the Yamas

I'm going to begin with the first of Patanjali's eight limbs of yoga, the yamas. Now, Patanjali was this fellow who compiled the Yoga Sutras, a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away. Minus the galaxy part. In a horribly basic, simple sense, it's practical advice for living happily.

The yamas are sometimes called observances, and sometimes called restraints. One way they might be understood is by likening them to putting reins on a horse - you're just putting reins on yourself with these principles to better control and guide your Self. And the particular area these principles address is public living - the better and healthier your behavior, the more easily and happily you can coexist with others, and, notably, the more easily and happily you can coexist with yourself.

Mind, this is on something of a deeper level than just having good manners, though that might certainly be a manifestation of a person dedicating themselves to developing the yamas. We don't generally live ascetic, hermet-in-a-cave lives - we're social animals, living in a social world, and so it helps for our internal development to balance that external development as well.

First up, tomorrow: ahimsa!