1. In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali presents the five yama[1] to help us to clarify our relationships and reduce the detritus that obscures our vision. The goal of these yama is to allow for a freedom in being in relationship.
2. Only with such freedom in being is seeing really possible – so cultivating yama is an important aspect of the practice of yoga teaching and the ability to observe.
3. The basis of a relationship can be seen in the first two yama: ahimsa (not harming) and satyam (truthfulness).
4. Ahimsa is the cultivation of a space in which another can be free; their being is not compromised by fear. Ahimsa thus requires that we allow another to be simply as they are; it demands that we accept another without agenda, and yet with interest and compassion.
5. Satyam is the cultivation of presence such that we are able to step forward and communicate our truth without fear. It requires us to speak (or to remain silent as appropriate) authentically.
6. Without establishing something of ahimsa and satyam, the remaining yama are not built on a solid foundation.
7. The next two yama, asteya (not stealing) and brahmacarya (not dissipating) develop the relationship as it faces the inevitable challenges that arise in long-term relationships.
8. Asteya requires us not to take advantage of another. Students often project onto teachers and can reveal sensitive and vulnerable aspects of themselves. It is incumbent on the teacher to maintain boundaries in such circumstances – otherwise the relationship becomes confused and being and seeing are compromised for both the teacher and the student.
9. Brahmacarya involves us not losing our priorities – and in this sense also requires boundaries. In long-term relationships priorities can be obscured, diluted and forgotten as we are swept along by the momentum – and sometimes confusion – of the relationship. When this happens, of course our observation is compromised.
10. Finally, aparigraha (not accumulating) is the fruit of the other yama. Aparigraha is about non-accumulation; it is the ability to let go and to allow flow so that our perception and our relationships do not become stagnant.
11. Flow requires the freedom to open to the new, stagnation happens when there is no space for the new and the past begins to pollute the space of the relationship. In such a case, observation again is severely compromised – what we see is stale and stagnant: the detritus of our undigested relationship.
Excerpt from: http://www.thefunkyguru.co.uk/catalogue