In this third episode on Patanjali's eight limbs of yoga, we’re exploring the niyamas and how they can support mental health in our yoga teaching.
While the last two episodes were on the yamas, on how we engage with the world, in this one, we turn inward to the niyamas, on how we relate to ourselves.
We look at the five niyamas not as a self-improvement checklist or an impossible ideal to measure ourselves against, but as practical ways of tending our inner world with awareness, clarity and care.
In this episode, we explore:
Sauca as clarity rather than purity and how it shapes the spaces we teach in and the way we tend to our own inner world
Why cleanliness and purity can quietly tip over into shame, and the importance of ahimsa
Santosha, contentment, and why choosing it is a quietly radical act
The science of gratitude, and how it can help to down-regulate the nervous system
Tapas, the inner fire, and why it is never about self-punishment
Svadhyaya, self-study, and the discernment that only you can make about when to push and when to rest
Isvarapranidhana, surrender, and making this niyama accessible for those for whom the language of God feels difficult
How the niyamas keep our practice and our teaching resourcing rather than depleting
This podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice or training. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personalised guidance or come and join one of our programs at the Yoga Psychology Institute for professional training. While we are grateful for our guests and sponsors, any statements, claims or endorsements made are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Yoga Psychology Institute.
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