“Our ability to be nonviolent to others is directly related to our ability to be nonviolent within ourselves”
- The Yamas and Niyamas: Exploring yoga’s ethical practice, Deborah Adele
Over the past week I’ve been sick with flu and during this time I’ve done more yoga than I have in a long time – but I haven’t spent a minute on my mat.
I’ve spent no time doing asana (postures). No downward dog, no sun salutations.
Instead, I cancelled my planned runs.
I cancelled my weekly swim with my friend Toni.
I cancelled my swimming drills with coach Sam.
Time in the sauna – cancelled.
That visit I promised my cousin – cancelled.
Instead, I ran a hot bath. I used those unicorn bath bombs Robyn gifted me when I moved into my new home nearly a year ago.
I rested. I drank lots of water.
I ate the warm, hearty meals Andre cooked.
And, on Isabel’s good advice, I cancelled the yoga classes I was supposed to teach.
And in this time, by listening to what my body needed, and not pushing myself to do what I thought I should, I practised more yoga than I had done in a long time.
Ahimsa. Translated from Sanskrit, this means non-violence. In yoga philosophy, it is one of the five yamas which comprise a group of restraints which, in turn, collectively make up one of the 8 limbs of yoga. And for many of us,, non-violence is possibly one of the hardest restraints to practise because it calls on us to be gentle – not only with others, but importantly, also – and maybe even more so – with ourselves.
In The Yamas and Niyamas: Exploring yoga’s ethical practice, Deborah Adele writes that “Our ability to be nonviolent to others is directly related to our ability to be nonviolent within ourselves.”
Practising ahimsa means not pushing ourselves deeper into our forward fold because “yesterday we could touch the floor”; or pushing ourselves to run harder and faster because “I usually finish 10km in under an hour”. It means meeting ourselves – and others – where we are … in this very moment. It also means being kind and not judging others by our own standards.
…the 8 limbs of yoga at a glance
It’s reasonable to assume that most of us are introduced to yoga via asana practice, ie a set of physical postures practised on a mat – and unless we take advanced classes, get serious about studying yoga philosophy, or train to be yoga teachers, we are unlikely to be taught about the other steps on the yoga path, of which asana is but one. The 8 limbs, in order, are
1. The 5 yamas (restraints)
- Ahimsa – non-violence
- Satya – truthfulness
- Asteya – not stealing
- Brahmacharya – non-excess
- Aparigraha – not possessive/non-attachment
2. The 5 niyamas (observances)
- Saucha – purity
- Santosha – contentment
- Tapas – self discipline
- Swadhyaya – Self-study
- Ishvara Pranidhana – surrender
3. Asana (postures)
4. Pranayama (breath control)
5. Pratyahara (sense withdrawal)
6. Dharana (concentration)
7. Dhyana (meditation)
8. Samadhi (state of unity)
I share this list as inspiration for you to explore a bit further as a full discussion of these limbs is far, far out of the scope of this particular post.
being non-violent … in practical terms
When one is studying yoga, it’s easy to intellectualise concepts like ahimsa so that we equate it to simply not speaking unkindly to people – perhaps to ourselves during our practice, or to other yogis when we’re teaching.
We may also intellectualise it as not reacting physically in anger, not killing the snails and aphids eating their way through our veggie patch or not forcing ourselves deeper into an asana than our body feels it can go.
What I didn’t consider was that ahimsa could also look like not fixating on meeting a fitness goal set by my medical aid this week – because why should I be killing myself to get loyalty points for exercising when I should be resting?
It was also hard for me to consider that ahimsa could also look like taking a mental break from thinking about “potential streams of income” which had become a constant wave in my internal ocean since I recently volunteered for retrenchment from a workplace family I’d been with 24 years.
As I sat and reflected on this concept of ahimsa … of non-violence … it also occurred to me that showing myself some kindness could look like trusting that it was okay to take a break from the studio… and that by giving myself time off from the new yoga teaching practice that I was building, I was also setting a living example of that very first yama, a cornerstone of not simply practising yoga, but living it.
While this post may have been written from the context of my yoga practice and my yoga teaching practice, it is also a reflection on life and how we can live life with ahimsa – in a way that is kind and non-violent to ourselves and to others – and learning to recognise what that can look like in our everyday lives.
Small business owners, I’m talking to you.
Those climbing the corporate ladder, I’m talking to you.
Moms and dads at home with the kids, I’m talking to you.
Students, scholars, everyone who is chasing a goal of some sort… I’m talking to you.
It’s okay to rest. It’s okay to show yourself kindness – because If what you’ve built up until now has been built on a bedrock of integrity, honesty and authenticity, it won’t crumble while you catch your breath.
For me this has meant assuring myself that I’m not letting my students down because I haven’t been able to teach for a few days. For me this means that I haven’t let my dogs down because I can’t take them out walking every morning.
And yes, for me this means that this week I won’t meet my 900-point Vitality goal!