YAMAS - Five Ethical Principles for Healing
Hi, I'm Julia. If you're new here, I'm a former athlete and licensed psychotherapist. I specialize in helping adults who seem high functioning move from constantly striving to genuinely thriving using my research-backed clinical expertise and somatic strategies for sustainable healing.
The first limb of yoga is the Yamas—five ethical restraints that form the foundation of a meaningful, healthy life.
Think of the Yamas as asking: "How do I want to show up in the world? What kind of person do I want to be?"
For high-functioning adults struggling with perfectionism, anxiety, and burnout, the Yamas are transformative. They invite you to examine not just what you're doing, but how you're doing it and why.
I try to focus on the Yamas in my own daily life. Over the years, I have found that these principles serve as a foundation for my own boundaries and expectations I hold myself to. I have found that our 24-hour news cycles and consumption by screens have made it difficult for me to uphold these principles for myself. I feel a noticeable shift when I am unwisely dedicating time to social media scrolling, lying to myself that it’s a form of rest when the content is subtly or obviously harmful, and suddenly finding minutes or hours lost in the scroll. For me, it’s a lesson in what not to do, with a gentle encouragement to shift toward compassion, honestly, respect, intention, and acceptance.
The Five Yamas Explained
1. Ahimsa (Non-Violence) Non-violence toward yourself and others. This includes your self-talk, your boundaries, and your relationship with your own body.
2. Satya (Truthfulness) Living in alignment with your authentic truth, even when it's uncomfortable or inconvenient.
3. Asteya (Non-Stealing) Respecting boundaries and resources—including your own time, energy, and presence.
4. Brahmacharya (Wise Use of Energy) Using your energy sustainably and intentionally, rather than exhausting yourself through overwork or overcommitment.
5. Aparigraha (Non-Attachment) Holding things lightly, releasing what doesn't serve you, and finding peace with what is.
Why High-Achievers Violate the Yamas (And Don't Even Realize It)
I work with brilliant, accomplished people who unknowingly violate these principles daily:
You practice Brahmacharya by overworking and stealing your own rest
You violate Satya by people-pleasing instead of speaking your truth
You ignore Ahimsa by criticizing yourself relentlessly
You breach Asteya by giving everything to work and nothing to yourself
You cling to Aparigraha by grasping for perfectionism
The result? Chronic anxiety. Burnout. A nervous system in constant dysregulation.
How the Yamas Show Up in Therapy
In my practice, we don't just talk about these principles intellectually. We explore them experientially:
Ahimsa: "Notice the voice in your head that criticizes you. Can you speak to yourself the way you'd speak to a good friend?"
Satya: "What truth are you not speaking? What would change if you said it out loud?"
Asteya: "What are you stealing from yourself through your overcommitment?"
Brahmacharya: "Your burnout is telling you something. What is your body asking for?"
Aparigraha: "What are you holding so tightly that it's keeping you stuck?"
These aren't abstract philosophical questions. They're invitations to examine how you're actually living and whether your choices align with your well-being.
The Invitation
The Yamas aren't rules to follow rigidly. They're invitations to live with more intention, compassion, and alignment.
Over the next several posts, I'll explore each Yama in depth—with examples, science, and practical strategies for integrating them into your life.
Ready to explore the Yamas? Learn more about yoga-informed psychotherapy or reach out to discuss how this approach might support your healing.