Niyamas are our relationship with our internal world.
Niyamas are broken down into 5 habits or aspects.
1)Saucha-purity and cleanliness-to keep the energy of our body, mind and life flowing in harmony.
Purity of the body, mind and spirit.
Practice: Breath is a great purifier. Lions Breath clears mind and detoxes body. Seated position breathe in deeply through nose, exhale by opening your mouth as wide as possible and stick out your tongue and roar the breath out like a lion.
2)Santosha-contentment and gratitude have a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity, believe there is enough for you in this life which helps to unleash your generosity.
Practice: Get yourself a chalkboard/whiteboard and in the morning write 3 things that jazz you about yourself/your life/your vision/your relationships and three things you know you have in abundance in your life. Total of 6 notes to self on whiteboard.
3)Tapas-discipline -yogic practice or other life disciplines.
Practice: Pick one aspect of your life where you would like to implement a change-commit to a practice or routine that addresses this aspect. Commit to 40/48 days called a mandala - to establish this new routine or practice. Write this on the bottom of your whiteboard to remind yourself of your new Tapas.
4)Svdhyaya-self reflection and self study, inner reflection.
Practice: What are you interested in? What could you explore though books, movies, music-find an avenue, and increase your curiosity to something new that penetrates your shell. Pick up a new hobby that has intrigued you for awhile, join a friend in one of her hobbies.
5)Ishvara Pranidhana-devotion or surrender, chant OM to surrender yourself to whole of the universe as well as surrender yourself to yourself. Deepen into yourself.
Practice: Universal sound, the primordial sound of creation penetrates all=OM=AUM
Chant OM for 11 minutes daily to deeply connect yourself to creation.
EnJOY