Spirituality Led Ethical Decision Making with Yogic Yamas and Niyamas

Abstract

If reason isn't the primary anchor in extraordinary crises, then what drives decision making? Is there a spirituality led ethical foundation to reality that goes beyond decision makers' perceptions of dichotomies? We examine how ethics and spirituality are part of one holistic framework shaping the organizational decision making processes. This conceptual paper addresses: How can Yogic Yamas and Niyamas (disciplinary restraints and observances) as expressions of spirituality led ethics, enrich ethical decision making towards a trustful environment sustainably? Three philosophical texts for Astānga Yoga in Indian spiritual traditions were used through hermeneutics based qualitative-research methodology. Among the salient contributions, we explore the concepts of Āstikya (belief or trust in higher consciousness) and Īsvarapranidhāna (committing what one does to higher consciousness) for enriching the discourse on spirituality led ethical decision making. We propose an integrative approach to achieve coherent decisions by bringing a universal and contextual spiritual base for coping with crises.