Yama 5A – Mitahaara (Controlled Diet)

Traditional belief is that we are what we eat. Food is a major source of nutrition. Nutrients that are absorbed by the body can only come from diet. Therefore, it is important that in order to preserve health, one adopt not just the right foods but also the correct eating habits. Poor food habits lead to ill-heath and contribute to stress.

It is important to understand the process of digestion.

• Food is broken down into manageable pieces in the mouth and mixed with enzymes for digestion. This is why chewing of the food and mixing it with saliva is so important. The food is then swallowed and goes into the stomach. As the food enters the stomach, signals are sent so that more enzymes are released into the stomach. Additional blood is sent to the stomach muscles to enable it to churn and mix the food and enzymes completely. So, the stomach should not be overloaded with food, there should be adequate space for gas to come out and sufficient water for elastic movement when the stomach muscles squeeze, churn and break up the food.
• The half-digested food then moves into the intestines where the nutrients are absorbed while food break up and churn continues. Food with adequate roughage ensures that food does not stick to the walls of the intestines but moves forward for absorption and evacuation.
• Expulsion of waste is a very important element of digestion and often determines the health of the person. Ensure that choice of food keeps this requirement in view.

Most religions prescribe a benediction before a meal is started. In what is now called Hinduism, the meal is started by a benediction which translates to “let food be consumed for ingestion (prana), let food be consumed for excretion (apana), let food be consumed for the circulatory system (vyana), let food be consumed for awareness (udana), let food be consumed for assimilation (samana) and let food be consumed for alignment with the source (brahman)”.  Very pragmatic benediction…

Share your opinion and experiences

• What are your favourite foods?
• Do you dislike any food?
• Are you allergic to any food?
• When eating at public places, does anything turn you off?
• How important is manners in a shared meal?
• What is your view on wasting food? Do you eat everything on your plate even if you don’t like all of it?

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Yama 5 - Aparigraha (Equanimity)

Ability to react evenly in any situation ensures lesser extremity of reactions, thereby ensuring easier recovery from a situation.

Aparigraha means “hands off” or “not seizing opportunity.” On an extended scale, it can mean equanimity. The human safety system is designed to evaluate any situation on the basis of “Do I like this or not”/“Is this good for me or not”/“Is he friend or foe”. This evaluative system then takes a position based on the data available and prepares a coping action. In many cases, the brain decides based on previous information available with it, and this may not be appropriate to the situation. This is why equanimity is important.

Equanimity is the non-judgmental attitude that we take to ensure that we are fair to ourselves and others when taking a decision. It removes bias, hasty, ad hoc and ill-considered decisions

Anecdotes, experiences and situations to help understand…

(Wikipedia extract) Maximilian Kolbe was born in January 1894 as the second son of Julius Kolbe and Maria Dabrowska. His father wasethnic German and his mother Polish. In 1907 Kolbe and his elder brother Francis joined the Conventional Friciscans and junior seminary in Lwow. In 1910 Kolbe entered the novitiate.

In 1918 Kolbe was ordained a priest. During the Second World War he provided shelter to refugees from Greater Poland, including 2,000 Jews whom he hid from Nazi persecution in his friary in Niepokalanow. He was also active as a radio amateur, vilifying Nazi activities. On 17 February 1941 he was arrested by the German Gestapo and imprisoned in Pawiak prison, On 25 May he was transferred to Auschwitz.

In July 1941 a man from Kolbe’s barracks vanished, prompting the deputy camp commander, to pick 10 men from the same barracks to be starved to death in order to deter further escape attempts. One of the selected men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out lamenting his family, and Kolbe volunteered to take his place.

During the time in the cell he led the men in songs and prayer. After three weeks of dehydration and starvation, only Kolbe and three others were still alive. He encouraged others that they would soon be with Mary in heaven. Each time the guards checked on him he was standing or kneeling in the middle of the cell and looking calmly at those who entered, while the others lay moaning and complaining on the ground around him. Finally he was killed with an injection of carbolic acid. Some who were present at the injection say that he raised his left arm and calmly waited for the injection. He died soon after.

 

Father Kolbe was beatified as a confessor by Pope Paul VI in 1971 and was canonized by Pope John Paul II on 10 October 1982.

Equanimity in difficult situations is not easy, but each of us has an experience where we kept calm in difficult circumstances. Write about it…

Share your opinion and experiences

• How do you keep your equilibrium in any situation?
• How do you recover your equilibrium if you lose it?
• Is it possible to remain calm in any situation?
• Is ability to remain calm hereditary?
• Why are some people naturally calm?
• Can prayer help our ability to remain calm? Why?
• What is the impact of equanimity on others?
• Equanimity and emotional intelligence - How are they related?
• How do you maintain your position without offending others?
• How do you handle fear when opposing authority?
• How do you reconcile to the reality of any situation? How do you know when to stop pushing?

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Yama 4 – Brahmacharyam (sexual continence/ diversity control)

Brahmacharyam is sexual countenance in Patanjali yoga sutra. But in today’s environment, this is not enough. Ability to respect and imbibe dharma or conditioning of people of various gender cultural/religious/colour/ countries, etc., ensures acceptability of ideas and reduces stress.

With business crossing borders, one person’s actions could be interpreted as another person’s insult, resulting in disharmony and stress. Sensitivity and awareness to the other’s cultural, racial background is one of the most important requirements today. Ability to remove sexual bias in business relationships is an important personal development requirement. Correct interpretation of verbal and non-verbal signals is the key to peaceful relationships and lower stress.

Diversity is being able to work with other people’s conditioning and value system to a common goal.

Share your opinion and experiences

• How do you adjust to other people’s opinions without creating discord?
• How do you adjust to diversity in food?
• Diversity in dressing and its impact on people, their opinion of others & relationships.
• How do you adjust to diversity in religion and value systems?
• How do you adjust to diversity in age?

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Yama 3 – Asteya (non-stealing & teaming)

Asteya in yoga sutras is non-stealing. In this section, it has been expanded to team work because teamwork includes not taking credit when not due. Ability to develop a common dharma (team conditioning) and ensuring that the common objective is met is a critical element of yama.

A team is a collection of people with a common purpose. What makes this entity so important? How does the performance of a well-trained and led team make a difference?

Ability to develop a common conditioning or value system from the conditioning of different people and ensuring that common objective is met is critical for success of any venture.

Anecdotes, experiences and situations to help understand…

Example 1 – Let us compare two different football teams, one of novices and another of professionals. Novices normally never play in any single position. In any game, one person would kick the ball and everyone would run after it. As a result, everyone wants credit for the goal and this gives rise to prima donnas, who never pass the ball. On the other hand, professional team members are specialists who maintain their own positions. Though each team member has his own characteristic style of playing, the team operates on the principle of give and take, with one dharma (conditioning or value system). As a result, the team wins.

Teaming is not confined to physical possessions but also includes the ability to share thoughts, information, credit and criticism.

Example 2 – How loss of teamwork can lead to disaster…

• On 23 June, 1757, at the battle of Plassey, Mir Jaffar was bribed by Robert Clive to remain out of battle. This lead to the defeat of Siraj-ud-Daula, starting British rule in India.
• Similarly, on 4 May 1799, at the battle of Srirangapatna, Mir Sadiq was bribed to withdraw his soldiers from battle, resulting in Tipu Sultan’s death, and the consolidation of power by the British in India.

Share your opinion and experiences

• How do we integrate different team requirements to a single objective?
• What is the role of the team leader? Why is he or she important?
• How does one resolve intra-team conflict?
• How important is communication in a team?
• Is hierarchy important in a team?
• Is structure important in a team?
• What is the impact of a prima donna (one who constantly hogs the limelight?)
• What is morale? How important is it to team dynamics?
• How do you motivate a team in difficult situations?
• How important is giving due credit to team motivation?
• What happens to a team where politics & favoritism impact decisions?

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Yama 2 - Satya (truth)

Doing what is right, not what is convenient. When we work with integrity, we inspire trust; this makes our conditioning or value system acceptable & less fearsome to others...

Satya (truth): The actual term in yoga sutras is satya or truth but this aspect is being expanded to a more easily implementable position called integrity because it is more appropriate in today’s context. Also, truth in the world of illusion is difficult to define and easy to deflect. Hence, integrity has been substituted.

In the context of Situational Awareness, integrity is not about honesty alone; it is about aligning ones’ behavior with conditioning, willingness to sacrifice one immediate goals for the needs of a greater value, working with complete commitment, devotion and single-mindedness to achieve the objective and not be tempted by anything. This quality of steadfastness to a higher value objective inspires and maintains trust with those we interact because our communication removes selfishness. These actions keep stress levels low and awareness levels high.

Integrity, or its absence, can take many forms:

• Intellectual integrity: Arrogance, misleading, exaggerating…
• Business integrity: Putting personal interests first, passing the buck, bribing…
• Decision integrity: Not taking cognisance of all inputs, not taking stakeholders into confidence…
• Communication integrity: Hiding critical information, no transparency, etc…
• Process integrity: Not ensuring that process parameters are met…

Anecdotes, experiences and situations to help understand…

Exercise: You are a manager and have to appraise three subordinates; as a result, one may be asked to leave the company. All are of the same level with minor differences. What will you do? How will you handle…? 

• How will you approach the decision? 
• How will you handle the people? 
• What is the fear that such an encounter generates? 

Share your opinion and experiences 

• Is it always possible to maintain a level of integrity? 
• How do we maintain integrity in our personal life, like paying taxes? 
• How do we teach integrity within our family, especially with our children? 
• How do we maintain integrity when we move in society, on the road, at the bus stop, at a restaurant? 
• How do we maintain integrity at work, as a superior, subordinate and peer? 
• Business integrity; Is it possible to work with integrity with our suppliers & customers? 
• Integrity & public life people like politicians, civil servants, police etc; How does it impact Dharma of a nation? 

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Yama 1 - Ahimsa (nonviolence)

Ahimsa (Non-Violence): is the ability to react in a non-threatening manner to stimulus contrary to our conditioning, controlling anger, frustration, giving positive feedback.

To understand non-violence, one must understand violence and its relationship to anger, fear, frustration, ambition and power.

Violence covers a vast spectrum, from subtle abuse to genocide where entire populations are exterminated. It also includes killing of animals, plants and all elements of nature with which we need to live in harmony. It includes injury to oneself.

Control is extremely difficult but this element is the key to progress in stress management and Situational Awareness.

Ahimsa would include the following capabilities:

• Ability to regard the other’s point of view before reacting.
• Ability to control an emotional hijack when faced with fear, anxiety, frustration and loss.
• Ability to respond in a non-threatening manner to stimulus when it is contrary to our conditioning.
• Ability to give feedback without losing control of the process.

There are 3 types of violence: Tamasic (confused), Rajasic (Passionate) & Sattvic (Balanced).  

Tamasic violence comes out of lack of knowledge and is driven primarily by fear and confusion. 

Example: All forms of segregation and separation, whether of colour, caste, religion or creed arise out of ignorance because there can be no difference between living beings. 

Rajasic violence primarily out of passion and is driven by emotions such as anger, lust, greed, ambition etc.  

Example: All forms of sexual assaults are driven by Rajas. 

Sattvic violence is very difficult to achieve and is characterized by high communication and patience. 

Example: A parent scolding a truant child. When the parent is trying to push his or her own agenda on the child, then it is Tamasic. When the parent scolds the child because he or she is afraid of what society will say, then it is Rajasic. When the parent scolds the child for deviation of a value that has been explained often, then the reason is Sattvic. This is characterized by the parent trying to separate the person from the problem. Violence is used as a tool to drive home a point after various methods such as sama (discussion), dana (inducement), bedha (discord) have failed. 

Anecdotes, experiences and situations to help understand… 

Situation 1: Citation for Param Vir Chakra (India’s highest award for gallantry in battle) awarded to COMPANY QUARTER MASTER HAVILDAR ABDUL HAMID, 4 GRENADIERS reads: 

At 0800 hours on 10 September 1965, enemy forces launched an attack with a regiment of Patton tanks on a vital area ahead of village Cheema on the Bhikkiwind road in the Khem Karam Sector. Intense artillery shelling preceded the attack. The enemy tanks penetrated the forward position by 0900 hours. Realising the grave situation, Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid who was commander of an RCL gun detachment, moved out to a flanking position with his gun mounted on a jeep, under intense enemy shelling and tank fire. Taking an advantageous position, he knocked out the leading enemy tank and then, swiftly changing his position, he sent another tank up in flames. By this time, the enemy tanks in the area spotted him and brought his jeep under concentrated machine-gun and high explosive fire. Undeterred, Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid kept on firing on yet another enemy tank with his recoilless gun. While doing so, he was mortally wounded by an enemy high-explosive shell. 

Havildar Abdul Hamid’s brave action inspired his comrades to put up a gallant fight and to beat back the heavy tank assault by the enemy. His complete disregard for his personal safety during the operation and his sustained acts of bravery in the face of constant enemy fire were a shining example not only to his unit but also to the whole division and were in the highest traditions of the Indian Army. 

Situation 2: In 1303 AD, Ala-ud-din, the Sultan of Delhi besieged Chittorgarh Fort, Rajasthan, India, (which was under the control of Rajput Rana Rawal Ratan Singh) because he desired Rani Padmini, the queen of Chittorgarh and a famed beauty. Frustrated in the siege, he ultimately agreed to have a glimpse of Rani Padmini in a mirror. But the Sultan, on seeing the image, was besotted by the queen and reneged and invaded Chittorgarh again. Realising the impossibility of the situation, the Rajputs decided to commit Jauhar and Saka. The women committed ritual suicide (jauhar) within the fort while the men sallied forth to certain death (saka).  

The Rajputs committed jauhar again on 8 March 1535 when Bahadur Shah attacked Chittorgarh and on 22 February 1568 when Akbar attacked the fortress.

• Conditioning or dharma in violence: Generally, violence disturbs peace. Can violence be used to protect dharma? 
• Is a soldiers sacrifice for his country (called veergati (veer=valour + gati = way) an act of ahimsa?  
• What is the value of fear in non-violence? How does fear change individuality? How does fear become part of our conditioning? 
• Can a fight for freedom through violence, even defensive action be termed as non-violence? 

Share your opinion and experiences: 

• Can we control anger? What is the source of anger? How do we control it? 
• What is anxiety? How does it manifest as a reaction?  
• What happens when things go wrong? How do we cope? 
• How important is communication in managing anger? 
• Importance of patience in management of violence. 
• Does our ability to control violence improve with age? 
• Is killing for food himsa (violence)? 
• Is satyagraha or non-violent protest himsa or ahimsa? Remember – a protest or strike provokes another into reacting. So, when one’s actions provokes a violent reaction, is it violence or non-violence? 
• Is killing for God or religion OK? 
• How do you convert an anger emanating from fear or confusion to justifiable anger, if such a thing is possible? Try it today...

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Yama (transaction or outward control)

Introduction: Generally, stimulus comes from more than one source, hence it is rare that the stimulus is received with complete attention. The quality of reception depends on the state of awareness, called vijnana (awareness of the situation) and any drop in awareness creates error in estimation and expectation, in both, the individual manifesting and receiving the stimulus. This can generate stress, especially if the situation calls for a high degree of adjustment and one that is difficult to cope. One also get stressed if the situation results in confrontation, in an insensitive or irrelevant response. Ones reactions to stimulus and ability to work with others in a peaceful manner or bring balance into his or her tasks and relationships are fundamental building blocks for a sustainable solution to stress.Yama is the first element of Situational Awareness. It enables us to and live a life where our actions leave us as well as those we interact with a sense peace. It results in us being able to enjoy a stable and balanced relationship with our environment.

Yama has different meanings, "rein, curb, or bridle, discipline or restraints". In the present context, it means "self-control or forbearance" when dealing with the environment. Patanjali's Yoga Sutra mentions six key elements in Yama that cover all aspects of personal behaviour with the external environment.

Effective yama is being able to align ones svadharma with that of others to achieve common goals while instilling the sense of peace in all entities affected by ones action. Therefore, yama means exercising restraint in ones reaction to stimulus.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra mentions six key elements in yama that cover most aspects of behaviour with the external environment. These elements are ahimsa (Non-violence), satya or hrta (Integrity), brahmacharyam (sexual continence or diversity control), asteya (Non-stealing & Teaming), aparigraha (Equanimity) and mitahara (diet control). When one implements these elements, there is an increasing sense of control and peace because the interaction become less threatening and more collaborative. This results in lesser emotional turmoil, an increased awareness of vijnana and svadharma.

Share your opinion and experiences:

• Do we control events?
• What is the best way to react? What is the end we should aim for?
• Is it possible to achieve a win-win solution every time?
• If we cannot achieve a win-win solution, then how should we manage the situation?
• How do we react, ensure success, yet ensure peace in any reaction?
• How important is transparency in a reaction?
• How important is it for us to respect the other person’s svaharma in a situation?
• How do relationships get affected? Why do they get disturbed?
• What does it take to restore a disturbed relationship?
• Can a relationship be one-sided? How do you manage an important one-sided relationship?
• How important is patience in a relationship?
• How important is communication in maintaining relationships?
• How do you use communication to diffuse tension?

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