The following are those gathered this month:
The term ahimsa or non-harming describes what we are not doing . So how does one “do” non-harming? To me, actively avoiding harming involves first recognizing what may be harmful, then inhibiting the harmful action, and finally re-directing our energies. So cultivating non-harming requires cultivating an understanding of what causes harm and how to avoid it. What each of us does to cause harm is unique to the individual, we each have our own journey in understanding how we harm. Some cause harm by insisting that they are right and others are wrong. Others cause harm by harsh judgment of themselves or other people. Some harm through acts of physical violence, and others by negligence of their own or anothers well-being. Having a sense of what we wish not to harm is also important and individual. One person may believe it is most important to not harm people under any circumstances, and another may choose to alleviate harm that has befallen their people by fighting a “just war” – people get killed. (I believe that this is what Arjuna, in the Baghavad Gita was called to do). Some people are appalled at eating animals, but would think nothing of breaking another person’s spirit. I would not claim to know what the "true" thing or principle of non-harming is, and would not want to impose my beliefs on others. My personal understanding of what and how to not harm has changed over time, but throughout has been a yearning to do less harm to Mother Nature. When we are non-harming, non-violent, what are we? We may be compassionate. But compassion may be just one strategy for ahimsa. A very powerful strategy, no doubt, as it is hard to harm someone or something for which we have compassion. However, ahimsa is not necessarily compassion, so I hesitate to use compassion as a synonym for it. Kindness is a strategy for non-harming. Inhibition is a strategy. Knowledge is a strategy. We can use these strategies to guide us away from harming.
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After a month of looking at the theme of "ahimsa" in my classes a student came up to me at the end of class one evening and asked: "Why is it that the more you mention "ahimsa", the more negative thoughts I seem to have?" She was worried that the focus on non-harming was actually triggering reactionary aggression in her. It seemed to me like a matter of awareness: the more we tune into something (in this case, noticing harmful patterns of action or thought) the more sensitive we become to that thing. It is natural to be overwhelmed when we first embark on a path of greater self-awareness. But, as we continue to notice the parts of ourselves we want to awaken, the easier it becomes to remove obstacles (for example, harmful thoughts and actions) from our path. I told the student not to worry, to continue noticing what's going on in her mind without judging, and to use this new information to encourage change and growth in the direction of peace.
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Both the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and modern-day medical schools evoke the principal of non-harming. Patanjali lists ahimsa (non-harming) as the first discipline for living virtuously and medical students are instructed, "First, do no harm." Perhaps, with two major schools of thought stressing the importance of non-harming as being priority numero uno, one might come to the conclusion that there is something to this whole non-harming business.
While the benefit of our physicians adhering to the principle of non-harming is evident, Patanjali's instruction is a bit less clear and more demanding of us personally. Most commentaries on the ahimsa sutras say that it applies to all our actions. That means deed, speech, and thought. Uh oh. This must include the stink eye I want to give to the driver who just cut me off as well as the little dig I'd like to take at my boyfriend when I'm cranky and he's insensitive.
It's the second sutra that mentions ahimsa that I find a little more appealing. The first one simply lists non-violence as a way to be in the world; the second one gives us the goods on why. One translation reads, "As the yogin becomes established in non-injury, all beings coming near him cease to be hostile." In other words, the more we saturate ourselves in non-injurious ways, the more gentle the world around us becomes. The more I catch myself thinking a harmful thought and release it before it takes hold, the more harm melts in my presence. That's certainly something I can live with.
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Yoga
I have read books about yoga.
I have attended yoga classes.
I do yoga – but I have changed.
Physical exercise? yes. Challenging? yes.
When the student is ready to learn the teacher appears
Moments of insight when I see that I am being too hard.
Tough on the outside – and tough on the inside,
I have tougher problems than I can solve.
When the physical heart is at odds with the other...
inflicting a major wound to confidence and self esteem,
disappointment with dysrhythmia and what I cannot control,
fear at taking risk or trust – past experience that has required action.
But there is a place I can let go of feeling uncomfortable.
When things are not going right – there is a place where no matter what happens it will be alright,
a balance where resting and giving in is an act of faith and kindness is sticking with it...when asking for help and letting another know is OK.
I am changing in a way that tap resources and energy that has never been tapped, talent that has never been tested...
a place to give more than I have ever given.
This is a place of non-harming - to have the intent, to believe, to be compassionate and kind.
A place that starts with the intent toward yourself then, and only then, can you live yoga and bring that with you on and off the mat. Then you can be at a place where effort is not about the result it is about the effort itself.
So when my two hearts are at odds with each other I will try to find that balance where no matter what happens it will be OK…
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Ahimsa to me is a desire to live life free of hurt, pain and any threatening thoughts. I feel that even thoughts towards others that are not expressed with any actions or words can be hurtful and harming.
One famous statement that comes to mind “I can not do to others, what I don’t want done towards me”
Two people come to mind when I think about Ahimsa:
Mahatma Ghandi (the great soul of India)- He advocated non-violence and truth in all situations, with all beings and living things.
Swami Dayananda Saraswati (Vedanta teacher and scholar of Sanskrit) - One who understands and truly lives Ahimsa in his daily life.
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Lately my thoughts about ahimsa have been in relationship to the types of media I choose. Books, movies, tv, music and all forms of live entertainment or art. I have been looking at my feelings and actions as I am subjected or subject to these different types of stimuli. In addition or maybe as a result of looking into this I have made an effort to speak in a less offensive way about myself and others. The more "clean" or mindful my media consumption and speech become the more clear my thoughts are. This then becomes a support for further understanding of my personal relationship with the practice of ahimsa which, in turn, allows me to better present it as a topic within the context of yoga class.
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I've been thinking about ahimsa lately, nothing too original but here's what I've got. I've been practicing solely on my own since leaving Columbus and for the first time I've had to be teacher, student, and friend to myself with no opportunities to go to a class here and there to gain new insights or guidance. It's been a challenge to keep things fresh and to be disciplined in my practice. At times I start to get anxious, worrying if am I practicing enough, challenging myself enough, "progressing" enough (whatever that means). So these worries creep in and along comes ego urging me on to some silly goals, taking me right out of the present moment, the journey, and urging me to conquer complex poses. And so it is in these moments when I do not practice with ahimsa, I push myself too hard, saying just one more try, one more pose, and I stop being the teacher/student/friend to myself and instead become the dictator/servant/enemy. My practice becomes full of greed and striving rather than kindness and acceptance. As a result of not practicing with ahimsa I've been injured for the past month, first both shoulders from practicing handstands and forearm balance with too much zeal and now a back injury from practicing scorpion. I've learned that practicing with aggression results in injury. These injuries are now giving me the opportunity to learn how to practice with ahimsa again. Each twinge of pain shows me in bold relief the times which I am grasping for more, grasping beyond the present moment, and I have to pull back. Pulling back is an act of ahimsa, nonviolence and cultivation of peacefulness within each moment, instead of trying to bend each moment to my will.
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Ahimsa, the practice of non-violence, is a practice in forgiveness. When I am hurt it's most difficult to react lovingly, but it is those times when I try to work the hardest. If we allow ourselves, in our hurt to react without compassion we indulge in violence. Often times that violence is hidden from us in a blanket of justification and self righteousness. This is an addictive pattern of behavior. The practice of ahimsa is a way to clear some space. Ahimsa is taking a deep breath before you speak in anger and it is pausing as your mind runs wild with judgment to ask: "Is this really true?"
Coming up next month: Satya--Truthfulness
