We’ve been in lockdown for just over a week. It was weird timing for me. Just before all of this, we were in Edinburgh for the weekend, then stopped on the way back to visit family, and decided not to return back to London. In just a week, life as we know it has changed so much.

I started to wonder today what I could learn from the yamas and niyamas, and how they might help give me more clarity during these pretty uncertain times.

5 Yamas

Ahimsa — Non Harming

I’ve often interpreted Ahimsa as being kind to others, and ourselves, but right now, this yama matters more than ever.

I’m going to quote the end of a note that came through door from one of my parent’s neighbours, “Please take every precaution to ensure you are only spreading kindness.” It was from a man who was actively offering his support to anyone in the village and surrounding areas by bringing them food, doing their shopping etc. 

I don’t need to reiterate government guidelines here, but ahimsa right now is about taking them seriously. No one is invincible. It matters that every single person is doing their bit to keep themselves and others safe. 

Satya — Truthfulness

Just before we went into lockdown, I received a few forwarded messages on Whatsapp which went along the lines of a friend of a friend who had a relative who had secret inside information about what was going to happen. 

I don’t know who is writing this stuff, but we really can take Satya at face value with this one. It’s so important to be mindful of who you listen to and how credible the sources are. There’s a lot of misinformation so just be mindful of where something came from and who wrote it before you pass it on. 

Asteya — Non stealing

Not taking what doesn’t belong to you, living too excessively, or craving what you don’t have at the expense of your wellbeing. These are all things I’ve associated with Asteya. What does it mean right now though? 

Back in London we have a whole flat of things. Because we never returned back to London from our weekend away in Edinburgh, I’m living from one bag. 

One of my good friends offered to post some things back for me but there was nothing that I considered to be really essential. I don’t think we were too excessive in London, but this certainly makes me think how I can be more minimal when the lockdown is over.

Even for my one year old — he doesn’t seem to need loads of toys. He’s more than happy with a trowel helping my Mum weed the garden, playing with parts of the hoover, or dropping pebbles into Meg dog’s water bowl.

Asteya also asks me how I can be more resourceful right now? What can I create and how can I be more present and not rob myself of the joy in the moment  by worrying about the future too much?

Brahmacharya — Right use of energy

It’s crazy that we’ve only been in lockdown for a week, where we can leave the house once a day. I didn’t even realise it was Saturday today. There’s no external structure any more for me to direct my energy to. This probably applies even more if you’re no longer able to carry on working. 

Right now your head, like mine might be buzzing with all the things you could do — learn a new language, start an art project, read a million new books, build an insect hotel. But, I also want to do nothing too. 

Sometimes, right use of energy doesn’t mean being 100% productive with every minute of your time. Perhaps right now, what we all need is some more time to do nothing — to go for walks with no purpose and enjoy the daffodils, watch the clouds float by, and give ourselves permission to find joy in the moment.

I’m continuing to work on the online course I’m creating, but I’m trying work-wise to focus on just one thing at once, and give myself the space to do nothing. 

Aparigraha — Non-hoarding

All the people obsessively stockpiling loo roll, bread and beer at the last supermarket I went into in Newcastle, this one is for you.

In my lifetime, I don’t think Aparigraha has been so important. I’ve often delved a bit deeper into this one and thought about all the things I have and don’t really need, but right now, we all need to stop hoarding more food than we can possibly eat. This one really can be taken at face value. 

5 Niyamas

Saucha — Cleanliness

Here’s another one to be taken very literally. I can’t remember a time when it has been more important to not only continuously wash your hands properly, but right now, everything that comes into the house, gets thoroughly disinfected.

Saucha is about the mind too. For the first time ever, I’ve been keeping up to date with the news. I want to stay informed, but I’m also mindful of not succumbing to fear.  

Santosha — Contentment

I’m in the countryside right now which is very calm anyway, but this last week, every time I go out for my run or cycle, the world just feels so still, in a way I’ve never felt before any later in the day than 4am. 

The fast pace of everything constantly moving and being on the go, has stopped for us all. We’re living in what can be frightening, anxious and uncertain times, and it’s important to allow ourselves to feel all these emotions. But what joy and contentment can be found right now? Everything slowing down is making me take one day at a time which is actually quite refreshing, when you’re someone who loves thinking up future plans all the time. 

It also makes me think of the book Man’s Search for Meaning, written by psychologist Viktor Frankl.  

To give you some context, the book outlines what Frankl observed whilst in a concentration camp in WW2. Those who survived were the ones who found reasons to live — admiring a beautiful sunset, and remembering the face of a loved one.

This quote best sums up what I’m trying to say:

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. — Viktor Frankl 

Right now we can all ask, what are you grateful for? What do you appreciate in nature when you do go out? What simple pleasures bring you joy and contentment at home?

Tapas — Self discipline

Inner fire, passion, and burning impurities are all things that could describe Tapas. I know there’s no Coronavirus vaccine or magic coronavirus pill available yet, but Tapas makes me ask what I can do now to stay as healthy, mentally and physically as I can. 

It also makes me think about self discipline and having something that I love doing every day in the morning that makes me feel good, however small. For me it’s my yoga practice and the Wim Hof power breath. But, depending on what you’re into, it could be running, singing, dancing — anything that gives you a feeling of inner fire. 

Svadhyaya — Study of the self

Rather than this one being a more philosophical inquiry into what the self is, I see Svadhyaya right now as being present to what I’m doing, feeling, thinking, behaving… It’s only been a week, but I’ve never been in a situation like this before — it makes me wonder what I can learn from it. I now have time and space to reflect on what’s truly most important.

Isvara Pranidhana — Surrender to your higher power

Until now I’ve always thought of Isvara Pranidhana as a higher power — whether that’s your own personal higher power, a God, the Universe, nature…When I think about it right now, it feels more about surrender to me — in a good way. 

I think about all the unknowns, and how so much has suddenly become out of our control. This is not about giving up — quite the opposite. I see it more about relinquishing what can’t be controlled and surrendering to that, so energy can be better used elsewhere.