ahimsa

ahimsa

In todays modern yoga world, it is easy to assume that ‘asana’ — the practice of physical postures — is the most important part of a yoga practice. There is a belief that if we want to be ‘good’ at yoga we should focus on being able to touch our toes or balance on our heads. 

Traditionally, asana is just one of the eight limbs, or practices, of yoga outlined by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra over 2500 years ago. The first limb is ‘yama’, a sanksrit term often translated to mean restraint, however over the years i've come to think of it as 'ethics' or 'ways of livings'. 

‘Ahimsa’, is the first yama, which means non harming or non violence. So really, the first, most foundational, and perhaps the most important element of yoga, is the practice of not causing harm — in thoughts, words or actions, with yourself, with others and in the world. 

Some teachers believe that to live and experience yoga, this is the only practice you really need. Learning to become so aware of how you think, speak and act, and letting go of any harmful tendencies is already a lifetimes worth of work.  

Asana can be a very helpful tool to explore ahimsa. When we step on to our mats and explore our body and breath, it helps us to pay more attention to how we are moving, breathing and thinking. We can become more aware of the subtle ways we might cause harm. The moments that we force, push, judge or criticise. We can learn a lot about ourselves, our habits and our patterns by investigating how we practice. 

Being able to honestly observe ourselves requires a lot of strength and courage. It isn’t easy to see the ways in which we might cause harm. Often, what we find is that our harmful tendencies are actually tied up in our own hurt and pain. So when we start to work on causing less harm, it is actually a practice that heals our own bodies, minds and hearts. It helps us to soften, and we begin to see how much potential we have for kindness, forgiveness and understanding. 

So through the practice of ahimsa we are not just becoming less harmful, we are becoming more loving and peaceful. We are setting an example for ourselves, and those around us, to live in love and not hate.

Thich Nhat Hanh used to teach that if we really want to live in a world full of peace, we have to make sure that we are living peacefully first. So if you are looking out into the world, and feeling hopeless and devastated by the ongoing wars, remember there is something you can do. You can commit to not causing harm and become a beacon of peace. 

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