Yama & Niyama
The principles of morality are the foundation of yogic life.
Yama and Niyama guide the relationship between the individual, the surrounding world, and one’s own inner environment.
They create the necessary foundation for deeper practices of concentration, meditation, and inner awareness.
Yama
Ethical discipline and harmony in relation to the external world.
Niyama
Personal discipline and cultivation of the inner environment.
Yama and Niyama form the first two limbs of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga, preparing the practitioner for deeper inner practices developed gradually through dedicated practice.
Traditionally, deeper practices were introduced once a stable foundation in discipline, ethics, self-awareness, posture, and breath had been cultivated.