Connecting the Yamas and Niyamas from Yoga Scripture with The Raw Food Lifestyle
by Ellen Livingston
Yoga is classically divided into eight aspects, or limbs, which are interconnected and lead eventually to the highest states of awareness. The limbs become progressively more internal. The first two of these limbs of yoga are the Yamas and the Niyamas. The five Yamas are ethical precepts, or universal principles of right living, to be practiced in word, thought, and deed. These include non-violence, truthfulness, control of the senses, non-stealing, and non-possession. The five Niyamas are personal practices to be observed, which will help one establish discipline in one's life. These include purity, contentment, austerity, self-study (study of the sacred texts), and surrender to God.
It is interesting to explore how these powerful prescriptions for right living interface with the journey into a raw lifestyle. The study of the Yamas and Niyamas can form a powerful and supportive foundation for your transition to raw foods. I plan to expand upon this in a longer future article. For now, I'd like to take just one of these principles and show you how you can apply it in your raw journey.
I have chosen the third one of the Niyamas, "tapas", which translates to austerity, or discipline. It's useful to explore your relationship with the idea of discipline, and to notice how it shows up in your life. If you are like most people, you probably tend to have a somewhat negative association with discipline, as though it is something you should or shouldn't do for some desired outcome. So, you set up rules for yourself to discipline your behavior, such as going to sleep earlier so that you will not be so tired in the day.
But there is another, more loving and positive way to view discipline. Discipline is simply remembering what you want and acting accordingly. Thus, if you've decided that what you want is a healthier body, then when you are tempted by a food that would be unhealthy, you think, "Is this what I truly want?". You remember that what you really want is a healthy body, and in that moment of clarity you empower yourself to exercise tapas, and to decline the unhealthy food, knowing that you really do not want it. This is loving self care.
Maybe what you want is to release yourself from negative thoughts and/or self-judgment. So when you experience a negative thought or judgment, you remember that you want to release yourself from this kind of unhelpful thought pattern. Now, again, you can engage tapas, and know that you are being kind to yourself by releasing the negative thoughts.
There are certainly ample opportunities to practice tapas on the raw journey! You are wanting to make some big changes in your life, many of which require an extra dose of discipline to achieve. Discipline does not have to be harsh or loaded with "shoulds". I invite you to think of discipline in a fresh new light, as how you care for yourself, how you love yourself and give yourself what you want. I think you will like how different this feels!
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