Yoga philosophy for everyday life - the Yamas

Often we associate yoga with flexible people who perform fancy poses. But actually, yoga is much more than the asana practice we know from the typical yoga class. In one of the most well-known philosophical texts of yoga, the Yoga Sutras, asanas are only mentioned briefly. The Yoga Sutras were written around 400 years CE by a person named Patanjali, about whom little is known. They are a collection of 196 short verses (the sutras) intended to guide yogi(ni)s on their spiritual path to enlightenment. In the sutras, Patanjali describes yoga asana as the third of eight limbs of yoga and suggests that yoga practitioners should take a steady, comfortable seat - you read correctly, a seat, no handstand.

The first limb of yoga according to Patanjali are the yamas, a set of moral principles to support yogi(ni)s in interacting with their environment. There are five yamas: ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya and aparigraha. Below, I outline each and give some practical inspiration on how you can apply these principles to your own life.

Ahimsa translates as nonviolence or non-harming. This is a core principle of yoga and reminds us to act out of kindness and love for others and for ourselves. Ahimsa also extends to the way you treat the planet and all living beings. Practice inspiration: In your next yoga class, move your body from a place of love, without forcing yourself into a pose. In everyday interactions, practice ahimsa by treating others with kindness and respect. You could also chose to make a sustainable lifestyle change (e.g., stop using plastic bags, buy more secondhand or sustainable clothing). Or you could make sure that your dietary choices do not support animal suffering, for example, by buying animal products from responsible farming or switching to a plant-based diet.

Satya means truth and involves being honest in your interactions with others. That is to say, as long as you are not harming anyone with the truth, because that would violate the first yama, ahimsa. For example, telling your friend who just had a break-up that they look awful is probably not the best idea. Practice inspiration: Take time to check in with yourself regularly. The more you are connected to your inner world, the more natural it will become to communicate your truth to the outside world. You could try the emotional mindfulness meditation I shared in a previous blogpost (click here) or keep a journal where you regularly write down everything that goes on in your mind. Write in free-flow, without overthinking too much.

Asteya translates as non-stealing or “not needing to take what belongs to others”. This does not just include physical objects, but also thoughts, ideas and dreams. In practice, asteya boils down to being content with what you have without feeling the need to copy from others. Asteya is closely connected to satya. The deeper rooted you are in your own authentic self, the less you feel the need to compare yourself to others. Practice inspiration: If you are prone to compare yourself with others on social media, try a strict social media detox for one or two days. Another option to practice asteya is to keep a gratitude list: write down three things you are grateful for at the end of your day. This will help shift your focus on the good things you already have in your life.

Brahmacharya is associated with sexual abstinence. No need to say this yama needs a bit of dusting off so it is useful for the urban yogi(ni) of the twenty-first century. The original idea of brahmacharya is that yoga practicioners should not waste their precious energy on the drama of sexual relationships and instead stay focused on their spiritual path. While the modern dating jungle is not easy to navigate, staying away from it is probably not the solution. A more contemporary interpretation of brahmacharya is to be conscious of how you use your energy, whether that is in relationships or any other area of your life. Practice inspiration: Take some time to reflect where in your life you currently invest more of your resources than necessary and think of what action(s) you need to take to better manage your energy.

Aparigraha translates as non-grasping and means that we should not attach ourselves too much to anything outside of our true self. It is quite normal to identify ourselves with nice possessions, our job, our title or other labels. But who are we underneath all that? The essence of aparigraha is to be content with what you have, without looking for fulfillment or identity in any object or person outside yourself. Practice inspiration: Decluttering is a good aparigraha practice. Pick one area in your home to declutter, like your desk, wardrobe, or bathroom closet. The next time you want to buy something new, ask yourself if you truly need it. Often we buy things because we believe that they will make us happier when in fact, real happiness comes from within.

Please note that the yamas are not meant as strict rules. Patanjali mentions that they need to be adapted to the specific circumstances we live in. So make sure to pick only practices that work for you and your lifestyle. Have fun experimenting!

References:

1 Mallinson, J, & Singleton, M, 2017. Roots of Yoga. Penguin Random House: UK.

2 Skuban, R., 2011. Patanjalis Yogasutra. Der Königsweg zu einem weisen Leben. Random House: München.

How to naturally boost your energy levels

Finally, Spring has arrived - the season of renewal, growth and transformation. The days are getting longer and brighter again, the first flowers are blossoming - and I don’t know about you, but after lounging at home in cozy sweatpants these past months, I definitely feel the need to be more active again. This is often easier said than done - after the cold and dark winter days, it is common to feel fatigued and low on energy.

Here, I share my top 3 tips that can support you in naturally boosting your energy levels so that you finally stop hitting the snooze button and start your days feeling renewed and recharged.

1. Morning movement: To start the day energised, try to incorporate some kind of movement into your morning. This can be a yoga practice, stretching or a walk around the block. If you practice yoga, a few rounds of sun salutations is a great way to wake up and get your blood flowing. To stick with your new habit, keep it short and easy - even 10-15 mins can be a game changer. Create a dedicated place in your home for your morning practice. Make it as inviting as possible - that way, the chances are higher you follow through with your new routine.

2. Pranayama or breathing techniques: your breath is a powerful instrument to influence your energy levels. Many yogic breathing techniques exist - each with different effects. My favourite to kickstart the day is Kapalabhati breath, also called breath of fire. It is like a yogic version of your morning espresso. If you have been in a Rock the Weekend Yoga class, you are probably familiar with this breathing technique. If not, follow this step-by-step guide:

   • Find a comfortable seat (cross-legged or on a chair)

   • Place one hand on your lower belly

   • Take a deep inhale, fully exhale

   • Inhale once more (but not to your full capacity)

   • Now contract your lower belly and at the same time exhale rapidly through your nose (just like you were trying to “sneeze” a fluff away from your nose)

   • Allow your belly to expand, which will initiate a natural inhale

   • Continue to breathe in this rhythm: Consciously feel the contraction of your abdominal muscles under your hand with each exhale and the following expansion with each inhale.

   • Start slow and increase your pace as soon as you get the hang of it - for around 1 to 3 minutes or as long as it feels good

   • To finish, exhale fully, inhale deeply and close your eyes. feel the shift in your energy.

3. Have a green smoothie: lately, I re-discovered green smoothies. They are easy to make and loaded to the brim with vital nutrients. Also, a green smoothie can be a powerful energy boost in the morning or when you feel drowsy in the afternoon. Get creative in combining any leafy greens you have in your fridge with your choice of fruit (to cover up the “green” taste). As inspiration, find here my go to recipe:

Green smoothie recipe

Handful of spinach (or any leafy green like salad, kale)

1 small piece of ginger

1 stalk of celeriac

Handful of fresh herbs (e.g., parsley, cilantro)

1/2 lemon

1/4 cucumber

1-2 cups of water (less if you want a denser smoothie)

1 apple

Optional, to sweeten: 1/2 banana (or some other sweet fruit like mango, kiwi, pineapple)

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth. In case your blender is not powerful enough to create a smooth consistency, blend the leafy greens first with the water and add the other ingredients in a second step.

Try it out and let me know what worked best for you!

Good vibes - but not only!

In February, it was all about emotions at The Mindful Lab - specifically, about how we can learn to listen to and trust our feelings. Accordingly, Rock the Weekend Yoga classes included a mindfulness meditation at the beginning of each lesson to tune into the body and observe our emotional world. A really nice habit to start off the day - and one that you can incorporate into your life off the yoga mat! Find a simple instruction below.

Emotional Mindfulness Meditation

Sit on a comfy cushion or on a chair, close your eyes, maybe play some calming meditation music. Place your hands on your heart. Take a few deep breaths. Ask yourself: “how do I feel today?” Then, observe. Listen closely. How does your body react? What emotions are coming up for you? Can you label them? Where in your body do you feel them? Try not to judge. You are simply the observer of your emotions, watching from a distance. If you are a visual person, imagine your mind as a blue sky and your emotions as the clouds, slowly passing by. These clouds may change the appearance of the sky, sometimes even covering it up completely. However, they are not actually the sky itself - like you are not your emotions.

Research suggests that mindfulness practice1 reduces emotional and cognitive reactivity (meaning that you react less to upsetting events), repetitive negative thinking (meaning less rumination and worry) and generally increases mindfulness skills. This in turn has a beneficial impact on mental health outcomes, reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety and negative emotions2. This is great news because we are mentally wired to focus on negative events, information or emotions more than on positive ones. For example, when making a decision, people typically tend to weigh negative over positive information (news reporting makes use of this!)3. Neuroscientist Dr. Rick Hanson explains this negativity bias nicely: “The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positives ones.”4

In my opinion, mindfulness is also such a great practice because it leaves room for both positive and negative emotions. This is unfortunately not encouraged in our society. Popular psychology tells us to cultivate “good vibes only” or “think positive”. On social media, we tend to see only the perfect, happy moments of other people’s lives. Comparing our experience to such a distorted snapshot of reality is not healthy. Toxic positivity is a thing, and it is dangerous.

In her book, ‘Daring Greatly’5, social scientist Dr. Brené Brown summed up 12 years of her social research on shame and vulnerability. From the insights she gathered based on coding over thousand interviews and additional data sources, she came to the conclusion that vulnerability is not a weakness but actually a superpower that helps us to form meaningful relationships. Being vulnerable means emotionally exposing ourselves and facing tough emotions - very uncomfortable! In a world where negative emotions are not welcome, many people spend a lot of energy avoiding this by all means. A top armour against vulnerability according to Dr. Brown is numbing it - with food, our phones, television or simply by keeping ourselves busy at all times. Sounds familiar?

Bottom line: it is in fact important to cultivate ‘good vibes’ and pay attention to the positive things in life in order to override our brain’s negativity bias. But that does not mean we should ignore and numb out any uncomfortable emotions. Mindfulness is a great practice to embrace all of our emotions and learn to deal with them in a healthy way.

If you take anything away from this post, let it be this:

Good vibes, yes please - but not only!

1 Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), developed by Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. New York: Hyperion Books.

2 Gu, J., Strauss, C., Bond, R., Cavanagh, K. (2015). How do mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction improve mental health and wellbeing? A systematic review and meta-analysis of mediation studies. Clinical Psychology Review.37: 1-12.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2015.01.006

3 Kahneman D, Tversky A. Choices, values, and frames. American Psychologist. 1984;39:341–350.

4Hanson, R., & Mendius, R. (2009). Buddha's brain: The practical neuroscience of happiness, love & wisdom. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

5 Brené Brown (2012). Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead. Penguin Random House, UK.

Creating space - on and off the mat

Dancer’s pose - Natarajasana.

This January, yoga classes at the Mindful Lab have been dedicated to creating space in our bodies and minds. To name a few examples of the poses we focused on in the past weeks: Sphinx (Salamba Bhujangasana in Sanskrit), Camel (Ustrasana) or Dancer’s pose (Natarajasana, see picture above). These are all yoga poses or asanas that include a backbend - either more gentle as in Sphinx pose or more intense as in Dancer’s pose.

Backbends have an energising effect and are great to balance the posture we tend to hold during the day: hunched over a computer for long periods at a time or gazing down at the phone. Lockdowns and home office regulations have certainly not improved these habits. If practiced correctly, backbends increase range of motion in the areas of our body that we normally lack flexibility in (like the upper back), while stabilising areas that are already more bendy by nature (like the lower back). Most importantly, these poses expand and stretch the muscles around the chest, creating more space for the heart and lungs.

But yoga is more than a physical practice. Ideally, the lessons learned on the mat make their way into our everyday life. Off the mat, creating space translates to letting go - of things, thoughts or even people that no longer serve you - so as to make room for new experiences and encounters.

It is as simple as that: you have 24 hours in a day and a certain amount of energy. If you want to add more to dos to your list, you need to remove something else from the equation. A great example are New Year’s resolutions: in the beginning of a new year, we are usually full of motivation to finally go to the gym regularly, eat healthier, and so on - just to give up on these resolutions a few weeks later. Why this happens is a topic that has been covered by numerous self-help books, glossy magazines and extensive research. Of many potential reasons that are being discussed, a simple and often overlooked one is that we rarely make space in our lives for the desired changes.

According to tidying guru Marie Kondo, getting rid of things that do not spark joy can be incredibly freeing. If you have ever done a spring clean, you know what she is talking about. If you possess less stuff, you have more time and mental resources for the things that are important to you. I believe that the same principle can be applied to other areas in life. How about “decluttering” your busy calendar from appointments that do not spark joy and instead schedule in more meaningful time? If completely eliminating certain appointments is not possible, maybe you can shorten them by setting clear time boundaries. Make it a habit to block time just for yourself- for example, to do your self care routine.

What is one thing you can do to create more space in your life? Choose a simple action and make it your yoga practice for today!

Welcome to the Mindful Lab!

I am happy to have you here!

We live in a fast-paced society, with lots of distractions and the expectation that we need to be busy to be successful. Consequently, we often go through the day with our minds in a distracted state, seldom fully present. Mindfulness is the antidote to distraction.

“Mindfulness is the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally”

- Jon Kabat-Zinn (1994)

Being mindful means that you are in control of your attention and direct it to what is going on right now. Being mindful also means that when your thoughts wander, you do not judge yourself, and instead re-focus your attention on the present moment.

Yoga is a practice of mindfulness. This does not just happen on your mat - you can integrate yoga and mindfulness into your everyday life. On this blog, I intend to share practical tips on how you can do this and shed more light on the effect these techniques have on your mind and body.

If you have been to a yoga class before, I am sure you heard your teacher mention what certain poses or breathing techniques are good for. As a scientist, I have always wondered about the “mechanism” behind these effects. In recent years, many scientific studies have started to investigate yoga and mindfulness practices. While this literature is still in its beginnings (and not always trustworthy), I believe that it is important to have an open mind and continue to expand our knowledge with novel evidence.

During a yoga lesson, you want to go within and feel the practice – you do not want to hear a lengthy lecture. This is what this blog is for. My intention is to use this written format to share more background on the teachings of yoga (beyond the asanas), blended with scientific insights.

While I share my knowledge with you, I am equally a student, educating myself as I go. So if you have insights that you want to share with me, or a topic that you want to know more about, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 Stay curious!

Jessica

References

Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. New York: Hyperion Books.