Philosophy · reviewed by a teacher
Yamas and niyamas
The yamas and niyamas are the ten ethical guidelines that open the eight limbs of yoga in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. The five yamas describe how you treat others and the world, and the five niyamas describe how you look after yourself.
Where they come from
The yamas and niyamas come from the Yoga Sutras, a short text of compact sayings traditionally credited to Patanjali, about whom little is known for certain. Scholars usually place its compilation somewhere in the early centuries of the common era, though the dating is debated. In the second chapter, the Sutras lay out eight limbs of practice, and the yamas and niyamas are the first two. Postures come third, breathing fourth, and the inner practices of concentration and meditation follow.
That order matters. In the classical text, ethics come before the body, and a gentle beginner’s practice works the same way: how you treat your body comes before how far it goes. The Sutras also say that the yamas become a great vow when they are kept everywhere and always, without exceptions for place, time or circumstance. Later commentators wrote at length on each one, and much of what modern teachers say about them is handed down through those commentaries.
The five yamas
- Ahimsa, non-harming. Often placed first, and often read as the root of the other yamas.
- Satya, truthfulness, in speech and in how you present yourself.
- Asteya, not stealing, including time, credit and attention that are not yours.
- Brahmacharya, traditionally celibacy for the renunciant, now more often read as moderation of the senses and of energy spent.
- Aparigraha, not grasping, or not holding on to more than you need.
The five niyamas
- Saucha, cleanliness of body, space and mind.
- Santosha, contentment with what is here.
- Tapas, steady discipline, the effort that keeps a practice going.
- Svadhyaya, self-study, which classically includes the study of texts.
- Ishvara pranidhana, surrender or devotion to something larger than yourself.
The last three niyamas also appear earlier in the same chapter, where the Sutras call them kriya yoga, the yoga of action.
What do the niyamas offer, according to the Sutras?
Niyama means an observance, something you keep up, where a yama is something you hold back from. The Sutras do more than list the five. A few lines later they name what each one brings when it is practised steadily.
- Saucha brings a cheerful, clear mind and fitness for concentration, and a certain distance from the body as something to cling to.
- Santosha brings happiness that the text calls unsurpassed.
- Tapas burns away impurity, so that body and senses work well.
- Svadhyaya brings contact with the chosen object of devotion. Early commentators read it as study of texts on liberation or repetition of om, and in Hindu practice it often includes chanting a verse such as the Gayatri mantra.
- Ishvara pranidhana leads, the Sutras say, to samadhi, complete absorption.
Notice the direction of travel. The yamas mostly face outward, toward other people. The niyamas face inward, toward your own habits, and they end at the deepest goal of the whole practice. That is why many teachers present them as a bridge from ethics to meditation.
How they show up in a modern practice
Most people meet the yamas and niyamas on the mat rather than in the text. Ahimsa is the reason a good teacher tells you to back off before pain, not after it. Satya is being honest about how your body feels today rather than how it felt last month. Santosha is letting a pose be what it is without forcing the next version. Tapas is turning up on the days you would rather not, the practice followed long and with earnestness that one of the best-known yoga quotes from the Sutras describes.
Some teachers choose one yama or niyama as the theme for a class. Others never name them at all and simply teach in a way that reflects them. Both are common, and neither is more correct.
How they can shape a personal practice
In a one-to-one lesson or a home practice there is room to ask how your body is actually doing, and that is where these ideas stop being abstract. A session might be built around ahimsa by keeping every shape well inside what feels safe, or around santosha by staying in one gentle posture and noticing it rather than chasing depth.
Studying the philosophy is optional. Even unnamed, the principles can shape how you practise.
Questions
What are the 5 yamas and 5 niyamas?
The yamas are ahimsa (non-harming), satya (truthfulness), asteya (not stealing), brahmacharya (moderation, often translated as restraint) and aparigraha (not grasping). The niyamas are saucha (cleanliness), santosha (contentment), tapas (discipline), svadhyaya (self-study) and ishvara pranidhana (surrender to something larger than yourself).
Do you have to follow the yamas and niyamas to do yoga?
No. Many people practise postures and breathing without ever studying them. They are an invitation to think about how you live, not an entry requirement for a class or a lesson.
Are the yamas and niyamas religious?
The Yoga Sutras come out of Indian philosophy, and the last niyama speaks of devotion to Ishvara, often read as God. Many modern readers take the list as practical ethics that sit comfortably alongside any faith, or none.