JAN 353-01 - Ethical Foundations of Yoga: Understanding the Yamas and Niyamas

Level:  300-level

Course Times:  6:15pm - 7:30pm on Jan 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 20, 22

Course Materials Fee:  $0

Instructor(s):  Saroja Subrahmanyan   

Email:  ssubrahm@stmarys-ca.edu

The primary text for yoga philosophy, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, outlines an eight-limbed path that has guided spiritual seekers for centuries. At the very foundation of this journey lie the first two limbs: the Yamas (social ethics) and the Niyamas (personal ethics). In this course, students will explore these essential ethical guiding principles within their historical and philosophical context and examine how they form the bedrock for all subsequent steps in the yoga tradition.

Using Deborah Adele’s book, The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice and the companion journal The Yamas & Niyamas Embodied, students will engage in weekly reflections, journaling exercises, and class discussions. To support a fuller, embodied understanding of these principles, each class will also include brief, accessible physical practices-such as simple yoga postures, breathing techniques, and guided meditations-woven intentionally into the learning experience.

Prerequisites & Notes