The yamas and niyamas of ashtanga yoga: relevance to social work practice

ABSTRACT

Yoga has gained popularity in the West as not only a method of physical exercise, but also for many, as a source of healing, social transformation and a way of life. Despite this, little literature exists examining the utility of yoga and its philosophical roots for social work. This paper explores the first two limbs of the eight-limbed ashtanga yoga system, the yamas (ethical restraints) and the niyamas (spiritually conducive practices), discussing their relevance to social work practice, particularly in the context of social work ethical theory. The yamas are the ethical restraints of ahimsa (nonviolence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacarya (sensual abstinence or restraint), and aparigraha (non-avarice, non-possessiveness). The niyamas are practices conducive to spiritual development: sauca (purity), santosha (contentment), tapas (persistence), svadhyaya (study of sacred scriptures), and isvara pranidhana (contemplation of the divine). The yamas and niyamas are an example of the coalescence of deontological, consequentialist, virtue, and feminist ethics. This piece explores each yama and niyama, describing both their traditional roots and their implications for social work ethical theory and practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Philosophy
• ethics
• spirituality
• social work practice
• yoga

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The term yogi had originally been used to designate a male practitioner on the yogic path, with the term yogini signifying a female practitioner. In the spirit of gender neutrality and celebrating gender diversity, this paper uses the term yogi to refer to all who are on the yogic path irrespective of gender. There is a multiplicity of genders involved with yoga across cultures.

2. This term comes from Mohandas K. Gandhi’s use of the term satyagraha to mean “truth force” in nonviolent resistance. Gandhi (n.d.) stated, “Truth (satya) implies love, and firmness (agraha) engenders and therefore serves as a synonym for force. I thus began to call the Indian movement Satyagraha, that is to say, the Force which is born of Truth and Love or nonviolence, and gave up the use of the phrase “passive resistance” (p. 107).