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‘Niyama ' literally means rules or laws. Niyamas are the rules prescribed for personal observance. Like the five Yamas, Niyama are not some actions or exercises that can be studied simply. They represent much more than attitude. Compared to Yama, Niyamas are more intimate and personal. They refer to the attitude you adopt towards yourself.
Sauca (Saucha)
Sauca (Saucha) literally means cleanliness. Sauca has both internal and external aspect. External hygiene is just about keeping ourselves clean. The internal cleanliness means healthy and proper functioning of our body parts. Practicing asana or pranayama is an essential means of getting this internal cleanliness.
Samtosa or Santosha or Contentment.
A feeling of moderation and contentment in what you have. For peace and contentment in one's life. The word literally means happiness. There are occasions when we work so hard to get something. When you don't get it, you get very frustrated. Some people find depression as a result. Some people may even consider suicide in extreme cases. We do these things because we do not have the discipline to be content with what we have. We have to accept that everything has a purpose - which we call as karma. James Redfield calls this synchronism in the Celestine Prophecy. The true meaning of equilibrium is 'to accept what happens.' God has a plan. Christians pray, ' Thy will be done.' Accept what God has given you with humility and joy. Instead of being sad about what you don't have, be happy with what you have.
The commentary on the Yoga sutra says: "Satisfaction is greater than all the sixteen heavens." Instead of complaining about the wrong things, we can accept what happened and learn from them. Equilibrium is like our mental activities like study, our physical endeavours and how we earn our living. It's about ourselves - what we have and how we feel about what God has given us. It's about your whole outlook on life. Do we see half empty or half full cup?
Tapas or Tap
Tapas refer to the activities of keeping the body fit and to deal with internal urges without external absorption. Literally this means heating up the body and cleaning it by doing so. The idea behind tapas is that we can get rid of the waste in our bodies. Asanas and pranayama are tools that we can use to keep ourselves healthy. Another form of tapas is to pay attention to what we eat. When you are not hungry, eating is the opposite of austerity. Paying attention to body posture, attention to eating habits, breathing patterns - these are all austerities that prevent the body from increasing waste, including overweight and shortness of breath. Tapas make the whole body fit and functional. It disciplines you to develop healthy eating habits and prevents high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Svadhyaya
Sva means "own" or "mine." Whereas the word Adhyaya means "inquiry" or "examination." The word Svadhyaya means "to draw close to something." That means being close to yourself, means understanding yourself. It can also mean contemplation or meditation. It teaches us to stay focused and reactive to duality, to eliminate unwanted and destructive tendencies.
All the learning, all the reflection, all the contacts that help us to know more about ourselves is called svadhyaya. As per Niyama, the term is often translated as "the study of ancient texts. We need reference points so we need to study niyama. The world is changing rapidly around us. We can read a book based on the Bible or spiritual healing, or of personal importance or yoga. According to the Yoga Sutra, as you progress in your self-examination, you will gradually find a link to the Divine Law and the Prophets revealed. And because mantras are often recited for this purpose, we sometimes find svadhyaya described as "repetition of mantras".
Isvarapranidhana or Ishvarapranidhana
Isvarapranidhana or Ishvarapranidhana is to "put all our activities in God's footsteps. We must accept the fact that we do not always get what we want. Sometimes we get frustrated. Things go wrong. This is why equanimity (samtosa) is so important. We have completed our share. We did the best we could in the situation. We can leave the rest at high power. Regarding the rules, we can define God as the attitude of a person who usually showers the fruits of his actions to God in daily prayer.