Yoga Off the Mat Part 2 - The Psychology of Yoga

Most people think of yoga as something that happens on a mat — stretching, breathing, perhaps finding a moment of calm in an otherwise busy life.

But the physical practice was never intended to stand alone. In the classical teachings of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the physical postures are only one small part of a much larger project: the cultivation of a mature and balanced human being.

In the first part of this exploration of yoga off the mat, we looked at the Yamas — the behavioral restraints that help us recognize and limit the destructive tendencies within human nature. These practices encourage us to restrain impulses that undermine cooperation, trust, and peaceful coexistence.

But restraint alone is not enough.

If the Yamas address what we should avoid, the Niyamas describe what we should actively cultivate. They are the personal observances that strengthen the constructive side of our nature — qualities that encourage clarity, resilience, gratitude, and humility.

Together, the Yamas and Niyamas form the psychological foundation of yoga.

The Five Niyamas
(Practices of Psychological Cultivation)

1. Purity (Saucha)

Clear thinking and clear perception are becoming increasingly rare. Our mental environment is often polluted by two-dimensional influencers, media hype, AI distortions, and the constant frenzy of social media. As a result, our mental hygiene is under pressure and, for many people, increasingly fragile.

Just as the body needs exercise, clean air, nourishing food, and pure water, the mind also requires healthy inputs—ideas that inspire, perspectives that challenge us, and quiet space for reflection through meditation and contemplation.

Managing what enters your psychological world is now essential. Discernment about what you consume mentally helps nourish clarity and reduces distortion in how you perceive reality.

Practice: Read books that inspire you. Watch videos that teach useful skills. Sleep well. Stop scrolling endlessly.


2. Contentment (Santosha)

Consumption is often presented as the pathway to happiness. Satisfying every whim has become a way of life for many, and online shopping constantly feeds the appetite for instant gratification.

Yet the more we accumulate, the less satisfied we often feel. Possessions rarely extinguish the inner urge to want more.

The feeling of sufficiency already exists within each of us. It is like a quiet mountain lake—often overlooked, yet always present. Nothing needs to be added to it. When we simply sit beside it and appreciate what already exists, the restless drive to acquire begins to soften.

Suddenly, nothing more is needed.

Practice: Reflect on what you already have—people, experiences, and moments that nourish your life. Pause and quietly say thank you.


3. Discipline / Heat (Tapas)

Some commentators suggest that as digital life has expanded, tolerance for discomfort and challenge has decreased. Whether or not that claim is universally true, one thing remains clear: growth requires effort, and effort often involves discomfort.

Self-discipline means being willing to endure that discomfort. It is the price we pay for improvement.

Developing the capacity to stay present with difficulty builds psychological resilience—an ability long emphasized by stoic philosophy and many contemplative traditions.

Practice: Take a cold shower. Exercise when you don’t feel like it. Have the difficult but necessary conversation. Do the dishes. Clean your room. Small acts of discipline strengthen resilience.


4. Self-Study (Svadhyaya)

Have you ever had someone describe you in a way that shocked you?

Years ago, a girlfriend once told me that a psychic had described me as “untrustworthy.” I was deeply disturbed by the comment and rejected it outright.

Decades later, after much reflection, I came to a similar conclusion myself.

Rather than retreat from the discovery, it inspired me to look more honestly at my choices and the ways I might become more accountable.

Letting go of the idea that we are always the hero of our own story opens the door to genuine self-understanding. The image we present to the world—especially on social media—is rarely the whole picture.

Everyone carries a shadow. Acknowledging it rather than denying it can be deeply liberating.

Truth, when faced honestly, does indeed set us free.

Practice: Journaling, exploring alternative perspectives, therapy, and honest introspection.


5. Surrender to What Is (Ishvara Pranidhana)

Traditionally this observance is translated as “surrender to a higher reality.” Here, I prefer to interpret it more simply as surrendering to what is.

This shifts the focus away from metaphysics and toward psychological acceptance.

Accepting reality does not mean giving up or becoming passive. Instead, it means letting go of the stories, distortions, and emotional dramas we construct around events.

Psychologically, this allows us to come to terms with situations more quickly—even painful ones.

When events are positive, the same attitude prevents us from becoming overly attached to pride or personal ownership. We remain grounded rather than inflating the illusion that we are entirely in control.

In short, we stop using events to reinforce the fantasy that life must unfold according to our personal script.

Practice: Go into an event with the goal to remain present rather than get an outcome. After the event ask yourself these 3 questions: 1. What actually happened? 2. What did I imagine? 3. Did I abandon myself anywhere?

In summary:

The Yamas help reduce destructive tendencies.
The Niyamas help cultivate constructive ones.

They are not rigid rules or moral commandments. Instead, they function more like observations about human behavior — simple practices that gradually shape how we relate to ourselves and to others. One could argue the Ten Commandments consist of eight restraints (thou shalt not ...) and two constructive observances for the people of Israel at the time.

Seen through a modern psychological lens, they encourage the development of:

• Emotional regulation
• Impulse control
• Authenticity
• Gratitude
• Self-awareness
• Acceptance

Not surprisingly, many of these same qualities appear in contemporary approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance-based therapies, and positive psychology.

Yet there is an uncomfortable truth here.

Many people are drawn to yoga for its flexibility, fitness, or aesthetic appeal. But the original teachings suggest that the real practice was never about touching your toes. It was about transforming the way we live, think, and relate to the world around us.

The mat, in that sense, is only the rehearsal.

The real practice begins when we step off it.
​
And perhaps the most important question is not whether these principles exist, but something far more personal:
Which of them do you naturally embody — and which do you tend to avoid?
Because that is usually where the next stage of growth is waiting.

While the yamas and niyamas point toward a wholesome way of living, they fall short in explaining why humans so often fail to live in harmony and cooperation. They don’t fully address why the human condition expresses both profound beauty and destructive tendencies—or why so few people throughout history have lived free from greed, violence, jealousy, and selfishness.

This deeper “why” is largely absent from the great traditions—the sutras, Upanishads, Torah, Quran, and Bible. At best, they offer metaphorical accounts of how our condition arose, but not a clear, evidence-based explanation of why.
To explore this question further, I recommend you read "Freedom: The End of the Human Condition" by Jeremy Griffith. It presents a detailed line of reasoning aimed at explaining the origins of the human condition—and suggests that living in alignment with the yamas and niyamas may be our natural state, once that understanding is found.

---