The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali 2.28-31
by Aiko Ota
In this episode, we name the eight limbs of ashtanga-yoga and then focus on the first limb which is abstention (yama). There are five abstentions: non-violence, truthfulness, refrainment from stealing, celibacy, and renunciation of unnecessary possessions. The yogi following the path of astanga is instructed to follow these on the physical, verbal, as well as mental level, meaning, for example, that they are not supposed to engage in physical violence, think of stealing or speak lies. Yama is, according to Patanjali’s outline of this system, the first step in yoga, and what to speak of the final goal, even though this is a tall order! However, rather than beating ourselves up (for not being able to live up to the ideal) or knocking ourselves out (the over-enthusiasm of the beginner), we should pay attention to the point made by the commentators that non-violence (ahimsa), which includes abstaining from self-harm.
