Yoga is a philosophy or a way of mindfully being. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra’s lay out a sort of road map as to living in a way that benefits your well-being. The Niyamas (individual disciplines) are one of the 8 limbs of Ashtanga Yoga. The teachings of Niyamas consists of:
Tapas = effort (it takes to change a dysfunctional pattern)
Santosha = gratitude (great for our immune system and overall health)
Saucha = cleanliness (external and internal = maintenance of our environment inside/outside)
Svadhyaya = self-study (could be the understanding of what brings us joy or what our dysfunctional patterns are ==WE ALL HAVE THEM!)
Isvarapranidhanani = faith (could be in God or depending on what speaks to you... something bigger than ourselves like Grand Canyon, ocean) Think of the AWE and Wonder you feel when you look at the stars or the ocean. The potential for sweet surrender exists in that moment of recognition.
The teachings tell us that when we practice these individual disciplines, it serves us right here and now. This system is not set up as a reward (if you do these things, you will be rewarded later). It is a beautiful blueprint, an architectural masterpiece towards living mindfully and joyfully.
Here's to living fully and moving our bodies with breath! May we move/breathe like the jellyfish moving effortlessly through the ocean.