Ahimsa

Yama and Niyama are the foundation to yogi ethics from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, and hold the key to moving your yoga behind the mat to a more spiritual place. At first glance they look like a ten commandments sort of list but once you being to understand them, you see that many are much more ... complicated. (That's the best word I have right now.) They are more thorough then a do-not-do-this list and instead approach from the positive with guidelines of how one should live.

The first Yama we have studied is Ahimsa or Non-violence. This is non-violence to the greatest extent - no harm to others, the environment, to one's self. This is staying calm on the subway when people around us become totally irritated <cough,yesterday'scommute>, being kind and radiating love even to those we dislike, generosity etc.

Trying to live Ahimsa this week has been a challenge. A very good one for me actually... my sense of humor is snarky, I'm an eye roller when annoyed and I can be quick to anger. (Those of you who know me are laughing because all these things are such an obvious part of my personality. Shh! I know!) What I have learned is that, really, Ahimsa is all about the love. Because to truly be non-violent does not mean to be indifferent - when I tried to just not be a big meany I found myself fighting urges to react or act out. The only way I could achieve this at all was to flip the reaction.

When the client - the one that comes in once every month to plan her next visit and to tell me her life story (including her sleep patterns and her entire weekend routine)  - came by, I didn't make a joke; I gave her my time. And finally realized she may need that conversation and that it is asking very little of me to have it with her. Or when the high school kid rushing to get to the door of the subway train bombarded me and hit me with his backpack then said "oops"- I took a breath, smiled and thought 'lovelovelove' instead of... well you can imagine.

Try to add this to your day to day - I challenge you! Its actually lovely to walk around smiling and light, instead of grumpy and mad about something in the past we cannot change. Go figure, right?

... feeling the Ahimsa yet?