Ahimsa: Practicing Kindness & Non-Violence

I am officially on my way to becoming a Certified Yoga Teacher!  This has been a long time coming to add to my healing bag of tricks. Already being a massage therapist & nutrition counselor, teaching yoga seems to fit in oh so nicely to help and heal others.

One of our (many) first assignments in teacher training was to define ahimsa and show how we use it in our daily lives and in our yoga practice.  As I was writing about this, I thought is was a great topic to discuss here with you.  Since I have spoken about the practice of mindfulness, ahimsa most certainly falls under a mindfulness practice, being mindful of your actions and thoughts and how they affect you and those around you. 

A perfect example of someone who lived their life though the practice of ahimsa was 

Mahatma Gandhi.

Ahimsa
(a - him - sa)

Meaning to do no harm or the avoidance of violence.
The practice of kindness and non-violence towards all living beings.

From a very young age my goal was always to do no harm in all aspects of life.  I was one of those kids who got upset at the ones who kicked the ant hills down, worried that the ants worked so hard for the other kids to just destroy all their efforts.  My love for animals and nature certainly helped fuel this desire to instill kindness and love in all that I do.  As an adult I continue to love our earth and all living things on her as much as possible.  

“In Gandhi’s thought, ahimsa precludes not only the act of inflicting a physical injury, but also mental states like evil thoughts and hatred, unkind behavior such as harsh words, dishonesty and lying, all of which he saw as manifestations of violence incompatible with ahimsa.”

Many daily acts are a practice of ahimsa, from caring for your children, animals and gardens, to smiling at a rude stranger instead of getting bothered by their behavior, to carefully saving spiders from the indoors and placing them back in nature.  In a way, if you have love for our planet and all earth friendly things, that can be considered to be full of ahimsa.  Striving to be non-violent towards our mother earth in all that we do.

In yoga one would hope to only find compassion and kindness towards your fellow yogis in class. But sometimes on the inside even a yogi can let their emotions and judgment get the better of them.  Even if one of your fellow yogis arrives late, or one has ‘too much stuff’ by their yoga mat, or someone that stays in child’s pose for half of the class.  Instead of possibly getting annoyed at the seemingly ‘taboo’ yogi behavior, sending them love, compassion and a smile that radiates from your heart is the right choice.

If this is something you find you need to work on yourself, practicing this same kindness towards others off the yoga mat, with family, friends, strangers and all living creatures is the path for you.  Physically the asanas (postures or poses) that open the heart (backbends) would be appropriate to focus on, or incorporate with this practice of ahimsa.

Another way to practice ahimsa through yoga, is to dedicate your practice to someone who you don’t necessarily see eye to eye with. Sending them kindness and love as we open our hearts through the  asanas (poses).  In our daily lives we can choose a path practicing ahimsa through our interactions with all living beings.  If someone steals your parking spot, be kind to them still, if you encounter a mother with a screaming child in the store, without getting irritated send love to them both, strive to speak to others in a kind and honest way in all situations in life.

Seems simple and straight forward right?  Instilling this practice in your daily life can be challenging if we are not feeling well, or just got some bad news, or when it comes to someone who we don't get along with.  But, the more we practice the easier it will get.  Identifying where you need the most practice will help you on your path.  Many sages say that the best place to start is within your family & immediate community.   Many will agree, this can be the most difficult place to really work on this practice of non-harming thoughts and actions.  But in the end, even if it is tough, practicing ahimsa with those closest to us will only help those relationships to be better and more fulfilling.

Where are you going to begin your practice of ahimsa?  What do you find most challenging?  

What do you find most gratifying?  How can you do even better?

These are questions to ask yourself, and check in every once and a while with, just to see how you are doing with this practice. 

With love, gratitude and compassion in my heart.

Namaste