We have all had the experience of looking back in our lives into an event that felt sad or disconcerting, and realising that it was exactly what we needed for our growth. Clearly the world is much more complex and multifaceted than we can even conceive of let alone understand, so it becomes quite evident that there is an intelligence larger than our own guiding our universe and holding it together. This Niyama involves becoming aware of that higher intelligence, having deep esteem and admiration for it, and seeking to connect with it.
In this state we develop a state of trust in that superior reality which allows us to gain perspective over what is really important. We detach from worldly matters and allow our body, mind and consciousness to be fully placed in the hands of that superior cosmic will, making ourselves available to be a vehicle for it at all times.
We open ourselves to surrendering our ego and personal will to this intelligence so that we can understand our purpose, reach our true potential and fulfill the destiny of mankind. We perceive the universe from a global dimension, and our vibration shifts to cosmic frequencies rather than our own personal resonances.
This Niyama refers to the deep study of the spiritual truths about our inner self and of the Universe in its different aspects.
This can involve a number of different things such as attending lectures, reading books and spiritual texts, etc., and then understanding and meditating upon their significance and underlying ideas, and applying them into our lives so that the knowledge becomes experiential and enriches our lives.
Our own self-reflective consciousness can be considered Svadhyaya as well. And while it results in beautiful learnings about ourselves and great realisations about our inner qualities, it can also uncover our inner weaknesses, egos, limiting beliefs and unhelpful thinking styles, which can be hard to deal with. In that sense, it is useful to have a mentor to guide us along the path, so that we don’t get lost.
As we research and comprehend more and more, we gradually move into higher states of consciousness.
Santosha is a state of serene contentment, equanimity and fulfilment. It shouldn't be confused with happiness, as we can be in difficult circumstances and still remain in peace, with the reality of the being inside of us. It should also not be confused with complacency, in which we allow ourselves to stagnate in our growth.
Through Santosha we start to feel a genuine acceptance of things and people as they are, without the pressure of our expectations. Otherwise our mind is systematically comparing experiences (past vs. present and also us vs. others), undermining them and setting expectations. So even though we may be facing something joyful, if the mind compares it to a previous experience that was more joyful, the present one gets diminished. We have a relationship that has lots of great things, but if it lacks something we had before (or someone else has), we get a sense of disappointment, instead of exploring all of its potential. So we seek the next one, and do the same.
Another pattern of our mind is to get uninterested. We come into a house that has a beautiful smell, we are delighted for one minute, and then we cease to feel it: our brain filters it out. We take a bite of some food we really like, feel pleased for a few seconds, then we get used to it and our mind drifts off to other thoughts for the rest of the meal. As the current experience loses interest, we look for the next interesting thing ahead… next phone, next tablet, next car… And we are never satisfied, as the cycle of human desire knows no end.
A key point for Santosha is to be able to appreciate things. For instance, it is usually not until there is a power cut that we value electricity. As we flip the switches and the lights don’t turn on, have to wash the dishes as the washing machine is not functioning, or freeze because the heater is not working, we remember how good it was to have electricity. But the moment it comes back, we forget. With Santosha we realise how lucky we are to feel healthy, to have oxygen, etc. rather than taking things for granted.
If we have an internal locus of control, it is possible to sustain this feeling for long amounts of time, as external factors do not impact us as much. Otherwise we function like a pendulum, feeling very happy at times, sad at other times, excited/apathetic, interested/bored, engaged/un-motivated. Without the proper vigilance, our egos can take us away from experiencing the beauty of the present moment, and can pull us towards lower vibrations (e.g. materialism), losing our connection with our higher self and its resonances.
Tapas relates to having a regular and persistent practice towards a goal of spiritual nature.
Typically this is applied to our own practice, let’s say we commit to an hour of a specific practice per day, in order to achieve a specific goal. With Tapas we direct our full focus and energy towards hat commitment, which generates great strength that goes into achieving that goal.
Tapas works to break the barriers of the mind and our mental tendencies. Quite often when we decide to put some effort into our development, our mind starts coming up with all sorts of resistances and excuses, and we end up spending time in superfluous or trivial matters instead of doing the practices that we intended. With Tapas, we make a strong and incontestable decision to do a specific thing – and then do it, regardless of anything that the mind throws at us. This decision is done at a very profound level inside of us, and it carries great strength, to give us the discipline for the practice and to achieve the end goal.
Sometimes, if we feel that our will power is not strong enough, we can use our imagination to create mechanisms to maintain our enthusiasm, or get together with people who have established a practice for themselves, or attend inspiring spiritual events that will give us light and motivation to continue.
This Niyama is directly connected with our central fire, so it relates to a burning enthusiasm and indestructible conviction that lead to inner transformation.
Saucha is the practice of purity, which involves all levels of our life. Maintaining a pure body, speech, emotions, mind, and environment allows us to create the conditions to make room for our consciousness to manifest.
When we nourish the body and eat healthy food we may feel our energy increase, when we exercise regularly we are likely to get rid of toxins that were harming us, when we are in beautiful places or listening to gentle music our mind can become more peaceful, when we surround ourselves by people who inspire and bring out the best in us we can experience more elevated emotions, when we speak purely our words can have a profound impact on the lives of others, and so forth.
The practice of Saucha can transform our speech by making it clearer, honest and more profound, by removing meaningless talk and reviewing the intentions behind our words. The practice of love, kindness, selflessness, charity and servitude have the potential to purify our emotions from selfishness, greed and pride. Meditation, mantras, yantras, mandalas, yoga and the practice of awareness can purify our mind from its patterns and mental chatter. And by purifying all these levels, we continuously remove the 'pollution' that can be all around us and inside of us, in order to experience life more vividly and aspire to higher vibrations.