A Blog from Happy Frog Yoga

Note from Susan: This is not my typical “blog” for this site. The Frog Blog is typically reserved for children’s yoga tips. However, this dicussion of the yamas can certainly be helpful when dealing with little ones. Check it out and see what you think:

I am really bothered by people who claim to stand behind a particular set of standards (whether religious dogma or guiding principles from a particular tradition) but do not even attempt to understand the complexity of their own doctrine and how it relates to their personal (life) practice. In most circumstances, people apply these concepts to OTHERS; very rarely inwardly examining how their own behavior goes against the principles they espouse as TRUTH.

In this case, I am speaking of the yamas (a Sanskrit word literally meaning “death”). There are 10 traditional yamas, which are intended to teach us what to steer clear from in our daily lives. You might think of them as the “yogic 10 commandments” (which is clearly meant as a point of clarification and cognitive understanding rather than a comparison to Christianity).

Not every yama is as easy as it might appear at first glance. Let me explain.

• Ahmisa (or nonviolence). A friend of mine suggested the other night (while discussing my aversion to violence) that at times violence may indeed be the best recourse. Sometimes the last resort comes sooner than you expected. In other words, in cases of self-defense . . . as in “someone is about to intentionally hurt one of my children and I have an opportunity to respond” violence is the most appropriate response. This yama is about (in my opinion) knowing what the proper response is to particular situations. To live “right” we must know when it is right to respond and how to craft that response so that is appropriate to the situation.
• Satya (truthfulness). The problem with this yama is PERCEPTION. Everyone’s reality of what is indeed true is different. Many interpret this yama by metaphorically linking it to the old cliché: “walk the walk and talk the talk.” However, it’s more than that! It’s knowing that your version of the “truth” may not necessarily be someone else’s version. I like what Katrina Repka and Alan Finger suggest in their book “Breathing Space.” They suggest that when communicating we seek to be understood. Instead, we need to focus on UNDERSTANDING another’s perspective. Relationships aren’t about what makes you comfortable or what feeds your ego. Effective human interaction comes from place of understanding rather than from the desire to be understood.
• Asteya (non-stealing).  Not stealing from others might seem obvious. Perhaps that’s why we so often equate this yama with debt. Given the current state of the economy, unemployment rates and home foreclosures in our own country, the chances of the average person not having some sort of debt is tiny. Often I find people using this yama in give-and-take situations. For example: “I lent you money and you never paid me back.” However, this yama is also about giving freely without expectation. Working hard without the desire to make a fortune. Sharing your talents without expecting payment. This approach takes us toward SERVING others rather than serving for the sake of obtaining something in return (something oil company executives probably wouldn’t understand).

There are others of course–brachmacharya (celibacy and faithfulness to others), kshama (patience), dhriti (overcoming fear), daya (compassion) and arjava (honesty)—and with each yama we can make these comparisons.

The yamas, like any other code of conduct are not there so that HUMANS can judge other HUMANS. And, perhaps, that is the real challenge.

Namaste,

Susan Bissett Spangler, PhD ABD, RYT-200, RCYP 1 & 2

yankylady73@yahoo.com