The 10 Vedicpractices, Niyama

Niyama 1 - Remorse, Hri
Allow yourself the expression of remorse, being modest
and showing shame for misdeeds. Recognize your
errors, confess and make amends. Sincerely apologize
to those hurt by your words or deeds. Resolve all contention
before sleep. Seek out and correct your faults and
bad habits. Welcome correction as a means to bettering
yourself. Do not boast. Shun pride and pretension.
Moderate Appetite, Mitahara

Niyama 2 - Contentment, Santosha
Nurture contentment, seeking joy and ser enity
in life. Be happy, smile and uplift others. Live
in constant gratitude for
your health, your friends and your belongings, Don’t
complain about what you don’t possess. Identify with
the eternal You, rather than mind, body or emotions.
Keep the mountaintop view that life is an opportunity
for spiritual progress.

Niyama 3 - Giving, Dana
Be generous to a fault, giving
liberally without thought of reward. Tithe, offering onetenth
of your gross income (dashamamsha), as God’s
money, to temples, ashrams and spiritual organizations.
Approach the temple with offerings. Visit gurus with gifts
in hand. Donate religious literature. Feed and give to those
in need. Bestow your time and talents without seeking
praise. Treat guests as God.

Niyama 4 - Faith, Astikya
Cultivate an unshakable
faith. Believe fi rmly in God, Gods, guru and your path
to enlightenment. Trust in the words of the masters,
the scriptures and traditions. Practice devotion
and sadhana to inspire experiences that build
advanced faith. Be loyal to your lineage, one with your
satguru. Shun those who try to break your faith by
argument and accusation.

Niyama 5 - Worship, Ishvara-Pujana
Cultivate devotion through
daily worship and meditation. Set aside one room of
your home as God’s shrine. Offer fruit, fl owers or food
daily. Learn a simple puja and the chants. Meditate after
each puja. Visit your shrine before and after leaving the
house. Worship in heartfelt devotion, clearing the inner
channels to God, Gods and guru so their grace fl ows
toward you and loved ones.

Niyama 6 - Scriptural Listening, Siddhanta Shravana
Eagerly hear the scriptures,
study the teachings and listen to the wise of your
lineage. Choose a guru, follow his path and don’t waste
time exploring other ways. Read, study and, above all,
listen to readings and dissertations
by which wisdom fl ows from knower to seeker.
Avoid secondary texts that preach violence. Revere and
study the revealed scriptures, the Vedas and Agamas.

Niyama 7 - Cognition, Mati
Develop a spiritual will and
intellect with your satguru’s guidance. Strive for knowledge
of God, to awaken the light within. Discover the
hidden lesson in each experience
to develop a profound understanding of life and
yourself. Through meditation, cultivate intuition by
listening to the still, small voice within, by understanding
the subtle sciences, inner worlds and mystical texts.

Niyama 8 - Sacred Vows, Vrata
Embrace religious vows, rules
and observances and never waver in fulfi lling them.
Honor vows as spiritual contracts
with your soul, your community, with God, Gods
and guru. Take vows to harness
the instinctive nature. Fast periodically. Pilgrimage
yearly. Uphold your vows strictly, be they marriage,
monasticism, nonaddiction, tithing, loyalty to a lineage,
vegetarianism or nonsmoking.

Niyama 9 - Recitation, Japa
Chant your holy mantra daily,
reciting the sacred sound, word or phrase given by
your guru. Bathe fi rst, quiet the mind and concentrate
fully to let japa harmonize, purify and uplift you. Heed
your instructions and chant the prescribed repetitions
without fail. Live free of anger so that japa strengthens
your higher nature. Let japa quell emotions and
quiet the rivers of thought.

Niyama 10 - Austerity, Tapas
Practice austerity, serious
disciplines, pen ance and sacrifice. Be ardent in worship,
meditation and pilgrimage. Atone for misdeeds through
penance (prayashchitta), such as 108 prostrations or
fasting. Perform self-denial, giving up cherished possessions,
money or time. Fulfi ll severe aus terities at special
times, under a satguru’s guidance, to ignite the inner
fi res of self-transformation.