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

Multiple illnesses broke me down, Yoga built me back UP!

Many of you are obviously aware that I have Celiac Disease which lead me to write my GF Cookbook, "Organic, Gluten-Free & Delicious".  During the time when we discovered I had Celiac, I was also suffering from Chronic Lyme Disease and Chronic Pancreatitis, and was extremely debilitated by this trifecta of diseases.  So much so that I was 25 years old and had to use a cane to walk and be pushed in a wheelchair for longer distances.

Now on the other side of the years of daily pain and isolation, I find it amazing that I even got through it all.  Meditation and yoga were a huge part of how I did not let the diseases get the best of me.  I have always had a naturally positive attitude in life, but when I was so sick some days it was supremely difficult to see the bright side of being hooked up to IVs and hiding from the sun.  

Before I got sick I loved to do yoga & tai chi and take classes whenever I could.  But when I was in the depths of illness, my yoga practice looked much different than it did before and even still looks much different today.  That is one of the many beauties of yoga, it doesn't matter where you were, but only where you are today.  And even with a more gentle practice you can still achieve the many great benefits of yoga.  You don't have to practice for hours a day to achieve great results.

I spent many of my mornings warming up with mild spinal movements on all fours (cat & cow poses) and relaxing down into child's pose.  Most mornings that was all I could handle, then it was onto my supported seated meditation, where multiple plush pillows where my best tools. 

I will never forget the day I was strong enough to get to a class on the beach near my house with the lovely and talented, Kristen, of Kristen Trieger Yoga here in Long Beach, NY. 

Sure, I still was not yet able to participate in 100% of the class that day, but holy moly did it feel amazing just to be out among other yogis who were around me with love and compassion in their hearts.  Since the Lyme Disease was still attacking my joints pretty badly at that time, my hips barely moved, and forget about pigeon pose! Now every time I do pigeon I can get deeper into it, and always remember that first class back when I could not even do it at all.

Even still, after all I went through, and all that my yoga practice has changed, I still use those same beginning gentle yoga postures (asanas) in my daily practice today.

Not only has yoga has built up my physical strength through asanas, but it helps to calm my mind on the more difficult days when things are not going quite right, or my arthritis from the Lyme Disease acts up.   It has helped me in so many ways that I decided to add it to my repertoire of healing modalities.  Already being a massage therapist and nutrition counselor, I know what the body needs to preform at optimal levels.  Adding in yoga and all that that entails is just the natural next step for me.  I live to not only better myself, but to help others live natural, balanced and happy lives.

I hope you enjoy hearing about my yogic journey, and that it can inspire you to make choices in your life that will better yourself and the world around you.

Namaste

the divine within me, honors the the divine within you

Help me go to the Wanderlust Festival!!

Among the Trees

If you have not heard of these great events, I highly recommend you look into them.

The Wanderlust Festival 

is a festival filled with yoga, music & mindfulness.

This Spring I am undertaking my first (of many) Yoga Teacher Training. 

To celebrate the completion of my first training, my dream is to head up to Vermont for the

Wanderlust Festival.

Lucky me, right now they are having a contest on their FaceBook page to win tickets to this fantastic event!

  

I need YOUR HELP to win!

All you have to do is head over to the Wanderlust Festival FaceBook Page, 

and click "like" on my photo

(it is the same photo featured in this post)

THANK YOU for your "Likes"

and as always, thanks for stopping by the blog!