The Yamas are like the Ten Commandments; thou shalt not harm or kill, thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not covet, thou shalt not be a greedy pig, etc. The Niyamas, on the other hand, are the thou shalts, or thou shall. (I don’t think shalt is a word, and thou shall has a funny rhyme to it). Santosha is thou shall be content. If Yahweh had directly given Moses and his people the thou shalls, rather than implying them, it may have been easier for people to understand that the implication of the Ten Commandments is thou shall be content with what I, the Lord your God, has provided for you. Rejoice in your manna. Live an attitude of gratitude for the abundance that I bestow upon you, the rich bounty of this world. And we say, but we are living in a desert without a home, and people are chasing us that want to enslave or kill us, and there really isn’t much to this manna really, can’t we have a good steak? And God might say, sure, but then who would carry your luggage? It is because we are so worried about the moment that is not now. Right now, we can be content that God is even speaking to us.
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