Yes, No, Yes No: The Yamas & Niyamas

The Yamas & the Niyamas represent the first two limbs/branches of the eight-limbed body/tree of ashtanga (ashta=eight, anga=limb) yoga. Considered as foundations for the remaining six limbs, these outer branches of the ashtanga system are attitudes & actions that have the power to align us with Inner peace. Totaling ten in number ~ five Yamas or donts, and five Niyamas or dos ~ they strike a resonant cord, for many who first come upon them, with the Christian Ten Commandments. There is, however, an important difference: the emphasis of the Yamas & Niyamas is not so much on what we will suffer if we fail to abide by them, but rather on what we will gain if we choose to practice them. In other words, they are not so much commandments as they are recommendations, invitations or just plain sensible advice from our friends in this yoga lineage.

The Yamas & Niyamas are ~ at least initially ~ engaged with as a path, a practice, a direction of development. Once weve practiced for a while, and realize spiritual perfection (i.e. have traversed the remaining six limbs of ashtanga Yoga), the Yamas & Niyamas manifest as specific siddhis/fruitions which take us beyond the yes and no of the path, and into the nondual territory of YesNo, a.k.a. Nirvana, Brahma, Unity Consciousness. They become what in Buddhism are called paramitas (nondual perfections). So while initially the Yamas & Niyamas are much like the proverbial finger pointing to the moon (a tool for guiding our vision), in their essence and final manifestation they are finger/moon indistinguishable.

The first of the Yamas is Ahimsa, or non-violence. It is the practice of doing no harm, and reveals benevolence as a natural quality of the heart. When we perfect the quality of non-violence, hostility ceases in our presence: even the fiercest of beasts ~ in meeting this perfected vibration of doing-no-harm ~ themselves become harmless. Complementing the Yama of Ahimsa is the Niyama of Saucha, or cleanliness, which ~ though it includes bodily cleanliness ~ refers principally to a purity of heart. In renouncing the desire to do harm in any way to others (the practice of Ahimsa), we develop a sweetness & innocence that is the sign of a heart inwardly pure and at peace. The consciousness of being separate from others (the root of all acts of violence) has at this point been transformed into the realization of the inherent Unity of Being giving rise to that absolute inner purity which is recommended by the Niyama of cleanliness.

The second of the Yamas is Satya, or truthfulness. This is the practice of harmlessness with respect to our speech: of speaking in a way that is both truthful and kind. This requires us, for one, to make a distinction between truth and fact: the truth (the Masters tell us) is always beneficial (given the particular context); a statement of fact can (within a particular context) be either beneficial or harmful. What is recommended, when faced with a situation in which speaking sincerely would likely inflict harm, is simply to remain silent. Perfection of Satya develops mental power to such an extent that ones mere word becomes binding on objective events: One has merely to declare a thing so for it actually to become so. Complementing the Yama of Satya is the Niyama of Ishvara Pranidhana, or Devotion to the Supreme Lord, for the ultimate act of truth-telling is to admit to there being only one reality in existence: God. And this is a God discovered not by scattering our devotion outwardly in religious ceremonies and rituals, but rather by turning it inward (becoming yogis!) ~ by realizing Brahma flowing through and as ourselves. This fundamental self-honesty (Satya) unfolds quite naturally then as the Niyama of Devotion to the Supreme Lord (our own radiant Core). When we realize who we are, how can we not be in love and endlessly devoted to that?!

The third of the Yamas is Asteya, or non-avarice. What is to be renounced, here, is the desire for anything that is not acquired by merit. This involves a fundamental trust in the law of attraction by which what a person does indeed merit, will be (quite infallibly) attracted. (This is in alignment, also, with the tenets of Karma yoga: of remaining relaxed with respect to outcome/resluts, even in the midst of fervent activity.) Developed to perfection, the quality of non-avarice generates a subtle magnetism that enables the yogi to attract things effortlessly: his or her needs, whatever they are, are always met giving rise then to a sense of ease and relaxation. Complementing the Yama of Asteya is the Niyama of Santosha, or contentment. Because we know that what we merit will always be forthcoming, were able ~ in our work and in our play ~ to rest within an attitude of acceptance, regardless of the particular circumstances that are currently manifesting in/as our life.

The fourth of the Yamas is Aparigraha, or non-acceptance, and is a corollary to Asteya/non-avarice: Asteya signifies non-attachment to what is not our own; Aparigraha signifies non-attachment to what we would normally consider to be our own. The point is that nothing, truly, belongs to us (as small-self/ego). Everything ~ our bodies, our actions, our thoughts ~ belongs to the Lord (our Higher Self). The perfection of Aparigraha manifests as the capacity to remember our past incarnations (something that is possible only when we let go of our identification with our present body). Complementing the Yama of Aparigrapha is the Niyama of Swadhyaya, or introspection, which invites a movement from an understanding of what we are not (via the practice of non-acceptance) to an ever-deepening intuition of who we are.

The fifth of the Yamas is Brahmacharya, self-control or ~ more literally ~ flowing with Brahma/the Supreme spirit. This teaching is applied most specifically to the practice of celibacy/sexual abstinence. More generally, it refers to working skillfully with all of our natural human appetites. In its deepest sense, Brahmacharya signifies the practice of allowing our awareness always to be flowing in the Core of our Being, i.e. of being identified with spirit, instead of with an ego centered in body-consciousness. As we train in this way, we begin to be master of our natural human appetites (their fulfillment becomes a clear expression of the energy of awakened mind), instead of being mastered by them (i.e. drawn into loops of distraction from the truth of who-we-are). The perfection of this Yama dawns as an arising of boundless energy, which causes us to shine like the sun itself, shedding radiance continuously. Complementing the Yama of Brahmacharya is the Niyama of Tapas, or austerity, which refers to the practice of taking energy that was formerly directed outwardly, and re-channeling it into the spiritual search, of offering (as food) to the fire of the Shushumna Nadi, all of those previously outwardly-directed desires/appetites.

Elizabeth Reninger holds Masters degrees in Sociology & Chinese medicine, is a published poet (please visit: http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com), and has been exploring yoga ~ in its Taoist, Buddhist & Hindu varieties ~ for more than twenty years. Her teachers include Richard Freeman, Mingyur Rinpoche & Eva Wong. For more yoga-related essays & resources, please visit her website: http://www.writingup.com/blog/elizabeth_reninger

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Let's Have A Look At The Nintendo Wii Accessories

The nintendo Wii is a great, ground-breaking gaming system, mostly because of it's accessories that change the way you can play games. You are no longer confined to your couch with the little controller in your hand; now you can fly all over the room, serving up those tennis serves for real, and taking a swing at the ball in realtime. Here is a review of some of the new accessories that Wii offers.

Wii Nunchuck

The Wii Nunchuck controller isn't designed for kung-fu games, although it could be used for fighting games. The nunchuck works pretty much like the Wiimote. You hold it in your hand, and it has motion sensor technology so you can play wireless. It fits your hand well and can be used with either right or left.

What's cool about the nunchuck is that, for some games, you use the analog stick to control your character's movements and you swing the nunchuck around to perform certain actions, like throwing the ball or shooting a weapon.

The Nunchuck is smaller than the regular remote controller, and has fewer buttons. It's simpler in design and meant to be used for certain games only.

Wii Component Cables

The cables Wii offers are useful for a variety of things. You can hook up your Wii to an HDTV and get better graphics. Or, you can hook the Wii up to your stereo and get better sound. The component cable basically allows you to hook your Wii up and pimp it out.

Gamers have been really pleased with these because of the better graphics they offer. The only trouble is that nintendo hasn't made them easy to get; they are only available for sale online.

Wii lan adapter

Although the Wii has WiFi, you might want to get wired up, and that's what the lan adapter is for. It has a usb port so that you can get a wired connection going through your Wii. Most users prefer a wired connection to a wireless when you want to hook up to the net.

Originally, the lan adapter was available only in Japan, and it got to the point where you couldn't even buy them off play-Asia anymore. They just couldn't keep them in stock. At the time of this writing, nintendo has plans to release it worldwide.

Wii Controller Glove

The Controller Glove is stylish and comfortable, but its most important plus is that it makes gaming safer. Once you start playing your Wii with that remote, it's all too easy to get into your game a little too much, and the remote goes flying. The Controller Glove helps keep the remote where it belongs - in your hand, and not through your television screen.

While the Controller Glove makes gaming safer, you still have to be careful. Last year, gamers had some trouble with the thin straps breaking. nintendo has promised that the newer ones are more durable, but try not to get too out of control.

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