Principles of Yoga: Living Well with Compassion (Ahimsa)

Yoga is rich in history, complexity, and concepts for living in right alignment with our inner selves. Created as a science of living well, it is often confused as being a religion (again, it is a science to live well, not a religion) and thus, we lose sight of all of the amazing mental benefits that it has, and focus purely on the physical.

Doing this, we can look at yoga as a balanced meal - if we take care to eat a plate with a balance of nutrients, we will see the best benefits from our nutrition for our overall health. Similarly, if we take care to look deeper into the concepts of yoga, we practice not just postures (asana, which translates to "comfortable seat"), but also breath work (pranayama), meditation (pratyahara, dharana, dhyana), but also the moral concepts known as the Yamas (restraints) and Niyamas (observances). In this way, we aren't just always getting the "dessert" of a physical yoga practice, but also the "(plant-based!) meat and potatoes", as it were, of a balanced physical, mental and emotional practice.

These concepts of Yamas and Niyamas are really quite simple, and break down to playing well with others, and taking care of yourself.

Let's explore the first of these concepts, the Yama of Ahimsa, or compassion, today!

Ahimsa translates roughly from Sanskrit into compassion or active non-violence, but in reality there is so much more depth to this when we really dive deeper into its meaning for ourselves and for others.

When looking at the history of Ahimsa, some of the earliest mentions of it are found in ancient texts thousands of years old, though the most prevalent and descriptive writings seem to come from about 8-6 centuries BCE, and forward. Further, we can see this as utilized in not just yoga, but also Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and when looked at in other spiritual and religious contexts, also Christianity ("Thou shalt not kill", for example), Judaism, and even in the Hippocratic oath ("Do no harm", as another example).

It is one of the most basic concepts that we as humans should adhere to for peace and a thriving society - to be kind to others. But ahimsa is not just being kind - it is an active non-violence, to ensure that all beings are treated as sacred, worthy of respect, and to achieve this by looking at it in words, deeds, and thoughts.

The fundamental idea is that all creatures are equal, as all creatures have a divine spark within them, and are deserving of life, respect and dignity. This is incredibly profound, as we begin to see that causing injury to another in actuality also causes injury to ourselves, as we, too, have that divine spark within us. By harming a forest, we deplete its ability to provide us with oxygen. So, to, do we harm our own life force when we harm another, whether it be physically, mentally, financially, etc.. We send out that negativity into the universe, which will invariably come back to us at some point. Often this is seen as Karma, though Karma is not a sort of "gotcha" reaction, but a realisation that every action has a reaction, and that positivity generally begets positivity, and negativity generally begets negativity.

How, then, do we practice ahimsa? By starting within. Understanding that as humans, we are inherently fallible and that we will make mistakes. By understanding this, we can be more kind to ourselves when we trip up, and instead of berating ourselves, use these roadblocks to learn and improve ourselves. When we forget an appointment with a good friend, instead of saying, "Oh I'm such an idiot, I always do stupid things like this, my friend is going to hate me now. I'm such a bad person..." etc., etc., we can look at it instead like this: "I can't believe I forgot our appointment! I have had a lot going on and I was very tired and stressed out which caused me to forget. I also didn't put a reminder in my phone and daily agenda so that I would be forced to remember. Next time I will take steps to make sure I remember. I will say I'm very sorry to my friend, without making excuses, and ask forgiveness."

Can you see how much more productive, positive and compassionate this second way of thinking is? How it will help you to rectify the challenge, instead of beating yourself up about it, causing stress, and not really discovering the root of the issue and trying to fix it?

Another example - someone badmouths you to another person, starting rumours that are hurtful to you. Do you retaliate in kind, causing injury to them in turn? Or can you perhaps take a step back and look at it from a higher perspective: This really hurts me. I should tell them how hurtful it is when they say untruths about me. Perhaps this is because they are actually hurting inside themselves. Perhaps I should reach out and see if they are ok.

Now, look, I'm not saying this will be applicable in everyday life - internet trolls, for example, deserve none of your attention, but the idea is that we need to understand that we are all unique individuals, trying to do the best we can with what we have. Others are living a life that you really know nothing about and are dealing with challenges that we may never understand fully. These people may be acting out of pain and fear, and may not really know deep down the hurt they are causing others in the process. We may be able to de-escalate situations by having empathy and compassion and trying to see the other side.

The key is to understand that every living thing on this planet is living in a story you will never completely understand. Every person, animal, living thing sees the world through its own lens, and while we may not agree with how they perceive and live in the world, they are entitled to dignity and respect, just as you are.

Treat others as you wish to be treated, and advocate for others when they cannot advocate for themselves. Treat yourself as you would treat others. This is ahimsa.

To learn more how you can treat yourself with kindness, subscribe to HealthGirl.ca today and join our live and recorded classes! We've got something for just about everyone - different types of yoga, fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, natural wellness and so much more, all to help you live a life in balance within yourself, and in the world around you.

In kindness,

HealthGirl