Nonviolence Truthfulness Nonstealing Nonexcess N o n p o s s e TTT YYY s s i HHHEEE AAAMMMAAASSS v e n e s s && NN IIYYAAMMAASS Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice Deborah Adele r e d n e r r u Purity Contentment Self-discipline Self-study S Advance Praise for The Yamas & Niyamas… “Beyond moral precepts, the yamas and niyamas are guidelines for living a healthy life. With the voice of a storyteller, Deborah Adele brings this ancient wisdom to light with modern tales common to us all.  is is the behavior we need for a sustainable world.” ~ Anodea Judith, Ph.D., www.SacredCenters.com Author of Eastern Body-Western Mind and Waking the Global Heart “ eee YYYaaammmaaasss &&& NNNiiiyyyaaammmaaasss iiss aa ggrreeaatt bbooookk.. IItt iiss oonnee tthhaatt II hhaavvee been looking for, for a long time. Deborah’s style is fresh and truthful, her writing inviting and inspiring, and her suggestions for integrating the concepts into life - downright simple. You’ll learn a lot from this book and along the way you’ll have fun exploring yourself.” ~Susi Hately Aldous, BSc., yoga teacher, founder of Functional Synergy Yoga  erapy and author of Anatomy and Asana and  e Art of Slowing Down, www.anatomyandasana.com “After reading  e Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice, I wanted to return all my other books to the shelf and just practice these teachings.  e insights that Deborah Adele draws from yoga’s ethical guidelines have helped me to better understand my Christian faith. I am buying a copy of this book for each and every member of my prayer groups.” ~ Rev. Douglas Dirks, Abilene, Texas “Compassionate, lively, and wise,  e Yamas & Niyamas provides a portal into a recognition beyond tradition; a living way to relate from our highest vibratory level into our present world, regardless of cultural or religious background. Like the Tao expresses itself as yin and yang, these restraints and observances are presented as the swinging doors into the unconditional, liberating us from the bonds of our day to day stressors and uniting us with the One truth for which we all hunger. It fed me.” ~ Randine Lewis, MSOM, L.Ac., Ph.D. Founder of  e Fertile Soul, www.thefertilesoul.com Author of  e Infertility Cure and  e Way of  e Fertile Soul. “Deborah’s book,  e Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice, really brings these jewels to the light and to the world. As a yoga teacher I have been looking for something for my students that can lead them to join me in a life-long love aff air with the yamas and niyamas – and this is it!” ~ Dharmi Cunningham, owner Turning Light Studio, N. Yarmouth, Maine, www.turninglight.org “Deborah Adele has written a jewel of a book. In this volume, we fi nd not only the practical insights of classical yoga, but simultaneously the deep wisdom, subtlety, and joyfulness that these practices produce.  e Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring YYYooogggaaa’’’sss EEEttthhhiiicccaaalll PPPrrraaaccctttiiiccceee iiss aa mmuusstt rreeaadd ffoorr aannyyoonnee iinntteerreesstteedd iinn spiritual wisdom.” ~ Phil Nuernberger, Ph.D., www.mindmaster.com Author of  e Warrior Sage and Strong and Fearless:  e Quest for Personal Power T Y HE AMAS & N IYAMAS T Y HE AMAS & N : IYAMAS Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele On-Word Bound Books, LLC innovative publishing ~ Duluth, Minnesota THE YAMAS & NIYAMAS: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice Copyright © 2009 by Deborah Adele All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Published by: On-Word Bound Books LLC / 803 East 5th Street Duluth, Minnesota 55805 / www.onwordboundbooks.com Fonts: Main text: Adobe Garamond Pro. Titles and quotes: Shangri La and Rowen Oak by Nick’s Fonts http://www.nicksfonts.com/ Haiku’s written by Catharine Larsen Sanskrit resources were found on-line at the following websites: http://learn-sanskrit.com:80/8limbs.htm http://www.avashy.com/hindiscripttutor.htm http://www.americansanskrit.com Sanskrit was illustrated by Sara Duke and approved by Vyaas Houston of the American Sanskrit Institute. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Adele, Deborah, 1949-  e yamas & niyamas : exploring yoga’s ethical practice / by Deborah Adele. p. cm. ISBN-13: 978-0-9744706-4-1 (pbk.) ISBN-10: 0-9744706-4-3 (pbk.) 1. Yoga. 2. Ethics. 3. Conduct of life. I. Title. II. Title:  e yamas and niyamas. BJ123.Y64A34 2009 181’.45--dc22 2008032793 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Dedicated to: Yogiraj Achala who made these ten guidelines come alive in my life, and to all sentient beings whom I hope will benefit from this exploration. Acknowledgments AAAAAbb ooookk iiss nneevveerr wwrriitttteenn iinn aa vvaaccuuuumm;; II hhaavvee bbeeeenn hhuummbblleedd bbyy tthhiiss ttrruutthh.. TToo aallll ooff tthhoossee wwhhoossee ppaarrttiicciippaattiioonn mmaaddee tthhiiss book a reality, my deepest love and gratitude; your voices are contained within these pages as well as in my heart. Deepest gratitude to the sages and teachers who sit within the yogic tradition, whose selfl ess sharing of the richness of the yogic tradition with the West has brought a new sense of awareness, balance, and opportunity to Western consciousness. My prayer is that we in the West are worthy of the gift and can use this wisdom for the broader scope of humanity and the earth. Deepest gratitude to Yogiraj Achala whose love and teaching have given me pieces of myself. vii Deepest gratitude to Vyaas Houston of the American Sanskrit Institute for his generous guidance crafting Sanskrit characters. His character is impeccable and his love for Sanskrit is both moving and inspiring. Please check out the opportunities available to you at www.americansanskrit.com. Gratitude to Catharine Larsen for sharing her insights and creativity in the beautiful Haikus which begin each chapter.  e book is richer for them. Deepest gratitude to my friend and business partner Ann Maxwell, who embodies these guidelines. Although the words of this book are mostly mine, they come from our work together over our years as business partners and represent the thoughts and experience of both of us.  roughout the book you will hear the purity of her voice and the boldness with which she lives her life. We have a partnership that we have consciously chosen to base on practicing these guidelines with one another; this choice has kept us fresh and pertinent. Gratitude to Jill Pospisil whose support, editorial comments and tireless research gave clarity and integrity to this book. Gratitude to Phil Nuernberger, Ph.D., whose constant support and encouragement kept me on task; Phil has been a signifi cant teacher in my life. Gratitude to the Rev. Douglas Dirks, Dharmi Cunningham, and Ron Johnson who were kind enough to read, encourage, and give direction to the pages of this book; their willingness and love was a strong foundation and impetus for writing.  ank you to Brooks and Coral Anderson who generously provided rustic cabin space on Lake Superior where the silence could render the writing of this book.  anks also viii to Nancy Hanson-Bergstrom and John Bergstrom, Catharine and Lauren Larsen and to Ron Johnson who shared their homes as writing space for me.  ank you to the publishers, Sara Duke and David Devere, whose clarity, ideas, and love of books kept me encouraged and inspired.  ey have made this process a fun and creative adventure; I am grateful that they took the risk.  ank you to Michelle Skally Doilney and Debbie Nuernberger, who gave me permission to shut my door and write. Gratitude to the amazing community of people who practice and learn at Yoga North Studio in Duluth, Minnesota; their strong dedication and commitment has deeply touched my heart. Gratitude and love to my family and friends who provide the venue for living the practice of these guidelines and love me anyway. And fi nally, deepest love and gratitude to my husband, the Rev. Doug Paulson, whose tireless nourishment, love, and support is beyond words. Doug continues to stimulate my thinking, model a selfl ess life, encourage my explorations, provide humor to the monotonous, and make every day a grand adventure.  ix