15 Ways To Alleviate Your Anxiety

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Anxiety often underlies eating disorders. For many individuals, engaging in eating disorder behaviors helps to soothe them – only temporarily, of course.

Anxiety also contributes to emotional eating and can worsen body image issues. (How many times have you been tense and taken it out on your body? Or vice versa? Or mistook discomfort and nervousness for “feeling fat”?)

But while anxiety seems incredibly overwhelming when you’re caught in its clutches, you can do so many things to minimize your anxiety. It’s a matter of learning some skills. Here’s a list of strategies to try.

1. Get enough sleep.
This is a biggie because sleep-deprivation increases anxiety. And, unfortunately, anxiety can make it more difficult to fall and stay asleep, too. Here are some tips on creating a bedtime routine and getting sufficient sleep:

• 14 Strategies for Sleeping Better
• 12 Ways to Shut Off Your Brain Before Bedtime
• The First Line of Treatment for Insomnia That’ll Surprise You

2. Participate in physical activities.
Being active is seriously an elixir for anxiety. Personally, after my workouts, I feel a sense of relief. And on days that I don’t do anything physical and just stay in the house (which happens very easily since I work from home), I feel miserable and all out of sorts. I can feel the anxiety swirling through my body.

And I know this has become my mantra but seriously, pick physical activities that you love. Nothing makes you more crabby than pounding the pavement, if you hate running. Or going to the gym, if it makes you unhappy, and so on.

3. Accept that you’re anxious.
Anxiety is scary, especially if you’ve struggled with panic attacks and know precisely where anxiety can lead you. (I know, I’ve been there.) So when we feel even a hint, a twinge of anxiety, sweaty palms, dizziness or any other symptoms, we start getting very upset. I remember getting so mad at myself for being anxious before presentations or tests or my thesis defense. Well, it’s perfectly OK to be anxious.

As I’m sure you’ve learned, fighting anxiety does no good and berating yourself about it only fuels your symptoms. Even if you’re anxious at something seemingly small (also been there), just use your anxiety as a hint that right now you need to pull out some strategies from your anxiety-minimizing toolbox. Use this like you would an emotion: as information. As your body telling you what it needs right now.

4. Breathe slowly and deeply.
How many times have you started hyperventilating when you’re anxious or your breath becomes very shallow? Sometimes, when I’m anxious, I realize that I’m holding my breath. All these things also fuel anxiety. Taking slow and deep breaths helps to counteract this, and lets your body know it’s time to relax, and that there’s no need to put up a fight.

5. Block out time to worry.
I used to think that worrying would somehow solve my problems, or that if I worried enough, I could make them go away or I wouldn’t jinx myself (e.g., if I stopped worrying about a test, I worried that I wouldn’t do well.) Let me tell you: Umm, this definitely doesn’t work. Still, if you’re a worrywart, you probably have a laundry list of concerns that you’re thinking throughout the day.

Worry is anxiety’s best friend. What helps many people is to block out a 15-minute break during the day to think about everything that’s on your mind – and write it down. Just get it out of your brain. When a worry thought pops up, gently tell yourself that you can’t think about it right now, because this isn’t your worry session. Also, alongside your worries, brainstorm solutions that are within your power.

6. Find a go-to soothing visual.
Therese Borchard, author of the beautifully written and super valuable blog Beyond Blue, calls this your “visual anchor.” In a post on minimizing anxiety, she writes:

My therapist looks up to the clouds. They calm her down in traffic or whenever she feels anxious. For me it’s the water. I don’t now if it’s because I’m a Pisces (fish), but the water has always calmed me down in the same way as Xanax, and since I don’t take the latter (as a recovering alcoholic, I try to stay away from sedatives), I need to rely on the former. So I just downloaded some “ocean waves” that I can listen to on my iPod when I feel that familiar knot in my stomach. I also have a medal of St. Therese that I grab when I become scared, a kind of blankie to make me feel safe in an anxious world.

My blankie is a gold chain that I never take off. It was my dad’s and has a round charm that symbolizes the astrological sign Leo. (I’m a Leo, too). I  just touch the charm, and I feel better. I get an instant dose of comfort and perspective. Nature also soothes me, so whenever I’m feeling anxious, I try to get outside. Or if I’m outside already, I focus on all the beauty around me, and try to use my five senses to pay attention to everything from the birds chirping to the sunny sky or the raindrops falling.

7. Practice self-compassion when emotions strike.
It’s not surprising that I’m an anxious person. One of the things I used to always do is bury my feelings. Or worse, I’d chew on them. Either way, I wouldn’t process them properly. I’m not saying that you need to feel every feeling you’ve got, especially if it’s too painful. (Here it might be better to see a therapist.) But ignoring your feelings or ruminating over them can both boost anxiety. Cultivating your self-compassion can help a lot! (Here’s how.)

8. Keep up with self-care.
Running around like a harried, distressed person won’t soothe your anxiety. It’ll just ignite it. Sure, self-care takes time out of our already busy schedule, but it’s truly an investment in your well-being. And it leaves you better equipped to deal with stress when it erupts. Self-care can be anything from taking a walk to taking a bath to taking the time to cook for yourself to preserving your boundaries. Here’s a look at the many types of self-care along with activities to try.

9. Be mindful.
Don’t worry, practicing mindfulness doesn’t mean meditating for 30 minutes and swatting any thoughts that pop up. Mindfulness means being fully aware or paying attention to what’s around you. I’ve written before about mindfulness and shared four valuable activitiesyou can try. I promise they’re totally user-friendly.

10. Practice your passion daily.
Anxiety can make your world very small. Because you become so focused on trying to avoid all the things that make you anxious. But this tactic backfires and in a big way because avoidance only boosts anxiety. So before you know it, you’re avoiding a lot and possibly even the things you used to love. Keep doing the activities that bring you joy, whether that’s sewing, singing, painting, playing tennis, baking or biking. This reminds you of the great things in life, and keeps anxiety at bay.

11. Take it one step at a time.
This is another tip from Therese, which helps to quell worry and anxiety. Remember that you don’t have to solve (or think about) all your problems at once. She writes:

One cognitive adjustment that helps relieve anxiety is reminding myself that I don’t have to think about 2:45 pm when I pick up the kids from school and how I will be able to cope with the noise and chaos when I’m feeling this way, or about the boundary issue I have with a friend–whether or not I’m strong enough to continue putting myself first in that relationship. All I have to worry about is the very second before me. If I am successful at breaking my time down that way, I usually discover that everything is fine for the moment.

12. Relinquish control.
We think the more we control our anxiety, the more likely we are to minimize it. And that couldn’t be further from reality. It’s actually once we give up control that we can decrease symptoms. I’ve written a lot about anxiety for Psych Central. Here’s an excerpt from this article on letting go of control.

This step encourages worriers to slow down the fight-or-flight response and relax the body by using “traditional stress management” techniques, LeJeune says. Examples include breathing deeply and relaxing your hands and all your muscles.
But this isn’t to gain control over your anxiety. Trying to overpower worry only ignites anxiety and worry thoughts. When you “have a thought you don’t like, your body responds by struggling physically to control it and escape from it. And that intensifies the thought,” LeJeune says.
So your goal is actually the opposite — to interrupt the urge to stronghold your anxiety. It’s to allow acceptance and mindfulness to enter, LeJeune writes in The Worry Trap. As he says, some people will try to use relaxation techniques as weapons in their anti-anxiety arsenal. They’ll try “to furiously breathe away their anxiety,” or get stressed out because yoga isn’t eliminating their angst. They might walk away from a massage feeling fantastic, but they let the inevitable sprinklings of stress undo that relaxation.
It’s unrealistic to think that we can sail through life without any stressors, he says. This perspective also sets people up for more anxiety, he adds, and puts a lot of pressure on yourself.

13. Visualize your peaceful place.
Some therapists recommend their clients create a sanctuary in their mind that helps to soothe their anxiety. For you that might be the beach, a park, a forest, your room or a golf course (That’s my boyfriend’s happy place). When you get anxious, picture this place and let the tranquility wash over you.

14. Surround yourself with supportive people.
Humans are social beings, and having great people around us is really the key to living life. Again, anxiety can make your world a lot smaller. You might find yourself staying home more often and declining certain invites. Don’t. Try to push through the panic and worry, and get out there. It also might help to check out support groups for anxiety or other groups. (Like a running group if you love running, or a book club, if you enjoy reading.)

15. Consider your triggers, and find solutions.
Each of us is unique, so the things that trigger our anxiety will be unique, too. Consider what events, people, settings or situations trigger your tension. Make a list of your triggers, and consider the strategies you can use to prevent, minimize or manage them. For instance, your trigger may be as simple as having caffeine. Every time you have coffee, your anxiety symptoms flare up. If you can’t give up coffee completely, try half caffeine and half decaf. Or try to reduce the number of cups you drink per day.

And, of course, if you need additional help with your anxiety, don’t hesitate to seek therapy.

Margarita Tartakovsky, Ms
PsychCentral.com

When Do You Feel Best In Your Body?

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Back in July, I interviewed the incredible Amy Pershing, LMSW, director of the Pershing Turner Centers in Annapolis, and clinical director for the Center for Eating Disorders in Ann Arbor.

When I asked her about powerful ways to boost our body image, she said something that especially caught my attention:

One thing I like to do is think about the times you were really enjoying being “in” your body, with no judgment about how it looked. Might be dancing, running, curling up on the couch, anything. Do that, and see the difference between being “in” and looking “at.” Try to shift to more being “in” your body. Find time in some small way (or a big way!) as often as you can.

One of the toughest parts of a negative body image for me was that I constantly felt very uncomfortable in my skin. It was as though I couldfeel my flaws. I could feel my bulging belly. I could feel my expanding hips and thighs.

It was a profound discomfort and tension, and it fueled my poor body image even more.
Maybe you can relate. Maybe as soon as you wake up you feel an instant discomfort. An instant tension surge through your body. Or maybe you feel this discomfort at certain moments, such as when you’re anxious or angry.

It’s important to pinpoint the times you feel great and not-so great (i.e., lousy, really lousy) in your body. Because you can start to pick up on patterns, and figure out what triggers both positive and negative feelings.

If I think back to the times my body image was especially dark and gloomy, I realize that I didn’t give myself many opportunities to feel good. I didn’t do much to alleviate my anxiety. I only viewed physical activities as a way to lose weight (resented that and thereby did very little). I let emotions rule my eating habits (which meant that I was left feeling bloated, guilty and even more anxious on many occasions). And I constantly criticized myself. Just to name a few things…

Now, thankfully, it’s different. And I absolutely love the idea of focusing on when we feel best in our bodies. These times are especially telling because we can make sure to recreate them more often.

(And we can try to diminish the tension-inducing moments and better cope with the situations that trigger negative feelings.)

So for me, I enjoy being in my body:

• When I’m practicing Pilates
• When I’m walking
• During and after taking a shower
• When I’m riding my bike and I can feel the breeze on my skin
• As I’m getting or giving a hug
• When I’m wearing something both comfortable and pretty
• When I’m relaxed and at ease, which I work on with these activities 
• After applying lotion to my face
• After a good night’s sleep
• After trimming my nails and putting on polish

It helps to get as specific as you can. Feel free to make a list like I did so you can easily pick up on positive (and negative) patterns. Sure, some of these may seem small but they’re really major. Because many little pick-me-ups can add up to a positive body image.

If you haven’t found the activities that help you enjoy being in your body yet, that’s OK. Experiment this weekend. Try a variety of physical and pampering activities and see what rings true for you.



Margarita Tartakovsky, Ms
PsychCentral.com

Male Andropause

At about ages 40-50, starting even as early as their 30’s, men go through a change when they realization hits them--they are aging. Their bodily changes are accompanied by changes in attitudes and moods. During this time men frequently begin to question their values, accomplishments, and life’s direction. The entire pattern of these changes has led to the notion of the mid-life crisis. But let’s look deeper into this cultural phenomenon.

Health research results show that a mid-life crisis is physical. It’s a gradual and subtle shift in hormone production in the male body. Unlike a woman’s body, there is no medically defined marker, like a woman’s cessation of menstruation, which says a man is in male menopause--andropause. Science has known about andropause since the 1940’s, but only until recently have there been accessible and easy to administer hormone tests. Now more than ever, there is interest in men’s aging process. Researchers are learning that letting this male hormone imbalance go untested and untreated can lead to some serious physical health risks. Emotional issues occur with this imbalance that can add stress to a man’s health and well being.

In this article, I focus on the set of physical bodily changes that is andropause. It’s a fact that men go to the doctor 50% less than women, and are just not as verbal as women. Some deny that there is even a problem. Therefore andropause symptoms have gone unexpressed adding to the difficulty in understanding the changes. Let’s look at what occurs, and what can be done to slow down these inevitable changes of aging.

There is a basic set of identifiable symptoms which signal changes in hormones. These symptoms include some of the same symptoms women experience:

• Diminished sexual drive
• Urinary changes
• Lack of energy
• Decrease in strength and/or endurance
• Lost height, back pain
• Decreased “enjoyment of life”
• Irritability, anger, and grumpiness
• Depression or withdrawn
• Erections less strong
• Deterioration in sports ability
• Falling asleep after dinner
• Decreased work performance
• Joint aches and stiffness of the hands
• Premature aging
• Changes in hair growth and skin quality
• Loss of physical fitness, weight gain, and “beer” bellies
• Hot flashes
• Increased anxiety
• Loss of self esteem
• Decreased memory and/or concentration

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, treatment is easy. Most often men see relief from many symptoms quickly. Suggested solutions to the hormone imbalance symptoms include:

• Make an appointment to get a simple to administer hormone test
• Drink plenty of clean water
• Make dietary changes that increase health not weight
• Exercise to increase metabolism, and reduce body fat
• Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) - apply natural progesterone cream
• Take supplements and herbs
• Reduce stress in your lifestyle

Hormone tests are saliva tests both easy to administer and relatively inexpensive. We administer these tests at Oasis Advanced Wellness. If you are not located in the Baytown, Texas area, you can go to www.menopause-pms-progesterone.org to purchase one. You can complete the test in the privacy of your own home with complete instructions included. The test must be sent to the lab and they in turn will send you the results.

Water is the foundation to good health. Most people don’t drink enough water, and instead get their water through sugary or chemical laden products. Sample different bottled waters until you find one you like. Be sure to carry a bottle with you to sip from every day for the 2 quarts (64 oz.) you need per day.

Healthy diet is the most important factor to good health. If your diet is poor, your health will eventually show the overall lack of proper nutrients. Most people don’t know what a healthy diet is, and I counsel my patients about their diet.

Exercise is more than simply getting fit. Regular exercise boosts our oxygen levels, increases the immune system, and makes us fight disease more effectively. It energizes us, helps us relax, improves sex life, and gives us an overall feeling of health and well being. Excess body fat from poor eating habits can be eliminated with a consistent program of activity.

HRT, natural progesterone, is also good for men going through andropause. Natural progesterone is safe and non-toxic. One thing that I do require of my clients when using natural progesterone--they must have their progesterone levels checked yearly to test for progesterone build up. Our goal is to achieve hormonal balance, not going from one overload to another. This is why it is always good to seek out advice from a trusted healthcare professional.

Supplements and herbs can aid in overall health. Studies have found Vitamins C, D, E and zinc, selenium, flaxseed, milk thistle, fermented soy, and garlic are beneficial to men’s health.

Reducing stress is a key element to improving health and wellness. Your hormones get out of balance just by the body managing too much stress. Hormone imbalances are stress in of itself. By using progesterone cream and following all of the above solutions, you will reduce your body’s stress. In addition, look at life on the positive side, take up mediation, and create a list of affirmations for those times when you need a reminder to let things go.

Most physicians may not know the latest research on andropause, and end up treating the symptoms with Viagra and an antidepressant. This only treats the symptoms not the cause. The health risks of neglecting hormone imbalance include increased risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, and prostate cancer. You can find out more about the solutions in my e-Book, Balancing Your Hormones Without Drugs…You Can Feel Good Again.

Dr. Loretta Lanphier, ND, CN, HHP

Path To Happiness (2)

Saucha: Purity

Saucha's the first of the niyamas, the active observances. It involves keeping things clean, inside and out. "For me, [the concept of] saucha means both physical and mental hygiene," says Cope. "You want to keep your thoughts uncluttered so you can feel free from afflictive emotions; you keep your body and environment in order, to create a sense of calm." A mind trained by meditation has more complexity and orderliness. Physical orderliness can also affect the mind. So get rid of clutter, scrub floors, simplify your life—all these are expressions of saucha.

But don't get too hung up on the idea of literal purity. "When you work at purifying the body, you begin to understand that it will never be perfectly clean," Kraftsow says. "Patanjali says, look more deeply at what the body is: The more you clean it, the more you realize that it is an impermanent, decaying thing. Saucha helps break up excessive fixation with your body, or the bodies of others."

When you learn to disidentify with the body, the Yoga Sutra suggests, you can get in touch with your essence—the part of you that's pure and free from aging, disease, and decay. When you understand your true undying nature, it's easier to stop striving for physical perfection and instead rest in joyful awareness.

Santosha: Contentment

In nearly every translation of Yoga Sutra II.42, santosha is interpreted as the greatest happiness, the underlying joy that cannot be shaken by life's tough moments, by injustice, hardship, bad luck. "Contentment is really about accepting life as it is," says Bell. "It's not about creating perfection. Life will throw whatever it wants at you, and you ultimately have little control. Be welcoming of what you get."

You can practice this on the mat quite easily, by acknowledging your tendency to strive to do a perfect pose and accepting the one you've got. "There's no guarantee that you'll get enlightened when you do a backbend with straight arms, or touch your hands to the floor in Uttanasana," says Bell. "The process of santosha is relaxing into where you are in your pose right now and realizing that it is perfect." Lasater compares santosha to the deep relaxation possible in Savasana(Corpse Pose). "You can't run after contentment," Lasater says. "It has to find you. All you can do is try to create the space for it."

If you release your mind from constantly wanting your situation to be different, you'll find more ease. "It's not fatalism; it's not to say you can't change your reality," says Cope. "But just for the moment, can you let go of the war with reality? If you do, you'll be able to think more clearly and be more effective in making a difference."

During those times when you don't feel content, just act for one moment as if you were.  You might kick-start a positive feedback loop, which can generate real contentment. It might feel absurd when your inner landscape isn't shiny and bright, but the simple physical act of turning up the corners of your mouth can have amazing effects. "Smile," suggests Devi. "It changes everything. Practicing smiling is like planting the seed of a mighty redwood. The body receives the smile, and contentment grows. Before you know it, you're smiling all the time." Whether you're practicing asana or living life, remember to find joy in the experience.

Tapas: Right Effort

Tapas is translated as "self-discipline," "effort," or "internal fire," and the Yoga Sutra suggests that when tapas is in action, the heat it generates will both burn away impurities and kindle the sparks of divinity within.

"Tapas is the willingness to do the work, which means developing discipline, enthusiasm, and a burning desire to learn," says Bell. "You can apply tapas to anything you want to see happen in your life: playing an instrument, changing your diet, cultivating an attitude of loving kindness, contentment, or non-judgment. In yoga, it's often seen as a commitment to the practice. You figure out what you can do, and do it every day. If it's only 10 minutes, fine—but make that time sacrosanct."

Connect to your own determination and will. "Holding a posture is tapas," says Cope. "You are restraining yourself from moving and are watching what happens. In this way, you build the capacity to tolerate being with strong sensation, and you get to answer the question: What is my real limit? And you develop the skill of witnessing, which is one of the most important skills of classical yoga."

The effort you use when you engage tapas is directed toward cultivating healthful habits and breaking unhealthful ones. "Asana is tapas, but if you become an asana junkie, then your tapas is to stop practicing asana," says Kraftsow. "One goal of tapas is to stop anything you do mindlessly because you've become habituated." When you use your will to overcome your conditioning, you free yourself from the many unconscious actions that cause suffering. Yes, discipline is actually a path to happiness.

Svadhyaya: Self-Study

Happiness is our nature, and it is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside. To tap into the wellspring of happiness that lies within each of us, try dedicating yourself to svadhyaya, the art of self-study, of looking within and asking the eternal question: Who am I?

The Yoga Sutra suggests that the study of the Self leads you toward communion with the Divine. It's a lofty aim, but you can develop svadhyaya as you move through everyday life. "Some traditions see study as a contemplation of the ultimate. Others see it as study of how you are: your functions, habits, and the ways your karma is playing out," explains Cope. "For most of us, the most fruitful practice will be looking at the Self. Are you on time and orderly? Or are you sloppy and late? What makes you mad or happy? How do you feel about that person on the next mat who's invading your space?"

Develop the capacity to find the answers without chastising or lauding yourself in the process. Swami Kripalu, the founder of Kripalu Yoga, said the highest spiritual practice is self-observation without judgment. "Svadhyaya is a skillful and systematic investigation of how things are," says Cope. "When you practice self-observation, you begin to uncover and address the unconscious patterns governing your life." When you can notice, but not judge, what you are doing and how you are feeling in every moment, you open a window to empathy for yourself and gain the stability you need to extend it to others.

Bell recommends another aspect of svadhyaya: the study of sacred texts, such as the Yoga Sutra, the Bhagavad Gita, Buddhism's Heart Sutra, or the Bible. "That's where the wisdom side develops," she says. "If you are only looking at the Self, it is easy to lose perspective. When you read the texts in service of svadhyaya, you'll read something that really resonates, and you'll begin to understand that...all beings experience these things." Study helps you understand the universality of life experiences and thereby increases your compassion for yourself and others.

Ishvara Pranidhana: Dedication to the Highest

Few dispute that the last of the niyamas, Ishvara pranidhana, is the pinnacle of spiritual practice.Yoga Sutra II.45 says that liberation—the highest happiness—comes only from a love of, communion with, and surrender to, God.

To embrace Ishvara pranidhana, it helps to understand what "God" is. "You don't have to believe in an anthropomorphic representation of God to accept that there is a divine design, a benevolent essence in the universe," says Harrigan. "It's about offering oneself to the divine matrix. It's letting our own holy essence guide our actions and catching the sacred power of life. This higher power is there for all of us, Patanjali says. That is the promise of the Yoga Sutra."

You can capture Ishvara pranidhana in any moment, Harrigan says. "You can always pause to look for the higher essence in any situation," she explains. "You can ask yourself, 'What is the best goodness here?' You can imagine that you have your own wise inner adviser, and ask, 'If I were to set aside my own desires and aversions and concerns for comfort, what would you advise for me?'"

Ishvara pranidhana is a cornerstone of Anusara Yoga. "We emphasize devotion, and service, making an artistic offering to the greater good, and bringing more beauty and love into the world," John Friend says. "If you do that, you won't need to think about not hurting anyone or not lying or stealing. If you dedicate your heart to loving and serving God, all other things fall into place."

Hillari Dowdle, a former Yoga Journal editor, writes in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sutra interpretations that appear throughout this story are taken from Bernard Bouanchaud's bookThe Essence of Yoga.

Path to Happiness (1)

Chances are, you ponder who you are and where you are in life, accept the current realities as best you can, and yet still plan a path toward your ideal. Your yoga practice undoubtedly helps you on this journey. And the yoga tradition suggests more than just postures to aid your transformation. Centuries ago, the great sage Patanjali laid out a kind of map—one that suggests not just asana and meditation but also attitudes and behaviors—to help you chart your own course to contentment.

At first glance, Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, written in Sanskrit and interpreted in many ways, may seem esoteric and impenetrable. But the ancient manual is worth a closer look, because it contains essential advice for daily living. "Patanjali has offered us guidelines that will allow us to have enhanced emotional and mental well-being and a more fulfilling and meaningful life," says Joan Shivarpita Harrigan, a practicing psychologist and the director of Patanjali Kundalini Yoga Care. "The Yoga Sutra is specifically designed to lead to greater happiness and spiritual fulfillment for you and everyone around you."

Much is contained within this ultimate guide to virtuous transformation, including the eightfold path of classical yoga (or ashtanga yoga), which suggests a program of ethical restraints or abstentions (yamas), lifestyle observances (niyamas), postures (asanas), breath control (pranayama), withdrawal of the senses (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and absorption into the Divine (samadhi). They are designed to lead you, step-by-step, toward everlasting contentment.

If you've been practicing yoga for a while, you're familiar with asana, pranayama, and meditation. But you might not know much about the first two steps of the path: the five yamas and five niyamas. These are the ethical precepts, or core values, of yoga as well as its starting place—meant to be practiced before you do your very first Sun Salutation. They provide a recipe for living in the world with ease.

"The yamas are really about restraining behaviors that are motivated by grasping, aversion, hatred, and delusion; the niyamas are designed to create well-being for ourselves and others," says Stephen Cope, a senior Kripalu teacher and the author of The Wisdom of Yoga. People sometimes think of them as yoga's Ten Commandments, but they aren't concerned with right or wrong in an absolute sense. "There's no thought of heaven or hell. It's about avoiding behaviors that produce suffering and difficulty, and embracing those that lead to states of happiness."

You Can Transform Your Life

Rather than thinking of the yamas and niyamas as a mandatory "to-do list," view them as invitations to act in ways that promote inner and outer peace and bliss. "They create harmony within you, and in relationship to your environment and to others. Where there is harmony, consciousness can expand," says John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga. "They lead us to a natural revelation of insight into the nature of being, and joy naturally arises."

They also provide a mirror in which to study your practice and your Self. Viniyoga teacher andYoga Sutra scholar Gary Kraftsow says they represent the qualities of an integrated human being. You get there through practice, contemplation, meditation, and working to transform yourself. "The path of practice begins with understanding and refining the different dimensions of who you are, and it unfolds progressively, not all at once," says Kraftsow. "The whole goal of yoga is Self-realization, which can also be called freedom." The yamas and niyamas give you infinite opportunities to truly transform your life.

Patanjali doesn't tell you how specifically to "do" the yamas and niyamas—that's up to you. But if you align your life with them, they'll lead you to your highest aspirations: peace, truth, abundance, harmonious relationships, contentment, purity, self-acceptance, love, and meaningful connection to the Divine—the essence of happiness. Here, we've asked prominent yoga teachers and philosophers to share their interpretations of the yamas and niyamas to help you make them a part of your path.

Ahimsa: Nonharming

In yoga philosophy, ahimsa—often translated as "non-violence" or "nonharming"—is the opportunity to relinquish hostility and irritability, and instead make space within your consciousness for peace. "In that space, all the anger, separation, and aggression resolve themselves," says Kraftsow. This allows you to let others be who they are, and to relate to the world in a whole new way.

To incorporate ahimsa into your life, look at all the attitudes you have that might be keeping you from feeling at peace. "I encourage students to notice how many times they have an enemy image of something—a neighbor, a co-worker, even the government," says Judith Hanson Lasater, a renowned yoga teacher and the author of six books, including A Year of Living Your Yoga. "Write down your five most negative thoughts," she says. "These thoughts themselves are a form of violence." Lasater recommends that you hold your negativity in your consciousness and step back from it a bit. Just noticing the negativity will help you stop feeding the thoughts and will lead you toward peace.

"My favorite description of ahimsa is of a dynamic peacefulness prepared to meet all needs with loving openness," says Charlotte Bell, a longtime Iyengar Yoga teacher and the author of Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life. "There's a suggestion of a state of balance that can evolve, that meets each situation in an open and accepting way."

This openness can extend to others. "You may mistakenly think that to refrain from harming another brings benefit to that other, and not to yourself," says Sharon Gannon, the co-creator of Jivamukti Yoga. "But when you start to understand how karma works, you realize that how you treat others determines how much suffering you experience." Gannon believes that if you truly become "other centered" (putting the happiness and well-being of others first), then not only do you experience less suffering, but the other yamas also unfold effortlessly.

Satya: Truthfulness

The Yoga Sutra holds truth among the highest of ideals. Many interpretations promise that once you're fully vested in satya, everything you say will come to be realized.

But be careful not to confuse your point of view with the truth. "You have to have integrity and humility to realize that the truth may be bigger than you," says Nischala Joy Devi, the author of her own translation of the Yoga Sutra, The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman's Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras. "In each moment, you must ask yourself: Am I speaking the truth? Am I just giving my opinion, filtered through my mind and all my prejudices?"

Satya requires that you consider both the spoken and unspoken aspects of your words. You don't want to mislead through omission; neither do you have to say everything that's on your mind—especially if it's hurtful. "Don't gossip, even if the information you're giving is true," says Kraftsow. "Instead, speak only of the highest. Use your words to elevate the listener." When you do so, you elevate yourself in the process.

Many spiritual seekers find that spending time in silence helps them notice the distinction between opinions and reality. Slowing down your internal chatter can help ground you in satya. "Silence is discriminative restraint," says Cope. "You are able to examine the roots of speech on an inner level, which enables you to better control your gross outward communication." You then establish a way of interacting with the world that includes both ahimsa and satya, both peacefulness and truthfulness.

Asteya: Nonstealing

Don't steal, the Yoga Sutra says, and all good things will come to you. Because asteya is commonly translated to mean refraining from taking anything that is not freely offered, the first things most people think of are money, clothes, food, and other tangible stuff. But there's more to asteya than what is found on the material plane.

"There are lots of things you can steal," says Devi. "You can steal someone's time if you are late. You can steal someone's energy. You can steal someone's happiness. You can steal someone else's ideas if you represent them as your own."

Asteya also calls for a focus on how and what you consume. "If you are taking something, you need to consider how to give back the appropriate energy or amount," says Friend. "Because everything is interconnected, whatever you receive is taken from somewhere else. Most people don't stop to consider all the different levels of energy involved in all they are consuming. Energetically and karmically, you create a major imbalance if you take and don't pay back." Or, to borrow a line from the Beatles: "The love you take is equal to the love you make."

To invite asteya into your life, consider what you truly need and refrain from letting your desires persuade you to take more. Have fair trade be your mantra—not only in your shopping habits but also in all of your day-to-day interactions. Respect the time and energy of others, give credit where credit is due, and see if you can help build up the world's kindness reserves by giving more than you take.

Brahmacharya: Energy Moderation

The most talked about interpretation of brahmacharya is celibacy. But you needn't become a monk to be a good yogi. You can just accept a broader interpretation of this yama. "It literally means 'walking in the way of God,'" says Harrigan. "It's about preventing the dissipation of one's energy through the misuse of the senses. It's a personal energy-conservation program—when you practice brahmacharya, you are not letting the senses rule your behavior; you are not urge driven."

Anything that causes turbulence in the mind and stirs the emotions might be seen as a violation of brahmacharya: overstimulating foods, loud music, violent movies, and yes, inappropriate sexual behavior. "Whatever disturbs the mind and body disturbs the spiritual life—it's all one energy," says Devi. "Brahmacharya asks you to consider how you spend it. Look at energy like money in the bank: If you have $100, you don't want to spend it all right away so that you have nothing left. Become a good energy manager."

Brahmacharya has real applications in the physical practice, says Bell. "When you're working with asana, you need to learn to regulate your effort so that you're not pushing and forcing, which drains the life force," she explains. "I'll put my students in a pose and have them consider what they would have to do—or stop doing—to stay in it for an hour. Almost universally, their faces will relax and their shoulders will drop down, and they'll find that they put energy into things they didn't need to. Asana should be replenishing your energy, not draining it."

Experiment with this practice on your mat, then take it into the rest of your life. No matter what's going on—whether it's being delayed for your next appointment by a long line at the supermarket, or nervously kissing a new love interest—ask yourself: Can I let go of my tension and relax into this moment?

Notice how the situation doesn't need your stress to resolve itself. And by not giving so much energy to intense moments—by not squandering your life force—you are more at ease and happier in all moments.

Aparigraha: Nongrasping

Aparigraha means "nongrasping," and it can be a tough sell in this consumer culture of ours. But freedom from wanting more and more is just that: freedom.

"Aparigraha is the decision to not hoard or accumulate goods through greed but rather to develop an attitude of stewardship toward the material world," Harrigan says. "Before you bring anything into your home, ask yourself: Do I need this for my role in life? As a parent? As a spiritual seeker? Or am I just accumulating stuff out of my own fear and greed?" If you don't consider these questions, your possessions can take over. "Once you get so much stuff, you have to take care of and defend it," Harrigan says. "You start to get attached to it and identify with it. It's easy to start thinking you are your stuff, but the truth is that stuff comes and goes."

The idea is: Just let it go. "If our homes are filled with old junk that doesn't apply to us anymore, there's no room for new energy to come in," says Bell. That holds true for the nonmaterial ideas and attitudes you cling to as well. "If you are hanging on to old beliefs about yourself or your relationships, or clinging to a career that no longer feeds you, there's no latitude to move in a different direction."

To invite aparigraha, try a simple practice. "Acknowledge abundance and practice gratitude," says Devi. "You don't need more and more if you are grateful and feeling fulfilled with what you have in the moment."

By Hillari Dowdle