PRACTICING THE YAMAS Need ideas? Try these:
Ways to practice ahimsa or nonviolence 1. Be gentle with your body while practicing yoga asana 2. Use only polite language in one day 3. Visualize a peaceful world for 10 seconds 4. Try a vegetarian or vegan diet for a week 5. Protest war or forms oppression
Ways to practice satya or truth 1. Tell somebody you love how you feel in detail. 2. Make a list of your ultimate truths. 3. When somebody asks how you’re doing, answer truthfully. 4. Create boundaries to nourish yourself. 5. Write down the stories you to tell yourself and find out if it’s really true or not…
Ways to practice asteya or non-stealing 1. Show up on time. Being late is stealing time. 2. If you thought of something awesome, share that idea. 3. When somebody is talking to you, give them your full attention. 4. Pay your bills on time. 5. Don’t take something free unless you really need it.
Ways to practice brahmacharya or moderation 1. Abstain from sugar for a week. 2. Take less than you need. 3. Practice celibacy for a month. 4. Limit the amount of time you watch TV. 5. Spend more time face-to-face than on social media.
Ways to practice aparigraha or non-greediness 1. Get rid of possessions you don’t need. 2. Give to charity. 3. Let go of that obsessive thought. 4. Be grateful the things you have. 5. Only eat what nourishes you. PRACTICING THE NIYAMAS Need ideas? Try these:
Ways to practice saucha or cleanliness, purity 1. Meditate on what saucha means to you 2. Be mindful of your impure thoughts 3. Drink more water. 4. Bathe yourself. 5. Unclutter your surroundings.
Ways to practice santosha or contentment 1. Meditate on what Santosha means to you 2. Try to go a day without complaining 3. When you get a negative thought, be curious about it 4. Remember a moment where you felt loved for who you are 5. Make a list of things you’re grateful for
Ways to practice tapas or zeal, commitment 1. Meditate on what tapas means to you 2. Make an alarm for time to meditate 3. Create a plan for your goals 4. When you first get up, try not to hit the snooze button 5. Find an accountability buddy to celebrate your wins
Ways to practice svadyaya or self-study 1. Meditate on what svadyaya means to you 2. Start a journal about your daily life 3. Ask yourself where you see yourself in 5 years 4. Make a bucket list 5. Try something new
Ways to practice ishvara pranidhana or surrendering to the big picture 1. Meditate on what ishvara pranidhana means to you 2. Join a circle 3. Contribute to a cause 4. Write a letter to a leader 5. The next time something doesn’t go as planned, be curious about it and trust the process