Yamas and Niyamas

The ethical basis of yoga

So the pretzel postures are fun, and the peaceful feeling afterwards is great ... but isn't there more to yoga? Yes, there is! This workshop is an opportunity to look in more depth at why we do yoga and how we do yoga, using the yamas and niyamas – traditional ethical precepts – from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra-s as a framework.

 

A few weeks ago, in Greg Nardi’s workshop, we looked at the b-i-g picture of yoga philosophy. In this one we will be zooming in on one of the key passages of one of the core yogic texts. I’ll be talking a bit about the eight-limb structure laid out in the text and how it fits in with ashtanga vinyasa, and I’ll explain what the ethical precepts are. But the main focus will be discussion. We will be considering together how the traditional ethics of yoga can be real and relevant in our time, and and serve our practice and our lives in practical ways.

The workshop will be simple and accessible, and no pre-existing knowledge of yoga philosophy is necessary. However, if you do already have an understanding of the Yoga Sutra-s, you are also welcome – the ethical discussion is intended to be interesting and thought-provoking for anyone who is engaged in the process of being human.