The first niyama is saucha or purity. We've all heard the old adage "cleanliness is next to godliness," but creating purity in our life is more that being sure we've showered. Maintain an orderly space around us can bring clarity of thought and respect for our belongings. Bringing mindfulness to our consumption habits: making choices to avoid toxic foods or purchase environmentally friendly products are also forms of bringing purity into our lives. Nourishing our body and soul by…

Aparigraha is the fifth yama and is defined as "greedlessness." How do we embrace and teach greedlessness is our culture of "stuff" and "more more more"-especially around the season of giving? I think this yama comes last in the list for good reason. As we bring non-harming, truth, non-stealing, and moderation into our lives greed begins to melt away. A sense of abundance and trust envelopes our every day and our perspective shifts. We need not fill our lives with all that "stuff"…

Brahmacarya is perhaps one of the most misunderstood yamas. This fourth yama was completely perplexing to me during my 200 hour teacher training - the definition taught to us was "celibacy." Much to the dismay of my partner, I seriously thought that refraining from sex would help me attain a higher understanding of yoga. Well, that didn't last for too long and thankfully that then-boyfriend is now my husband!…