Yama-Niyama: Ethical Boundaries as Self-Love

Yama and niyama—the ethical precepts of yoga—form the bedrock of reparenting. Yama includes ahimsa (non-harm), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (integrity), and aparigraha (non-grasping). For the inner child, these become practices of self-protection: I will not harm myself, I will tell myself the truth, I will not steal from my own future, I will maintain my integrity, I will release what doesn't serve me. Niyama—personal observances—includes saucha (purity of environment and body), santosha (contentment), tapas (disciplined effort), svadhyaya (self-study), and ishvara-pranidhana (connection to something greater). Applied to reparenting: I deserve a clean, safe environment. I can be satisfied with simplicity. I will work consistently on myself. I will understand my patterns. I will trust in something larger. These ethics are not rules imposed from outside but loving standards the reparenting adult establishes, demonstrating to the inner child that ethical living is self-love.