A very good
recommendation for a College Student who is interested in Learning
Yoga, is to memorize the first two limbs of Yoga. These are Yama,
the Moral Injunctions of Yoga, and Niyama, the Fixed Observances of
Yoga. This is done so you can apply them to every day life as a
student, without doing further study of Yoga. Because once you have
them memorized, they may be applied to just about anything.
When
an aspirant finds things in life which run counter to the rules of
Yama and Niyama, these situations can be countered with knowledge of
how to live correctly. This will help you be on the path
of Yoga.
The Moral Injunctions (Yama) are five: ahimsa,
satya, asteya, bramacharya, and aparigraha. These five vows can be
practiced in all situations and will aid the aspirant.
(1) Non Violence (ahimsa). This amounts to
wishing no harm in word, thought or deed to anyone.
(2) Truthfulness (satya). A student of Yoga must
practice being truthful, sincere and honest.
(3) Non stealing (asteya). A person must not take
other peoples possessions or wealth. Don’t steal things is basic to
morals of people.
(4) Continence (brahmacharya). This is chastity
for the unmarried students of Yoga.
(5) Non Greediness (aparigraha). A student of
Yoga must not be attached to possessions or have greed for more
things.
The Fixed Observances (Niyama) are five: sauca,
santosa, tapah, svadhyaya and Isvara pranidhanani.
(1) Purity (sauca). A Yogi keeps is body clean
and uses as pure of foods as possible. One’s kitchen and everything
can be cleaned.
(2) Contentment (santosa). A Yogi must find
enough contentment in the life situation that he has.
(3) Religious zeal (tapah). A Yogi takes what
religious zeal he has for Yoga and Hinduism and learns to increase
it to the best of his ability. Have some zeal for Yoga and
meditation, that is what it
means.
(4) Self Study (svadhyaya). There are various
types of self study, those which bring us closer to the self, and
studies which are about the self.
(5) Surrender to God (Isvara pranidhanani). The
Yogi begins to think of God as Isvara, his own chosen ideal. This
way he can begin with some understanding of God. Later the Yogi may
find that he can change the chosen ideal to another definition, or
feeling of God. Also some students have Guru’s and the Guru is
considered a type of Isvara so that "Isvara" is a person instead of
a concept of God.