I’ve read Deborah Adele’s book “The Yamas and Niyamas” nearly once a year for the past ten years. I’ve taught the Yamas and Niyamas in my yoga classes just as many times. And every time I come back to these foundational teachings, I learn something. They are always relevant, wherever I find myself in life. In more recent years, I found myself coming to these teachings with a hint of self-riotousness hiding under a cloak of confidence. And once again, just like they did in my earlier years of teaching them, they brought me to my knees in awe and humility of just how much there is to learn and refine within ourselves. The Yamas and Niyamas are what I’ve always felt yoga to be: a practice that happens off the mat.
Do you want to change the world? Practice the Yamas and Niyamas and you will.
Ahimsa: non-violence
The rumblings of inspiration for this 10-week series have been stirring in the back of my mind for the past couple of weeks. And, as it so often is with Spirit, it became clear at 5am this past Wednesday morning that the series would start today, with my 6am class.
And so, we begin with the first Yama (restraint), Ahimsa
I recently put a picture of Bob Marley in my writing and creativity corner to remind me to be a vessel of love. Bob Marley radiates the essence of Ahimsa. This was a way of life for him. So may it be for all of us.
The word violence most often conjures images and notions of war and brutal aggression in our minds, which is one form violence can take. But violence can show up in subtle and nuanced ways too. Hatred that results in physical acts of violence is seeded by violence’s more minuscule forms of hatred that, when not caught and tended to within us, grow unconsciously into something deeply damaging.
What if yoga, more than refining the physical postures in our bodies, was a path of refining ourselves into vessels of love and compassion?
Yoga is a path back to who we really are. What if, dare I say, who we are at our foundation is in fact, love? And what if we all remembered this?
For me this remembering takes two forms. One is the wondrous catharsis of having the direct experience with Spirit that we are, in fact, the same love we feel in nature or anything else we consider Divine (which in truth is everything).
But Ahimsa also holds up a mirror for us to see where unconscious hatred lives within us. This is a very confronting and hard thing to look at, as most of us consider ourselves to be peaceful and loving humans. Part of the work of yoga is a willingness to see our own shadows (where hatred hides) and be brave enough to do something about it.
Whatever is in us, inevitably makes its way into the world (because we are not separate from the world- we are a vibrating part of it.)
It was raining this morning and I had to cancel the first yoga in the park of the season. I went to talk to the Elm tree that shelters us, the stirrings of Ahimsa in my mind. It showed me the importance of making ourselves vessels of love. And how important it is to expand our capacity to hold love- a message I receive frequently from the trees. I saw what could happen if each of us took up the task to become greater vehicles for love and it astounded me.
Let’s create that world.
We must become the change we wish to see in the world. You cannot change the world. You can only change yourself. What if each of us took it upon ourselves to purify and transmute our judgements, hatred and aggression into unconditional love, compassion and peace?
In my experience, to become the change we wish to see in the world, we must first be willing to accept that quite possibly, some of the violence and biases we condemn in others, also live in us. As mentioned above, this is hard to look at and most people won’t, but that’s part of why our world is where it’s at.
Following my cat through the garden today, I’m thinking about Ahimsa and how easy it can be to justify our hatred. I thought about people who’ve endured devesting realities. What about our hatred towards those who enslaved and tortured populations of innocent people? Certainly, this kind of hatred is warranted. And yet by us holding onto it, it is perpetuated through generations and through our world. In these extreme cases of unbearable cruelty, forgiveness can feel not only impossible, but undeserved. Yet, in not forgiving, we harbor hatred and resentment in our hearts. Whatever energy lives within us is what we radiate out and what stays alive in our world. This is another subtle and difficult facet of Ahimsa to reconcile within us, one that brings us to our knees. Because, ultimately, what Spirit is asking us is to forgive so that we don’t carry hatred forward. Forgiveness allows us to see life through the eyes of the Creator. We become the alchemists, transmuting poison into medicine, blackness into gold.
Ahimsa asks us to set the past aside and look into the eyes of another human and see that there is light and love in this moment- and to remember that’s what’s real. That love we so often glimpse yet dismiss is what’s underneath all our opinions and judgements. We are not so separate as we would like to believe. And if that idea of oneness is hard to accept, it is undeniable that we are all connected and that our energy and actions affect each other. You are an inseparable thread of this collective weave. Your vibration affects the vibration of the whole- there is a ripple effect- and vice versa. Kindness inspires more kindness and aggression inspires more aggression.
Think of how road rage can affect us if we allow it to. It is so easy to react when someone cuts us off in traffic. Unless we transmute that energy, we will let it take hold of us and we act it out again, and so that energy ripples out, lest it stops with us. Everything is energy. Conversely, even the smallest act of kindness or generosity can have a similar ripple effect. My boss came in to visit me, with his one year old son, when I was working on my birthday. It was a gift enough just to say hello and play with his son, but he pulled money out of the register and told me to treat myself to dinner after my shift. I was so surprised and grateful for his generosity that I ordered something for my co-worker too. This is a tiny example of how kindness and generosity can ripple out. Or maybe you’ve received an unexpected compliment by a stranger and felt so good that you offered one up to someone else you passed on the street. This is how energy works. Vibes are infectious, for good or ill. What we put out there grows. Ahimsa asks us to choose love and kindness with every thought word and action.
Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantuou: may all beings everywhere be happy and free (and may every though word and action of my life contribute to that happiness and freedom for all). You are the only thing you can really, ever control. We can’t shake anyone awake. We must become the change we wish to see and radiate it out through our hearts, words and actions. We must become a beacon of light. Others will see it. Others will gravitate towards it and ask: how can I be like that? So full of love and light? This is how we change the world: by changing ourselves.
You are responsible for yourself.
The true path of yoga requires incredible discernment and self-honestly, often revealing pieces of ourselves that shock and horrify us (at least, this has been my experience). It is a deeply humbling process that requires us to get down on our knees and see all the ways that the poison of hatred and judgement have made their way into us and how we’ve let them stay. I’ve come to believe that judgement is a form of violence. It has its roots in shame and self-righteousness and is our own opinions and biases turned outward in an aggressive way- a trick of the ego to validate our opinions and affirm our separateness. What is judgement but a minuscule act of violence? It’s hard to acknowledge this- because we are all judgmental. Let us note that there is a difference between judgement and discernment. Discernment is an inner process of being present with what resonates or doesn’t resonate with us. Discernment keeps us safe and centered in our truth. Judgment keeps us self-righteous and separate.
All the Yamas and Niyamas, especially Ahimsa, reminds us that the work of changing the world begins with us. It’s so easy to look outside ourselves and condemn everyone and everything around us. The work of yoga has us look within. There are, of course ways we can contribute in a practical way to efforts of peace and take action to help others in less fortunate positions than us. However, some of us are not able to offer help in this way. So, what can we do? We can do the daily work of being mindful of our thoughts, words and actions and become vehicles of peace, love and compassion. To be this mindful is hard work and a lot of people aren’t up for. I understand why and at the same time it breaks my heart that we are not more willing to face ourselves.
Ahimsa, at first glance, seems like an easy thing. Yet, as we’ve seen, is perhaps the hardest of all spiritual practices that we could spend our life with, and perhaps the most important. I believe we can love ourselves and the world into a healed and whole vibration.
Ahimsa is a call to the inner battle that rages within each of us. If each of us would turn inward and face the war that wages within, instead of directing it outward- then we will truly change our reality. What about the way you speak to yourself? Is it a voice full of love, compassion and understanding? I can only speak from experience, but this has not been the case for me. Usually, our inner voice is the harshest. Can you imagine speaking to your dearest friend the same way you speak to yourself? Even the smallest negative thought towards ourselves can be wildly destructive and seed self-doubt, mistrust and disconnection from our truth. What are you telling yourself about who you are and what’s possible in your life? Our stories can either limit us or open us to our creative potential. Don Miguel Ruiz says, “We must learn to question our thoughts, especially those that limit the expression of our life force.” Though, somehow, it is so easy to look in the bathroom mirror and tear ourselves apart than it is to offer words of love and compassion. Once again, Ahimsa calls us to look at ourselves and our lives through the eyes of the Creator rather than our cultural conditioning, which so often is black and white. There is nothing black and white about us or our world. It is time to take off this filter and see with wider eyes full of wonder that hold space for the great mystery.
I watched the movie “Wonder” recently, a movie based on the book by R. J. Palacio. It’s a story about a young boy with a facial deformity and his entrance into public school after being homeschooled all his life. As you can imagine, he encountered many reactions to his appearance, most of which were heartbreakingly cruel. In tears after his first days at school, the boy, Auggie, asks his mom if it (how we look on the outside) will always matter. She gives him an anguished look and hugs him. In the end, the principal of the school implores the parents of a kid who’s been bullying Auggie all year, that we must learn to change how we see. In a culture that holds physical beauty as the most revered and hallowed thing, how can we change the way we see beauty, both in ourselves and in others?
The golden rule applies here: treat others how you wish to be treated. This seemingly antiquated mantra, in fact still holds deep truth. Have you taken time recently to consider how you, yourself would like to be treated? It’s worth sitting with. Because if we take the time to get real with ourselves, the truth is, we want to be treated with care, compassion, patience and love. Is this how we meet others in the world? Is this how we dance through life, upon this beautiful living earth?
And what about how we treat our beloved Earth? We can’t forget Pachmama. This living, breathing earth that provides us with literally everything we need to live beautiful, fulfilling lives, is often taken for granted or forgotten completely. Again, we must remember that we are NOT separate from the Earth. We are part of her. We are the Earth’s children, just as much as the oceans and trees are. How can we engage with the Earth in a way that acknowledges her generosity? How can we be more mindful of what we consume and where we invest our money so that good people who care about the earth are supported to do their work. Consider researching farmers who are interested in the health of the soil, which is dangerously threatened. The health of humans depends on the health of the earth we live and breathe on. If our mother suffers, so do we. If she becomes sick, so will we (we’re seeing that now). There is no technology that can save us from this. We must invest in ways to restore the health of our earth. She is as alive as anything you see around you and she desperately needs us. Have you hugged a tree lately? Try it. You’ll be surprised how it connects you to your heart; it’s in opening our hearts that we open the doorway to healing ourselves and our planet through love.
These are big questions and considerations to sit with and deserve more than a mere pondering. Ahimsa could be the gateway to creating the world we all hope for. But hope is nothing if it is not acted upon. To make real change, we must do more than hope. We must intend and act accordingly.