The First Limb: Yama and the Moral Foundation of Internal Power
- Josh Goheen
- 11 hours ago
- 5 min read
In the previous article in this series, we examined the Eight Limbs of Yoga as outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, noting how modern practitioners of Yoga, Qigong, and Taijiquan often isolate posture and breath while neglecting the deeper architecture of authentic cultivation.
We now begin a closer examination of each limb in succession. The first is Yama—a word commonly translated as restraint, control, or ethical discipline. If we are serious about internal development, this is where our training must begin.
Before we speak of energy, before we speak of stillness, before we speak of spiritual realization, we must speak of conduct. And, as it turns out, this is the area in which most would-be practitioners struggle most.
Why Ethics Precede Energy
In every authentic internal tradition, moral discipline precedes power.
In Taoist language, virtue (德, De) stabilizes and guides the circulation of Qi. In classical Yoga, Yama stabilizes the mind so that higher states of awareness are even possible. Without this foundation, energy practices amplify instability rather than refine it. This is why we see so many practitioners whose lives are emotional rollercoasters. Even if they have spent considerable time training the movements or breathwork, they have failed to discipline the character. A house without a steady foundation cannot stand.
Energy follows intention.
If the mind is undisciplined, resentful, greedy, dishonest, or indulgent, then whatever power is cultivated will be distorted by those tendencies. This is why the ancients insisted that ethical refinement is not optional—it is structural.
Yama governs how we interact with the world. It regulates our outward behavior and, more importantly, conditions our internal responses.
There are five primary principles traditionally included under Yama.
1. Ahimsa — Non-Violence
Ahimsa is often translated as non-violence, but its depth extends far beyond refraining from physical harm. Ahimsa teaches us to turn away from any action, thought, or belief that is deleterious to any aspect of our being or to those around us, whether body, soul, or spirit.
It includes:
Avoiding harm to others
Avoiding harm to oneself
Avoiding mental and emotional toxicity
Avoiding destructive habits
For practitioners of Qigong and Taiji, this principle begins immediately in how we train.
Do we push beyond healthy limits out of ego?
Do we compare ourselves with others and injure ourselves trying to prove something?
Do we indulge in anger, resentment, or harsh self-criticism?
Internal arts are not built on aggression. Even martial Taijiquan is rooted in yielding and harmony rather than brute force.
Ahimsa teaches us to regulate intensity, to nourish rather than deplete, and to cultivate strength without cruelty—toward others or toward ourselves.
When this principle matures, the nervous system softens. The body becomes receptive. Energy circulates without obstruction born of hostility.
2. Satya — Truthfulness
Satya is truthfulness in thought, speech, and action. It is a dedication to the objective truth of reality even in the face of our desires, feelings, or circumstances. In a world consumed by subjective "personal truth," Satya stands as a reminder that natural law does not bend to our personal inclinations.
For the internal cultivator, this includes radical honesty with oneself.
Are we practicing consistently?
Are we rationalizing laziness?
Are we inflating our level of attainment?
Truthfulness aligns us with reality. In Taoist terms, it aligns us with the Tao. In spiritual language, it aligns us with divine order.
Self-deception is one of the greatest obstacles in internal training. A practitioner who imagines progress where there is none cannot correct errors. One who lies outwardly will eventually lie inwardly. When we divorce ourselves from the truth of reality, we open ourselves to a cancerous rot that will distort and corrupt us to the core.
Satya builds integrity.
Integrity stabilizes intention.
Stable intention directs energy.
Without truthfulness, internal power becomes fantasy.
3. Asteya — Non-Stealing
Asteya is commonly understood as refraining from taking what is not freely given or rightly earned. It is a powerful principle in a world filled with messages of entitlement.
But its deeper implication extends beyond material theft.
It includes:
Not stealing others’ time
Not stealing attention
Not stealing credit
Not demanding results we have not worked for
In the internal arts, this principle reminds us that development cannot be shortcut.
We cannot steal attainment.
We cannot bypass foundational training and expect advanced results. There are no newly discovered secrets or shortcuts.
Modern culture encourages speed and acquisition. Internal cultivation requires patience and rightful earning. Every layer of depth must be cultivated step by step.
Asteya trains humility and respect for process.
4. Brahmacharya — Right Use of Energy
Brahmacharya is often reduced to sexual moderation, and while this is included, its scope is far broader.
It concerns the wise conservation and direction of life-force.
Where does your energy go each day?
Excessive stimulation
Compulsive entertainment
Emotional drama
Overwork
Sexual excess
Mental agitation
All of these deplete internal reserves.
In Qigong and Taijiquan, we speak often of conserving Jing (essence) and refining it into Qi. This requires discipline. If energy is constantly squandered through indulgence, no amount of standing meditation will compensate.
Brahmacharya teaches economy of effort. It trains us to invest energy where it yields growth and withdraw it from what weakens us.
Without this principle, practice becomes like filling a leaking vessel.
5. Aparigraha — Non-Attachment
Aparigraha is freedom from grasping. Non-attachment means we must be capable of living out our lives with reverence and not possessiveness. Only when we are free from clutching at a thing can we truly enjoy its presence in our lives.
It addresses greed, envy, covetousness, and excessive accumulation. It asks us to be content with sufficiency rather than enslaved by appetite. Additionally, and of great importance in our modern times, it addresses our cultural obsession with identity. To attach ourselves to an identity, whether it be race, ethnicity, nationality, gender expression, sexual orientation, or whatever the flavor of the moment might be, and to demand to be seen and acknowledged and to be given any particular privileges for such identity, is nothing but an obstacle to the path of inner cultivation. It is an attachment rooted in immaturity along the path.
In internal training, attachment appears subtly:
Attachment to results
Attachment to experiences
Attachment to sensations
Attachment to praise
Attachment to identity as a “cultivator”
Ironically, clinging blocks the very development we seek.
When we grasp at internal sensations or spiritual experiences, we create tension. Tension obstructs flow. Obstruction halts refinement.
Non-attachment allows practice to mature naturally.
It produces steadiness.
Yama as the Root of Internal Will
Taken together, these five principles shape the practitioner’s character. They regulate behavior externally while forging discipline internally. Without discipline and stability, nothing of value can be accomplished in practice or in life.
Yama is not about moral superiority. It is about structural integrity.
Without:
Non-violence
Truthfulness
Non-stealing
Wise use of energy
Non-attachment
the mind remains unstable.
An unstable mind cannot sustain deep meditation.
A dissipated life cannot build internal power.
A dishonest heart cannot perceive truth clearly.
Whether we speak in the language of Yoga, Taoism, or Christian mysticism, the pattern is identical: inner transformation requires moral alignment.
This is why Yama stands first.
Before posture.
Before breath.
Before meditation.
The practitioner who ignores this foundation may gain flexibility and relaxation—but will struggle to develop depth, clarity, or enduring power.
Bringing Yama into Qigong and Taijiquan Practice
For those training in Taiji or Qigong, the question becomes practical:
Do I train with gentleness rather than aggression?
Do I practice honestly, without self-deception?
Do I respect the gradual process of development?
Do I conserve and direct my energy wisely?
Do I release attachment to outcomes?
If so, Yama is already being cultivated.
In future articles, we will examine the second limb—Niyama—which governs personal discipline and inward refinement. Together, Yama and Niyama create the psychological and moral architecture required for true internal alchemy.
Without this foundation, practice remains exercise.
With it, practice becomes transformation.
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