Walking the Path: The First Steps of Yoga Living
Light on words. Deep in wisdom.
A short, soulful guide to living your yoga—one breath, one choice, one moment at a time.
Walking the Path: The First Steps of Yoga Living
Welcome, dear friend.
If you’ve ever felt a quiet call for something deeper—a way of living that feels more intentional, more spacious, and more connected—this new blog series is for you.
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be gently guiding you through the Eight Limbs of Yoga, not as a checklist or strict tradition, but as a living, breathing pathway into wholeness. You’ll recognise elements of these limbs from your practice—movement, breath, rest—but perhaps not yet as part of a fuller tapestry that supports life off the mat as much as on it.
This is the journey of Yoga Living:
One that supports our self-care, nourishes our spirit, and re-aligns us with our inner truth. One that embraces being in the body, feeling what’s real, and softening into our own unfolding.
We begin, as yoga always does, with the first limb: The Yamas.
The Yamas – Returning to Right Relationship
The Yamas are five foundational principles that gently guide how we live in harmony with others and the world around us. They help us move from reaction to reflection, from reactivity to integrity, offering us a structure for compassionate living.
Let’s meet them one by one…
1. Ahimsa – Compassionate Living
More than non-violence, Ahimsa invites us to pause and respond with kindness. It’s the practice of softening the harsh inner critic, of treating ourselves and others with care. It asks:
“Can I lead with gentleness here?”
2. Satya – Living Our Truth
Satya is the call to speak and live from a place of honesty and authenticity. It’s not about brutal truth—it’s about kind truth. Aligned truth. Truth that honours both our voice and our values.
3. Asteya – Enoughness and Trust
Often translated as “non-stealing,” Asteya speaks to the ways we grasp for more—more time, more recognition, more than what is. It invites us to rest into sufficiency, to trust that what we have and who we are is enough.
4. Brahmacharya – Balanced Energy
This is the art of energy wisdom. Instead of depleting ourselves, Brahmacharya asks us to notice where our energy flows and whether it honours our deeper rhythm. It is about remembering we don’t have to give everything away to be of service.
5. Aparigraha – Letting Go
Aparigraha is the soft hand. It’s the unclenching of control, the releasing of old stories, expectations, and the accumulation of “shoulds.” It reminds us that when we let go, we make space for grace to enter.
An Invitation to Pause
These Yamas aren’t rules to follow perfectly. They are practices to return to. Ways of being that support us in living with more integrity, kindness, and calm—even when life feels messy.
They are the grounding roots of the tree that is yoga.
What’s Next?
In the next blog, we’ll explore how to live these Yamas—not just understand them, but experience them. We’ll look at how they show up in everyday choices, in breath, in practice, and in the sacred transitions of our lives.
So if something stirred in you today—stay close.
We’ll take the next steps together, gently and with care.
With warmth,
Sue xx
Sense Greater Peace – Breathe. Move. Restore. Flourish.
