Niyama

Shauchantoshtapahsvadhyayeswarpranidhanani niyama: 

Shaucha, contentment, austerity, self-study and Ishvara Pranidhan are called rules. Irregular lifestyle leads to an irregular future, in which nothing happens except sorrow and disease. Body and mind can be made healthy through rules. 

Types of Niyama

The other limbs of Ashtanga Yoga are also five types of rules (five personal ethics).

Defecation 

Purity of body and mind is the sanctification. Purity of body and mind cures diseases and sorrows. For the purity of the body, by applying mud, rubbish, triphala, neem etc., bathing with pure water, one gets purified and by giving up lust, anger, greed, attachment, ego, the mind is purified.

Satisfaction 

To be satisfied and happy Satisfaction is not to crave more than the wealth obtained by hard work and perseverance, not to grieve or rejoice over the attainment of more or less. Santoshi is always happy. Excessive dissatisfaction creates restlessness and disorder in the mind, due to which the body becomes diseased.

Tenacity 

Being self-disciplined Tolerating happiness-sorrow, hunger-thirst, honor-disgrace, loss-benefit, etc., not allowing the mind and body to be disturbed is austerity. To conquer the strong desire for enjoyment and sex is also austerity. Tapas is the control of the senses. Body and mind are strengthened by tapas.

Self study 

to introspect Swadhyaya means studying oneself and studying social, scientific and spiritual subjects regularly for the purpose of purification of thoughts and attainment of knowledge. It is said that knowledge is the only way to get rid of sorrows.

God adored

There should be complete devotion, complete faith in God. It is also called Sharanagati Yoga or Bhakti Yoga. For peace of mind and peace of body, make only one God as your deity, so that the mind will start conserving energy by getting rid of confusion and disorientation.

Worshiping and praising God with thought, word and deed brings concentration in the mind. It is from this concentration that power is concentrated which gives strength to fight suffering and disease. By staying on 'God', the scattering of power stops.