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The Yamas & the Niyamas represent the first two limbs/branches of the eight-limbed body/tree of Ashtanga (ashta=eight, anga=limb) Yoga. Considered as foundations for the remaining six limbs, these outer branches of the Ashtanga system are attitudes & actions that have the power to align us with Inner peace. Totaling ten in number ~ five Yamas or donts, and five Niyamas or dos ~ they strike a resonant cord, for many who first come upon them, with the Christian Ten Commandments. There is, however, an important difference: the emphasis of the Yamas & Niyamas is not so much on what we will suffer if we fail to abide by them, but rather on what we will gain if we choose to practice them. In other words, they are not so much commandments as they are recommendations, invitations or just plain sensible advice from our friends in this Yoga lineage.

The Yamas & Niyamas are ~ at least initially ~ engaged with as a path, a practice, a direction of development. Once weve practiced for a while, and realize spiritual perfection (i.e. have traversed the remaining six limbs of Ashtanga Yoga), the Yamas & Niyamas manifest as specific siddhis/fruitions which take us beyond the yes and no of the path, and into the nondual territory of YesNo, a.k.a. Nirvana, brahma, Unity Consciousness. They become what in Buddhism are called paramitas (nondual perfections). So while initially the Yamas & Niyamas are much like the proverbial finger pointing to the moon (a tool for guiding our vision), in their essence and final manifestation they are finger/moon indistinguishable.

The first of the Yamas is Ahimsa, or non-violence. It is the practice of doing no harm, and reveals benevolence as a natural quality of the heart. When we perfect the quality of non-violence, hostility ceases in our presence: even the fiercest of beasts ~ in meeting this perfected vibration of doing-no-harm ~ themselves become harmless. Complementing the Yama of Ahimsa is the Niyama of Saucha, or cleanliness, which ~ though it includes bodily cleanliness ~ refers principally to a purity of heart. In renouncing the desire to do harm in any way to others (the practice of Ahimsa), we develop a sweetness & innocence that is the sign of a heart inwardly pure and at peace. The consciousness of being separate from others (the root of all acts of violence) has at this point been transformed into the realization of the inherent Unity of Being giving rise to that absolute inner purity which is recommended by the Niyama of cleanliness.

The second of the Yamas is Satya, or truthfulness. This is the practice of harmlessness with respect to our speech: of speaking in a way that is both truthful and kind. This requires us, for one, to make a distinction between truth and fact: the truth (the Masters tell us) is always beneficial (given the particular context); a statement of fact can (within a particular context) be either beneficial or harmful. What is recommended, when faced with a situation in which speaking sincerely would likely inflict harm, is simply to remain silent. Perfection of Satya develops mental power to such an extent that ones mere word becomes binding on objective events: One has merely to declare a thing so for it actually to become so. Complementing the Yama of Satya is the Niyama of Ishvara Pranidhana, or Devotion to the Supreme Lord, for the ultimate act of truth-telling is to admit to there being only one reality in existence: God. And this is a God discovered not by scattering our devotion outwardly in religious ceremonies and rituals, but rather by turning it inward (becoming yogis!) ~ by realizing brahma flowing through and as ourselves. This fundamental self-honesty (Satya) unfolds quite naturally then as the Niyama of Devotion to the Supreme Lord (our own radiant Core). When we realize who we are, how can we not be in love and endlessly devoted to that?!

The third of the Yamas is Asteya, or non-avarice. What is to be renounced, here, is the desire for anything that is not acquired by merit. This involves a fundamental trust in the law of attraction by which what a person does indeed merit, will be (quite infallibly) attracted. (This is in alignment, also, with the tenets of Karma Yoga: of remaining relaxed with respect to outcome/resluts, even in the midst of fervent activity.) Developed to perfection, the quality of non-avarice generates a subtle magnetism that enables the yogi to attract things effortlessly: his or her needs, whatever they are, are always met giving rise then to a sense of ease and relaxation. Complementing the Yama of Asteya is the Niyama of Santosha, or contentment. Because we know that what we merit will always be forthcoming, were able ~ in our work and in our play ~ to rest within an attitude of acceptance, regardless of the particular circumstances that are currently manifesting in/as our life.

The fourth of the Yamas is Aparigraha, or non-acceptance, and is a corollary to Asteya/non-avarice: Asteya signifies non-attachment to what is not our own; Aparigraha signifies non-attachment to what we would normally consider to be our own. The point is that nothing, truly, belongs to us (as small-self/ego). Everything ~ our bodies, our actions, our thoughts ~ belongs to the Lord (our Higher Self). The perfection of Aparigraha manifests as the capacity to remember our past incarnations (something that is possible only when we let go of our identification with our present body). Complementing the Yama of Aparigrapha is the Niyama of Swadhyaya, or introspection, which invites a movement from an understanding of what we are not (via the practice of non-acceptance) to an ever-deepening intuition of who we are.

The fifth of the Yamas is Brahmacharya, self-control or ~ more literally ~ flowing with Brahma/the Supreme Spirit. This teaching is applied most specifically to the practice of celibacy/sexual abstinence. More generally, it refers to working skillfully with all of our natural human appetites. In its deepest sense, Brahmacharya signifies the practice of allowing our awareness always to be flowing in the Core of our Being, i.e. of being identified with Spirit, instead of with an ego centered in body-consciousness. As we train in this way, we begin to be master of our natural human appetites (their fulfillment becomes a clear expression of the energy of awakened mind), instead of being mastered by them (i.e. drawn into loops of distraction from the truth of who-we-are). The perfection of this Yama dawns as an arising of boundless energy, which causes us to shine like the sun itself, shedding radiance continuously. Complementing the Yama of Brahmacharya is the Niyama of tapas, or austerity, which refers to the practice of taking energy that was formerly directed outwardly, and re-channeling it into the spiritual search, of offering (as food) to the fire of the Shushumna Nadi, all of those previously outwardly-directed desires/appetites.

Elizabeth Reninger holds Masters degrees in Sociology & Chinese Medicine, is a published poet (please visit: http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com), and has been exploring Yoga ~ in its taoist, buddhist & Hindu varieties ~ for more than twenty years. Her teachers include Richard Freeman, Mingyur Rinpoche & Eva Wong. For more yoga-related essays & resources, please visit her website: http://www.writingup.com/blog/elizabeth_reninger

Natural search engine ranking presence, on multiple keywords, also requires significant knowledge of search Engine Optimization (SEO). Although you are a Yogi, you should look at SEO as a hobby because good and reputable SEO experts cost big money.

Therefore, stay away from SEO services that will get you ranked with 12,000 search engines for $9.95. Those services will usually get your Yoga website blacklisted, if they continuously submit every month. The search engines just ignore your continuous submissions as SPAM. If you want to save significant money, and do some of it yourself, buy a book which explains SEO in simplistic terms.

One last point to bring up about SEO: There are only a few search engines that you really need to submit to. Start with these: Google, Yahoo, AOL, MSN, Ask, Netscape, Dog Pile, and Alta Vista.

The above-mentioned eight search engines receive over 90% of all the traffic on the internet. Currently, Google easily gets more than half of all the Internet traffic. Some statistics claim that Google gets over 75% of all the web traffic.

Yes, there are thousands of other search engines, but what is their geographic reach? many of them are specialized search engines for a particular country or language. If you have a local Yoga studio, do you have to be listed in a search engine on the other side of the planet? For example: Lets say you teach Yoga in a suburb of Denver, colorado and are listed in a Korean search engine. Thats nice, but I doubt you will get any walk-ins, from that listing, in your next Yoga class.

Pay-per-click campaigns can get your Yoga business a space on the front page of most search engines. Google has more than half of all the internet traffic, so their Adwords program, alone, is worth looking into for a start.

Heres an idea: Start your Yoga web site, or blog, ASAP (as soon as possible!), keep it running, and expand when you grow. Do not get hung up on perfection; thats what causes procrastination. If we did that in Yoga, none of us would become Yoga teachers.

I dont care if youre teaching Yoga in a cellar, barn, loft, garage, in the woods, at the beach, or just thinking about it. People wont know you are a Yoga teacher, if you dont announce it.

Copyright 2007 Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: "Yoga in practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Have you heard from your insurance company lately? If you have not and you are the Captain, Owner or Operator of a recreational vessel Power or sail, expect to and soon!

One insurance company in no uncertain terms categorically states on its severe weather Plan Questionnaire for Crewed vessels Wind coverage will not be afforded to vessels located south of Morehead City NC between 30 June and 1 November unless an acceptable severe weather Plan is completed and Approved by a *** Private client Group Yacht Underwriter.

The questions can be as detailed as how many lines are going to be used, which direction is the slip facing and of course a wonderful catch 22 do you have alternative plans if your primary plan becomes unlikely?

In short, if you are to have a reasonable chance of collecting from your insurance company, they expect a reasonable effort to protect the vessel and real efforts to mitigate loss or damage, now more than ever before.

Understanding that yacht crew may have shore side responsibilities, house car etc. they cannot just tie the vessel to the dock and run, after all the vessel that they are being paid to care for is their job and may have funded those shore side assets in the first place! Therefore that word again PLAN.

The components of that plan far exceed how many lines are in inventory. Is the vessel kept topped off? (If there is, a severe WX warning fueling might not be readily available or waiting for it might affect your plans). A recheck of just what is the vessels range at speed, if the plan is to get out of the way. What is your window, that is just WHEN do you make the decision to run? Of course WHERE TO? If you are short of crew, it might be a bit late to augment the crew compliment 2 days before a hurricane is forecast to strike (after all it is the middle of summer). Like shore side people, you need stores to last a week. Someone needs to feed the crew and grocery stores are notoriously busy at the last minute.

The devil is always in the details, if you are at a dock up a river or if you are going to a dock up a river, what are the local regulations on Bridges? Most south florida communities have ordinances that affect opening hours and they have ordinances that dictate how their bridges will operate during severe weather events. It may seem overly cautious to depart a seemly safe slip or dock 3 days in advance of a warning or watch however timing is indeed everything. Too late may preclude getting into that hurricane hole you had in mind or being trapped behind a bridge in an unsafe location.

Broward county has a Flotilla Plan for the New River; you can review it at www.broward.org/hurricane/hm-boats.htm

On the East coast of florida the perennial question is to go north or to go south, the united States Navy in Norfolk VA usually takes the big ship option, they go to sea. That may not be the best option for a 10-knot vessel however.

Good weather forecasting is imperative and taking those actions to keep your or your clients vessel out of harms way in a timely manner is the responsibility of the Captain and his crew Make a seaman like decision based on all available data and be prepared to alter or modify that decision as events dictate.

Consultation with the owner to establish practical time parameters is an essential part of any plan That when question needs to be addressed and agreement reached.

It could result in an expensive voyage to nowhere or prudent action could save the vessel. However, running away from the storm just might be the best run the vessel ever made. If nothing, else such a trip could provide an excellent opportunity to exercise the vessel and do some real crew training.

A Plan is not a unilateral thing, the owner, and insurance carrier, crew; need to be on the same page with the captain if it is to be workable (emergency funds for example, relocation of the vessels vehicle, the crew working together to secure their personal assets in adequate time to implement the vessels plan etc.)

The middle of the Season may not be the optimum time to develop a plan, reduce it to writing, and organize the necessary supplies and assets. However, it is better NOW than when storm damages are being negotiated with a claims adjuster or trying to get into the yard behind a hundred other vessels.

The Author would like to Thank Mr. Frank Atlass of ATLASS insurance for his help and direction particularly with insurance companies questions regarding plans, as they all are a bit different.

Captain Jeffrey R Herbik
USCG 1600 ton ocean master (3000 ton itc) british MCA cec.
Contract yacht delivery & special projects
fort Lauderdale, florida 33316
e-mail: yachts Deliveries

For more helpful yachting information go to http://www.yachtinginsider.com

Captain Jeffrey R. Herbik

USCG 1600 ton ocean master ( 3000 ton ITC ), STCW 95 compliant, british MCA cec, ex united States marine Corps Officer (Armored amphibian landing craft) FAA Commercial Pilot with instrument and Multi-engine ratings. BS Villanova University.