As a yogi, I subscribe to ahimsa - the concept of non-harming. I fundamentally believe that all living beings on our planet ultimately have a right to exist, and to be happy and free.
Ahimsa is the first principle of the five yamas, or yogic guiding principles for how we interact with the world around us. The yamas are one of the eight limbs of yoga: other branches include asana, or the physical postures we practice and what many think of when they think of yoga; pranayama, or breathwork; and meditation. Other yamas include satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (conservation of energy), and aparigraha (non-possessiveness).
In the Yoga Sutras
Patanjali’s sutras are a collection of writings that make up the guidance of modern yogic principles and philosophies. On Ahimsa, one translations is as such:
The person established in love and compassion (ahimsa), becomes a positive peaceful influence everywhere she or he goes.
Thus, this sutra encompasses so much about leading from the heart, leading with love, and letting that become established in our thoughts, words, and actions - through and through. How can we make the best assumptions about others? Even in the face of negativity, wrongdoing, hatred, violence, how can we allow ourselves to be guided by goodness, and help to influence those around you towards becoming rooted in compassion by the model we create?
When things begin to feel tumultuous around us, yet we return to our connection to spirit and heart-centered actions rather than let ourselves become blinded by the need to spiral into anger and mean-spirited thoughts, words, and actions, we remain in our power.
Reflecting Deeper
At first glance, it is easy to think, on a gross scale: “I am a generally a nice person, and I am not causing harm.” However, as we begin to examine and break down this concept of ahimsa, we can start to view it with increasingly finer and subtler nuance. Through this lens, it is then possible to reflect back on our own behavior, observe our thought patterns, and become conscious about how our words impact and affect those we interact with.
Ahimsa implies the complete avoidance of harming any living creature by thoughts, words, or actions, acknowledging that harmful thought patterns hold an energy, even when they are not spoken or acted upon. Ahimsa guides us to be mindful of our actions - not just towards other human beings but to all creatures.
When ahimsa is a guiding principle, we can also consider the downstream affects of our actions. For example, if I were to purchase products from Shein or Temu, whose employees work in sweatshops, I am indirectly supporting child labor and unfair working conditions. So, upon learning when companies have unethical labor practices, choosing not to purchase from them is an act of ahimsa.
Another classic example is how one reacts when being cut off in traffic. Do I cuss them out? Start to tailgate? Secretly wish they’d get into an accident? In these scenarios, while we are not actually causing physical harm, and the recipient of the anger may not feel it directly, we are still feeding that negative and harmful cloud of energy.
In this way, we always have more to work on with ahimsa, because we are always being offered new situations in life that bring up triggers. There is always room to re-examine where we may be causing harm to others - in our choices of food, clothing, beauty products, in our interactions with those around us, in the policies we support, in how we treat the earth.
practicing ahimsa with ourselves
We can also pause to reflect on how we can better practice ahimsa with ourselves.
Oftentimes, it's easy for us to be overly critical or even cruel to ourselves in our inner dialogue, or in the choices we make - not always honoring our inner wisdom. I am guilty - probably like many of you - of talking to myself even worse than I would speak to anyone else. Especially when I begin to go down that downward spiral…
That can then throw our whole system out of whack, leading to feeling on edge, sleeping poorly, not prioritizing nourishment, and all sorts of other habits that are not supportive for living in alignment with our true nature.
Once that happens, it can take extra work to bring ourselves back into alignment, reset our nervous system, and build capacity to feel at ease.
As a dog mom, one of my favorite suggestions I’ve heard for people who are trying to shift that negative inner dialogue, is to look in the mirror in the morning, first thing when you get up, and talk to yourself like you would talk to your dog. All those little sweet things you say to that little fur baby - direct them to yourself - your inner child - your core being. Say them in your puppy dog voice (I know - you have one, too). Do that for one week, and see how your self-image begins to shift!
Cultivate a deeper sense of Ahimsa
If you want a challenge, I invite you to observe your actions for the next 24 hours - you can even take notes, if you want! Note how many times, and in what kinds of situations, you may feel even the most subtle negative thought. Question the choices you make with your purchasing power, especially when they are from big box stores/websites. Notice how you act when you are tired, or your patience runs short, or how you treat the people around you when you are running late. What kinds of comments do you make on social media? What is your state of mind when you are scrolling social media? You may be surprised! But, if it is more than you anticipate, don’t worry. This is a wonderful starting point for self-reflection, for we can’t change what we don’t see.
Want to explore ahimsa, or any other yogic philosophy concepts with me? If it is one of your interests, I love weaving philosophy into my personalized yoga sessions. Reach out, I’d love to connect!