YOGA FOR BEGINNERSI recognize that for now these Sanskrit terms probably
mean nothing to you, and you might just want to move on to
the poses. That’s perfectly fine. However, if you begin to prac-
tice yoga in a yoga studio or start to follow videos online, it is
inevitable that some of these Sanskrit words will come up in
one or more of your classes. That is why I mention them here,
so they will reveal themselves in ways that help you.
Besides asana, the most referenced of the branches of
ashtanga are the first two principles: the yamas and niyamas.
Patanjali breaks down each of these into five different areas,
which are described below.
Yamas
The yamas describe ways in which we can control our
actions and our reactions. The five yamas are as follows:
- Ahimsa
- Satya
- Asteya
- Brahmacharya
- Aparigraha
AHIMSA
Ahimsa literally translates to “not injury.” The easiest way to
think about it is like the doctor’s Hippocratic oath, which
says, “First, do no harm.” It is the guiding principle that
physicians use in making any major medical decision.
According to ahimsa, it should guide yoga practice as well.