Niyamas are mainly for purifying the body and mind.
They are practised on individual basis are:
(i) Shauch: keeping your body and mind clean. Taking a bath everyday, cleaning teeth and drinking pure water. It covers activities like healthy food including grains, fresh green vegetables provide all the necessary ingredients like starch,
fats, vitamins, salts and minerals give stamina and strength to your body. So Yoga advises us to eat healthy food. It also expects you to be regular in your toilet habits so that your body is free of toxins (harmful substances). Shauch also means purity of mind. Our sages have recognized six enemies that make our minds impure. These include Kama – excessive desire, Krodha– anger, Lobha – greed, Moha – temptation, Mada – ego and Matsar – jealousy. Shauch means keeping away from these six enemies and filling one’s mind with noble thoughts.
(ii) Santosh: It means contentment. You should do your best in every undertaking and be happy with that. There are certain factors which are beyond your control so if you achieve the expected success, that is fine and if you do not achieve the expected success that is also fine. Joy lies doing the work itself.
(iii) Tapa: The literal meaning of Tapa is penance. When our exams approach we generally give up seeing movies and T.V. We do not waste time chatting with friends. To achieve a goal we have to make sincere effort, and give up certain pleasures. This is Tapa. While treading the path of Yoga, we have to
control our desires and concentrate our mind.
(iv) Swadhyaya: It literally means self-study. Here it means studying the principles related to Yoga. If we do not understand it all by our selves, we may seek the guidance of experts. Swadhyaya not only means reading literature related to Yoga but also contemplating on the principles of Yoga.
(v) Ishwar Pranidhan: It means being in constant contact with God by chanting or by keeping in mind all the time that our actions are in the worship of the Lord. Lord is the witness of everything we see, do and experience.
