Yamaha ("restraint") is the first and most fundamental of the eight component aspects of ashtanga ("eight-part") yoga, which was defined by Patanjali (1st century C.E.?) :
- Refraining from harming other living things (ahimsa),
- abstaining from stealing,
- honesty,
- celibacy (brahmacharya),
- and abstaining from avarice are five of them.
These are all "restraints" because their intent is
negative—they don't call for positive actions as much as they call for avoiding
certain thoughts or actions that are deemed particularly harmful.
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