Thursday Satsang In-Person and Via Zoom – September 14, 2023
“The Yamas, Five Pearls of Raja Yoga, the Foundation of the Royal Path “
with Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma) Psy.D., 500-RYT
7:00-8:30 p.m. CDT
New Time – 5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga with Lori Beron
7:00-7:30 p.m.: Guided Meditation
with Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma) Psy.D., 500-RYT
7:30-8:30 p.m.: The Yamas, Five Pearls of Raja Yoga, the Foundation of the Royal Path “
with Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma) Psy.D., 500-RYT
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
8:40 p.m.: Snacks
Join us on tonight for a talk with Stoma regarding the Yamas, the first rung of Raja Yoga, the Royal Path, also known as Astanga Yoga, the 8-limbed Yoga, and their importance as guidelines for our lives in creating a yogic approach to living. This foundation in understanding the yamas assists us in choosing right attitudes in thought, speech, and action towards others with whom we are in relationship.
“…Yamas may be translated as “ethical restraint.” This is because the first of these attitudes is ahimsa (nonharm, nonviolence), and the other four yamas are extensions of that attitude. There must be someone or something towards which we practice the yamas, so they are intrinsically relational…
…Whenever Patanjali makes a list in the sutras, the order of the items on the list is significant. So it means something that he has placed the work with yama and niyama first and second in the process of moving towards Self-realization. As if that were not enough, he explicitly highlights the importance of relationship in sutra II.31. He states that the principles of the yamas apply ‘ at all times, in all conditions, at all levels of practice and attainment.’ From beginning to end, Yoga is about relationship…
(From Clearing the Path, The Yoga Way to a Clear & Pleasant Mind: Patanjali, Neuroscience, and Emotion, pages 87-88 written by Stephen Parker, PsyD).
“The Yamas are five restraints which regulate one’s relationship with other beings. They are Ahimsa or non-violence, Satya or truthfulness, Asteya or non-stealing, Brahmacharya or abstinence from sensual indulgence and Aparigraha or non-possessiveness…”
(From Lectures on Yoga, Practical Lessons on Yoga by Swami Rama, pages 17–19. This book was later published with the title The Royal Path, Practical Lessons on Yoga.
