No Yama, No Yoga
As I prepare to return to Dharma Yoga Center to study with my teacher, Sri Dharma Mittra, I’ve been reflecting on the Dharma Yoga practice and how it’s impacted my life. I’m often asked, what is Dharma Yoga? What makes it so special? There are so many reasons — the liberating approach to physical asana, encouragement to try even if you fail, the emphasis on pranayama and meditation, rich spiritual discourse, kirtan, community, and of course the humble and humorous nature of Sri Dharma. But at the heart of it, it’s this: No Yama, No Yoga. A phrase my teacher, Sri Dharma Mittra, the creator of Dharma Yoga, says frequently.
Dharma Yoga is a modern interpretation of classical eight-limbed or Hatha-Raja Yoga, deeply rooted in the ethical precepts, or yamas, that guide our behavior towards ourselves and others, as laid out in the Sutras of Patanjali. They provide the framework for leading a mindful and purposeful life and cultivating compassion, kindness, and empathy. Without the yamas, yoga loses its essence and becomes merely physical exercise. Yoga isn’t something you do, it’s something you are, a way of life. And while this is an idea I’ve always known, it wasn’t until I studied with Sri Dharma that I fully appreciated what it meant to live yoga or how to actually go about it. And it is this that has resonated so deeply with me and keeps me coming back for more.
“If you open your heart and become like a child, you will always be blissful, always content”
There are five yamas – ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (moderation), and aparigraha (non-possessiveness). However, ahimsa is the key precept that all the other yamas build on. Ahimsa is more than just not causing pain to oneself or others, it is active compassion towards all living things.It is practiced in speech, thought, and action, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. Compassion is the heart of Dharma Yoga. Without it, we will never reach the goal of self-realization.
The yamas, and ahimsa specifically, are common themes for yoga classes across the world. But Sri Dharma Mittra is the real deal, the most authentic example of what it means to be a yogi that I’ve ever encountered. He truly embodies and shows us how to live the life of a yogi as a regular person, with a family, a job, and other responsibilities.
Sri Dharma was a student of Swami Kailashananda, also known as Yogi Gupta, and he lived at his guru’s ashram for about a decade after arriving in New York City in 1964. During this time, he practiced karma yoga, the path of selfless service, cooking, teaching yoga, and serving as the ashram handyman. He went on to open Dharma Yoga Center in New York City in 1975, and he has dedicated himself ever since to sharing and spreading truth and knowledge through yoga over the past five decades. In his teachings, Dharma emphasizes ahimsa and the ethical rules more than anything else, noting that the “fancy poses” aren’t important or necessary. He reminds us that the same spark of consciousness, or divinity if you prefer, resides within every living being, and if you harm others, you are harming yourself. Lead with compassion, see yourself in others.
“Don’t worry. These poses have nothing to do with meditation or enlightenment.”
While we might start practicing ahimsa in our asana practice, Dharma encourages us to take it off the mat and into our daily lives as well – extending active compassion to our loved ones, acquaintances, strangers, and even enemies. He also strongly advocates for a vegetarian diet. At the same time, he acknowledges that we are all imperfect humans, including himself, and that we will fail from time to time. But we shouldn’t dwell on our mistakes, on or off the mat, but simply apologize and start over.
“See yourself in the practice you are not able to access right now. Imagine yourself in it.”
Studying with Dharma and embracing this practice as it was passed down to him from his guru has changed my life. It split my heart wide open, expanded my capacity for love in a way that I didn’t know was possible, for me. It has taught me to reflect and respond, rather than react, and to do so from a place of more empathy, grace, and non-judgement. To lead, always, with ahimsa. I often pause now and think to myself, what would Dharma do? And that pause has made all the difference — in my relationships with others, myself, and the world around me. It has brightened my life, helped me to feel truly connected to something bigger than myself, made me feel more at peace and, well, full of more love.
Love always. OM.
Dharma Yoga Life of a Yogi Training, Dharma Yoga Center, NYC
