Ahimsa: Non-harming

Himsa=To strike A=Not/negation

 
Ahimsa is one of the 5 Yamas or moral precepts outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, a body of work which has become popular (in western yoga) since it was translated in the 19th Century and is really a philosophical work that underpins modern yoga. You will find almost no reference to posture or movement of any kind except how to sit for meditation, but much on how we should conduct ourselves through life.

This is what Patanjali says in Sutra 2:35:

              “In the presence of one firmly established in non-violence, all hostilities cease”
              “AHIMSA PRATISTHAYAM TAT SAMNIDHAU VAIRA TYAGAH”

It is obvious that most moral precepts are universals, ways of maintaining healthy functioning societies and non-harming forms part of the teaching of Buddhism, Janism and Hinduism, as well as the monotheistic religions of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. And I think we can all agree that violence is bad but what about more subtle forms of harming?  What about thoughts and words as well as deeds and just how easy is ahimsa to adhere to?

    "Watch your thoughts they become words. Watch your words they become actions” Lao Tzu

Ahimsa in Thought

When was the last time you had a thought that was harmful to yourself? Something unkind, harsh or judgemental? If you are like most people, it won’t have been that long ago. Often we apply the stick to our own behaviour much more than the carrot and yet we know that this doesn’t really achieve the best result and often no result at all! What about your thoughts towards others, not necessarily individuals but our biases towards whole groups of people?
Underpinning all of this is the notion that what you put out you get back, that there is no separation in reality, that all our thoughts, words and deeds are like ripples in a pond.

Ahimsa in Word

Let’s take a look at words. If you are on social media at all you will be very familiar with the power of words to harm. Very familiar examples are the slanging matches that begin on town facebook pages usually over something quite small. This is a prime example of the cascading of harm, of violence.

    “The words you speak become the house you live in” Hafiz

The sufi poet Hafiz reminds us of the four gates of speech.

Are these words true?
Are they necessary?
Are they beneficial?
Are they kind?

If your words cannot pass through each of these metaphorical gates then it is argued they should not be spoken.
 

Ahimsa in Deed

There is one big way in which we humans as a species are causing harm. The damage we are doing to the planet. What to do about this? We know that developed countries need to consume less, to make less of a mark, to not exploit resources but we also know that we can’t all suddenly re-wild ourselves. So we do what we can, from putting pressure on governments to act, to using fewer plastics, making reparation for travel.

You will find if you read around that many yoga practitioners interpret ahimsa as a call to vegetarianism and it is certainly true that eating mostly plants will cause less harm (to planet and animal), but so too will making sure that the animals that are consumed have been farmed ethically. Non-harming to other people surely means being fair, ensuring that everyone’s needs are met, standing up for a sense of justice, and applying the same standard of equanimity to all the people we encounter, or very simply being kind. And that is a choice we can make each day.

Ahimsa in Yoga Practice

So you can see that we can take this principle and apply it to the microcosm of our own thoughts, words and deeds and to the macrocosm, how a society or the world population should ethically conduct itself. But how do you apply this in the yoga practice you do on your mat? Perhaps by beginning with the intention to not harm, to be kind to the self (after all this is where change begins), to find ease in movement and breath, to not push or strive too hard. And as you do this, to be a witness to your thoughts, to be aware of negative self-talk, of self- judgement and criticism, and like a ripple this will extend off the mat and into the rest of your life.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Significance of The Autumn Equinox

Image
 The Significance of the Autumn Equinox I used to think the Equinox was about balance, equal day and night, a moment to be grateful for the brightness of summer, a moment to let go, to stand still and contemplate the next quarter, the way our thoughts lean into preparation for the quieter energy of winter. But now? It feels less human. We are about to move from more light to more dark. This astronomical marker draws our attention to the passage of time, as the Earth moves steadily on its journey round and round, as the Sun moves on its spiral on the end of one arm of a tiny galaxy in the vast emptiness of Space.  Before we were here with all our human ideas, thoughts, endless words, these rocks and stars were moving just the same, without words or observation or meaning. Before life, they were moving, through extinctions they were moving, and in time other life will replace ours to witness.  So rather than feeling the Equinox has significance for me and my short life...
Read more
Image
  Satya(m)=Truthfulness Satya is the 2nd of the 5 Yamas or moral restraints outlined in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. It is generally translated as Truthfulness but the source of the word in Sanskrit is a little more than that. Sat means true essence, that which is real. In 2.36 Patanjali says        " SATYA PRATISTHAYAM KRIYA PHALASRAYATVAN"     "To one established in truthfulness, actions and their results become subservient"  Satchidananda in his translation and commentary on the Sutras suggests that the more we can lead a life of honesty, the more we will see results, that we need not run after things, that if we are always truthful, a time will come when all we say will come true! That your words become so powerful and clean that honesty obeys you.  Are we honest the whole of the time? Well no we are not. We tell white lies all the time to save people's feelings, to keep the wheels of relationships running smoothly, and sometimes to manipulat...
Read more
Image
  How to Create Your Sankalpa 'Be silent, hide away and let your thoughts and longings rise and set in the deep places of your heart. Let dreams move silently as stars, in wonder more than you can tell. Let them fulfil you – and be still.' Fyodor Tyutchev, the Russian poet and statesman may never have heard the term Sankalpa but in this extract from his poem he understands instinctively what it is to listen to the heart, to find the heart's desire. Losing heart I feel sometimes that we have lost our way. The modern age makes machines of us all, dictating our waking hours, our rest and sleep; educating us to fit into an industrial landscape. And in this rush to produce, to advance, to be busy, we have lost connection with the inner life of the heart, the very part of us that makes us so beautifully human. The power of the heart How many times in your life have you heard the message of your heart but ignored it only to find out later that it was right all along? I k...
Read more