigraha as a spiritual practice. Let us discuss the former first. Non-possessiveness
relates primarily to the idea that nothing within the world actually belongs to us. Even our body
comes from the earth and will return to the earth when we die. Therefore we should not hold
things as if we have ownership over them. Rather we should see ourselves as caretakers of the
objects within our possession, things which have been hand over to us to be cared for and
maintained until the time comes when we are to give them back. If we observe the concept of
divinity than we will see that everything belongs to the eternal, even our own mind, body, and
spirit. Hence, anything that is placed in our protection, whether it be money, a house, land, or a
family, is to be respected as a thing which belongs to the universe and not to us as an individual.
It is our responsibility to love and care for the thing within our possession as best as we can so
that when it is time to give these things back to the world it will be in the same or even better
condition than it was before.
The other interpretation of aparigraha as non-greed is also of magnitude because it lends to us the
idea that we should never horde things. It is important to remember that all things in the
manifested world, the external world, are there for our growth and we should use them as means
to expand our spirituality. If, instead, we are just collecting objects for the sake of ownership,
buying 7 watches for one day of the week because we want others to think we are stylish or
wealthy, than we are abusing the external world. We should never keep or take things from the
world that we cannot use with great intention and purpose. Everything we do should have
meaning behind it and our actions should be supported by the things which we take from the
world that will lead us towards spiritual unity.

From the social and worldly values of yama we begin to discover what it means to live
spiritually. New revelations into the nature of the subtle dimensions of the interconnectivity of
the world begin to open themselves to us and life begins to take on new meaning and purpose.
Yama, along with its five branches, provide us, as spiritual practitioners, with a genuine outline
of how we should involve ourselves with the world and with other human beings. Even if the
only spiritual practice we observe was a sincere commitment to the values of yama we would
find that our spirituality would begin to develop on a much deeper level than where we stood
previously. Fortunately for those of us who want to delve into the full depths of spirituality,
Ashtanga yoga also provides us with 7 additional ways to expand our spiritual life, one of those
being the method of niyama.

Niyama: Pruning and Nurturing the Inner World

As we have seen above, yama embodies the ideals related to the way in which we engage
ourselves with the external world. In contrast, niyama concerns itself with the principles of
perceptions and thoughts (with the expectation of cleanliness and austerities that have some
relationships to the external world). Niyama is the cultivation of the inner features of our being.
Some might astutely notice, and rightly so, that niyama is a progression from the material values
of yama expressed through action to the metaphysical values that are associated with niyama, the
more subtle aspects of our being. This movement from the physical to the metaphysical requires
great skill and attention because we are addressing the immaterial nature of our being. Such is
true because the physical world manifests itself in a highly tangible way while the metaphysical
world is sometimes vague, diluted, and concealed. It is therefore fitting to mention that we
should begin to explore niyama on a more intensive level when we are ready and willing to begin
to face the challenges presented by controlling and modifying the subtle metaphysical world.

Yet another way of comparing yama and niyama is to observe who and/or what is being acted
upon. With yama we are primarily involved in modifying and purifying our relationships with
things outside of ourselves where as with niyama we are addressing ourselves as an individual
human being. Therefore yama is often referred to as social codes of conduct and niyama as
personal codes of conduct. As we look into the details of niyama, we will find that the human
being is addressed as an individual, starting with the physical body and working towards the
soul.

Like yama, niyama is composed of five branches. These five branches are: Shaucha, Tapah,
Santosha, Swadhaya, and Ishwara Pranidhana. Together, these branches make up the foundation
for personal reformation. The first of the branches, Shaucha, is translated as cleanliness. This
cleanliness in conveyed in two forms: physical cleanliness of the body and cognitive cleanliness
of the mind. When we discuss cleanliness of the body we should not simply translate this as
taking a bath every day. While bathing is part of physical cleanliness, other aspects of cleanliness
which are often neglected are things like eating food which is healthy and supportive of the
body, not taking drugs such as alcohol or tobacco which harm the body, avoiding overly polluted
environments, and getting proper rest to keep the body energetic and healthy. As we begin to
observe shaucha on a physical level we begin to treat the body like a temple, caring for it with
love and care.

Cognitive shaucha is more subtle and involves purity in thought. The mind is without a doubt, at
least within our range of knowledge, the most power instrument/object within the universe. It has
both the power to destroy and the power to create at levels which possess infinite potential. It is
therefore essential that we maintain a cleanliness of mind because our thoughts directly shape
our experience of life. Although external events can affect our lives, our mind is the screen
through which all events are ‘experienced,’ and because of this we can have horrible experiences
of wonderful events and pleasurable experiences from otherwise demonic occurrence. Our mind,
in fact, is the object which attaches meaning to all events. Nothing in the universe has a positive
or negative value until the mind interacts with it (this includes, of course, both the most primitive
mind and the supreme). By maintaining mental cleanliness we begin to polish away the dust of
our perceptual distortions of the mind and begin to reveal the Truth of our intrinsic spiritual
nature.

Tapah, the second branch of niyama, is interpreted as austerities. There are many ways in which
one could practice austerities, but for us there are only a few ways that are true to spirituality
which respect the qualities of the Divine nature. Let us first start by saying what austerities are
not: first, austerities are not acts of self-negation such as living in a cave for the rest of life in
order to be spiritual. Such an idea is somewhat nonsensical because it disregards the fact that life
is designed with purpose, to serve a specific role within the universe. If we were to just climb
into a cave and renounce the world than we would also be renouncing the purpose behind our
lives. Let me say one thing before I upset those who believe that living in a cave does serve a
purpose: it is true that many saints in the past have entered into caves in order to burn away their
karma or concentrate in meditation, but more often than not these cave saints eventually had a
realization that their lives served a purpose which involved helping others obtain realization.
Upon this realization they immediately reentered the world to carry out their mission of
liberating other souls into the Divinity (Buddha is perhaps one of the most common examples of
this type of cave saint).
There are other forms of tapah that are not in cooperation with the divine life, but we will leave it
up to the reader here to consider what these forms might be. The most important thing to
remember is that all aspects life are Divine, includes those humanly traits like the body, mind,
and spirit. Therefore any form of austerity which does not respect these parts of our being as
Godly is not a spiritual form of tapah.

Now, then, let us discuss what might be considered spiritual tapah. Spiritual tapah involves
living an austere life that avoids those things which may cause harm to our mind, body, and
spirit. There are innumerable things that can cause harm to the various dimensions of our being,
but some of the more common examples involve the food and drinks we ingest, the people we
associate with, the environments we put ourselves in, and the type of pastimes we partake in. We
will take a moment to discuss each of these. Harmful food and drinks involves both the quantity
and quality of the food. Eating too much of anything is harmful to the body. Some of the more
obvious things we ingest that should be totally avoided include alcohol, tobacco, and other
intoxicating drugs.

As for the people we associate with, it is important that in the beginning of our spiritual practice
we focus on surrounding ourselves with positive, spiritually-like minded individuals. Swami
Sivananda talks about this topic often within his publications by stating that even a Sanyasi will
become an alcoholic if he spends all his time around alcoholics.

Environments also have a significant impact upon our spirituality, and it is therefore necessary
that one of our tapah involves avoiding harmful environments whenever possible. I say whenever
possible because there are times when we are not given a choice about the environment we
inhabit (this can also be said for the other forms of tapah as well), but whenever it is within our
control we should try to avoid environment that are overly polluted. Pollution comes in many
forms, the major being that of environmental pollutions (harmful to the body) and social/political
pollution (harmful to the mind).

The final form of tapah we will mention here is that of austerity in our choice of pastime. It is
important to choose pastimes that are conducive to one’s life choices. If we are living spiritually
than we will need to select those hobbies or activities which will support our spiritual growth.
This means avoiding pastimes like going to the bars or clubs, watching violent movies, and
participating in other activities which may harm our mind, body, and spirit. Ideal pastimes would
include study, walking in nature, interacting with like-minded people, and any other activity
which encourages our spiritual growth.

Our next niyama is Santosha which is interpreted as contentment. Contentment can be expanded
into many subtopics, but we will try to focus here on the major ones. The first significant
expression of contentment is recognition that we are perfect as ourselves. Quite often we meet
people who imagine that if their lives were like someone they knew – perhaps a coworker, or a
celebrity, a friend, or some wealthy person like Bill Gates – they would be happier or more
spiritually connect. But our lives were given to us for a reason and therefore living someone
else’s life will never fulfill the meaning behind our own. Every human being was put on this
earth for a reason and instilled with the potentiality to uniquely change the outcome of the
universe. If we are invested in trying to be someone else we will never fulfill our own life’s
mission.

Another interpretation of contentment, which is a continuation of the above definition, is inner

recognition of our own inherent beauty as an individual. It is here that we can bring up the
concept that no one in the universe is better than us and at the same time no one is less
significant than us. In effect, we are all expressions of the Divine and therefore we are neither
inferior to nor superior to any other human being. Perhaps one of the more common mental
barriers that people face in life is the feeling of inferiority which arises from a lack of internal
contentment. When this inferiority is active, is encourages many unhealthy behaviors including
submission to peers on one extreme – one of the more common examples involve youth who
take up drug habits in order fit in with their peer groups or to suppress their insecurity – and, at
the other extreme, suppression and even abrogation of other human being – examples include
speaking harshly about others, domination within its various forms, and social/racial oppression.
By observing contentment we are coming into connection with our true character and working to
express our personality in a positive and conscious manner.

The final component of santosha is that of gratification and appreciation for the things that we
have in life. This includes an inner appreciation of what life has provided us with, an
acknowledgement of the things we have within our lives and the potentiality behind each of
those things. When we experience this form of contentment then we begin to realize that our life
is perfect as it is, and everything around us is the way it needs to be for where we are at this
present moment in life. There is no doubt that things will change in the future, but the situation
that presents itself at this very moment is a gift of God. Santosha is relatively speaking a
precursor to the last two niyama (which we will discover in a moment) because from this state of
contentment arises the asset of self-knowledge which procures the potentiality of vision that is
the catalyst for creativity.

To instate a firm personality which is receptive to spiritual living niyama offers the tool of
Swadhaya or self-study. This self-study is one of the first direct steps towards the divine because
prior to this we were mostly exploring aspects of morality and ways in which we could live a
more peaceful and harmonious life. But swadhaya is an effort to bring forth the Truth behind our
eternal nature which was instilled within each and every one of us from the cosmic divine. Self-
study evolves in many ways, but the two most primary means are that of inner-observation and
spiritual studies. Inner-observation involves reflection upon the differences between our mind
and our spirit, recognizing that within us is something that creates the image of a self as an
individual and another thing which is part of the eternal Self infused within our being. Through
this inner-observation we are able to distinguish between a life formed around an individual
sense of being and a life formed around an eternal sense of being, gradually working towards
identifying with the later aspect of our existence.

The other form of self-study involves reading spiritual texts and listening to spiritual teachers
who can guide us in the process of recognizing our eternal Self. This form of self-study is
important because it gives us an outline for the internal exploration. Although the Divine in its
true and full form is beyond any description, there are many teaching available which can give us
an idea of what we are looking for and what type of steps we can take in order to begin to
embody our Divine nature. Self-study is an essential step towards realization of our omnipotent
and immortal spiritual essence.

The final niyama is Ishwara pranidhana, translated as dedication to the Supreme Being in
thoughts, words and actions or a surrendering to the cosmic will. Again both of these translations
are significant. In the first instance, we are encouraged within ishwara pranidhana to reform all
of our thoughts, words and actions to be in harmony with the divine nature. We should think
positive and encouraging thoughts, speak kind and supportive words, and make dedicated
actions. Together these work to create vision and purpose in our lives: first we stimulate our
minds to generate ideas and images that reflect the divine will and nature; next we begin to
express our acting intentions through supportive speech; and finally we actuate our thoughts and
words by taking active steps in creatively expressing the divine will. In this manner we are
beginning to live in the awareness and image of the divine.

In the second interpretation of ishwara pranidhana we discover the concept of Seva, or selfless
service to the divine will. This involves the capitulation of our thoughts and actions to the will of
the divine. What is being expressed here is the idea that we should try to act in the world without
regards to raga and dvesha, the pleasure and pain or reward and punishment of our actions.
Instead we should live our lives as an expression of the divine, using our mental, physical, and
spiritual resources to better ourselves and the world we live in, acting for the sake of the cosmic
divine and not for the sake of our own individual needs and desires. Such action helps to dissolve
the ego, revealing the divine essence which is hidden underneath.

The Unified Power of Yama & Niyama

As many people may already know, Yoga means to yoke or unify. Our supporting elements of
yama and niyama are far from neglecting the concept of yoga because they are essentially
designed as tools for harmonizing our lives. But as we mentioned before, yama and niyama work
primarily within two distinct dimensions of our existence, those of the materialized external
reality and the metaphysical internal reality. While it is obvious that these spheres of existence
are interdependent, they do posses distinguishing features that make them characteristically
different. The physical reality, for instance, is composed of elementary mater and therefore is
associated with the materialized universe which is destine to the fate of time with creation,
preservation, and destruction always present. In contrast, the metaphysical world is, to some
degree, part of the cosmic consciousness and therefore part of the eternal. Nevertheless both
contribute significantly to the fate of our experience of life and are therefore inseparable aspects
of human life.

Within the science of Yoga, when we are beginning to create the experience of yoga within our
lives we typically begin by observing the teachings of yama and niyama concomitantly. Such a
practice is necessary because we are, as mentioned above, addressing two somewhat different
aspects of our lives when we activitly apply the guidelines of yama and niyama. To practice
yama and niyama independent of one another would be like trying to bake a cake by putting it in
the freezer: we have all the right ingredients (the inner world) but the external environment (the
outer world) we have chosen will prevent us from cooking our cake!

In order to prepare and eventually create our spiritually centered modality of living our inner and
outer lives must develop a two way relationship in which both are supporting one another.
Between the two is a direct cause and effect relationship: the inner life generates thoughts which
lead to words and actions which alter the external world; the outer life creates circumstances and
experiences which have an impact on the internal world. Let us just briefly extract this concept.
Nearly all of the words and actions we manifest through our bodies are expressions of our
internal, mental lives. For example, our action of going to the store to buy a box of chocolates
originates from an internal thought: we do not just spontaneously end up in the store with a box
of chocolate in our hands and say ‘why not?’

As for the opposite cause and effect relationship, the concept that our outer world affects our
inner world has been a topic of debate for centuries, one that has been of particular concern to
psychologists who have explored the origins of the personality. Is the mind a tabula rasa, or a
blank slate waiting to be filled by input from the external world? Or is the mind predisposed to
personality traits that are enforced or discouraged by the external environment. Either way the
outer world has a profound effect upon our inner metaphysical world. Let us return back to the
chocolate story. Perhaps we saw a commercial in which a box of chocolates was being delicately
consumed by a cute young couple who were sitting on the beach. This commercial (part of the
external world) may stimulate the internal thought, ‘I want chocolate’ thereby influencing our
internal desires, wants, and cravings which in turn will affect our future (in this case driving to
the store to buy chocolate).

The inner and outer dimensions of our life have a bilateral relationship in which they are
constantly affecting one another. This interdependent exchange changes the overall shape of our
lives, altering our personalities and the way in which we perceive the world. But what some may
not realize is that our choice and actions also affect the world outside of us, including both the
physical world (including other people and physical earth) and the metaphysical world (including
the collective conscious). What we think and do within and outside of ourselves can drastically
alter the future of both our own lives and the lives of others.

With this in mind, let us take a look at the four ways in which our inner and outer lives can
interact with one another.

1. Negative thoughts + Negative Actions

2. Negative Thoughts + Positive Actions
3. Positive Thoughts + Negative Actions
4. Positive Thoughts + Positive Actions

In the first instance a negative inner life is experience in association with a negative external life.
This means that we are having a generally negative internal life which includes degrading and
self-destructive thoughts and a generally negative external life which involve interacting in
degrading environments and creating destructive actions that are harmful to ourselves and others.
Obviously this scenario is the least favorable of the four as we have chosen to live a life that is
by and large centered upon negativity which is retracting from our spiritual growth.

The second combination involves a negative inner life with a positive outer life. Such an
approach is quite commonly seen in the modern world in which people will have a lot of guilt
stored in their minds and hearts and try to compensate by doing good in the world. In this
instance we see yama being expressed as the individual is trying to cultivate a life that is more
sensitive to the needs of the world. But they have neglected the spiritual tools related to niyama
or their inner life and therefore exist in a field of imbalance. Another very common example
relates to those who are always trying to please others. In this case they may feel very insecure
internally and therefore try to compensate by doing a lot of good things to help others in order to
seek their approval. Of course this type of lifestyle will not sustain full spiritual growth as the
inner life is being neglected and left unhindered as it cycles through negative thought patterns.

Our next possible combination involves a positive internal life that is working towards
spirituality but a negative external life which is hindering the internal growth. We see this type of
life system most frequently amongst those from the western world who wish to enter a spiritual
lifestyle but have not taken the necessary steps in reforming their external lifestyle. In this
situation the individual has internally decided to live a more spiritual life and has started to
reflect upon themselves and began to observe some of the branches of niyama. But this
individual has not reformed their external life and still continues to involve themselves in
situation that are detracting from their spiritual growth like going to bars, watching violent
movies, and using harsh words against others. Hence despite the fact that they have taken
internal efforts to enter into a spiritual life, the way in which they express their outer life is
inhibiting their overall spiritual growth.

It is only when we have both a positive inner and outer life that spirituality begins to blossom on
a holistic and dynamic level. In this type of life the external and internal worlds are working in
cooperation with one another to produce a spiritually unified lifestyle that encompasses all
dimensions of the individual’s life. It is within this type of environment that spirituality evolves
rapidly, and the spiritual practitioner is observing the tools of Yama and Niyama in order to
advance their connection to the spiritual dimension of their being. This individual has begun to
work on their spirituality on a deeper level and has become sensitive to the diversely unique
qualities of their being.

Glimpsing the Power of Choice

Ultimately if we wish to see spirituality emerge as a central component of our lives we must
make a choice regarding how we think and act within ourselves and the world in which we live.
Yama and Niyama are powerful guides we can actuate within our lives, but first we must make a
choice as to whether or not our spirituality is something we value and would like to see manifest
itself within us. Yama and niyama are only affective if we commit ourselves to them. We cannot
fluxgate from strictly observing them one day and totally disregarding them the next. In fact it is
better to begin gradually, picking one or two aspects of yama and niyama of which we can
practice for some time and then gradually adding additional activities as time passes. Eventually
we should work toward a life that is fully dedicated to our spiritual growth.

Spiritual growth is comparable to the development of a house. Every time we choose to lay a
brick to take the building a step higher we much first surround it with concrete to ensure it stays
in place. But simply laying concrete is not enough. If we want to ensure the longevity of the
building we must water the concrete daily so that the concrete settles. Once the concrete if firmly
set we can confidently lay another brick. Our spiritual growth is very similar in nature. When we
want to see our spirituality grow we must take a new practice into our lives that is going to take
us closer to our truest self. Then we must surround that practice with reinforcing ideas and
behaviors which are going to strengthen it and make it a significant part of our lives. Finally we
ensure that the practice integrates into our being by continuing to observe the practice on a daily
basis until it has integrally linked itself into the ambience of our personality and being. After the
practice has become assimilated into our being we can then begin to observe another practice
which is going to continue to advance our spirituality. In this manner our spiritual life grows
with steadiness, ease and balance.

Integrating yama and niyama into life naturally stimulates the affect of revealing our underlying
spiritual essence. These spiritual tools can be applied by just about anyone without concern for
repercussions because each of the branches of yama and niyama are designed to enhance the
quality of life as opposed to detract from it. Life is an evolutionary process, one in which we are
changing on a moment by moment basis, constantly taking on new forms and shapes. When we
integrate yama and niyama into our lives this evolution has a purpose and direction which
involves the awakening to our eternal and divine self.