Ahimsa

***Week 1 of  "Ten Weeks of Yamas and Niyamas". (Yes, I'm a little behind in my posting - I'll catch up)!***

Ahimsa

• Non-violence
• Non-harming
• Compassion for all things

Ahimsa - the first of the Yamas. It is said that if one were to live a life in line with Ahimsa - all the other Yamas and Niyamas will fall into place.

The most obvious interpretation of Ahimsa or non-violence is to refrain from injuring others, whether it be another human, animal, insect... no violence toward another being. (actions) What about the way one speaks to another? Do the words used come from a place of compassion? Are you mindful in your speech?

Something that helps me to act in alignment with Ahimsa is to see the Divine in another. If you saw the Divine in everyone, how would you treat them?

Now, I know that the Yamas are supposed to be used to govern your behaviour when interacting with others and the environment, but if you do the work on yourself first, it makes treating others in line with the work easier. Love yourself. How do you think about yourself? Do you have self limiting thoughts such as "I'm not good enough." "I'll never get into that pose / get that raise / meet Mr. Right." Or do you have self expanding and loving thoughts? "I am getting a better at this every day!" "You did such a great job today!" "Wow! That pose was tricky! With a little work, I'll be there soon!" "I know that I am a valuable part of this company. What steps should I take to ensure I get that raise I deserve?" "I am beautiful, radiant and ever expanding!" "I am strong and able" "I am calm, cool and collected." Acting in alignment with Ahimsa when dealing with myself has truly been a transformative action and lead to greater understanding to thinking non-violently toward others.

I'll never forget a conversation I had in 2001. I was in Malaysia. My traveling friend, Andy and I decided to hire a driver to take us around to a few places. It was my first day in an Asian country, a new experience all around, but especially as far as driving was concerned. There were lines on the highway which in Canada would be respected as lanes. I'm not sure even why they decided to paint lines on the road there. If I remember correctly, there were 3 lanes drawn out on the road. The cars drove every where! At least 5 lanes of traffic, under no real semblance of order - people driving at the pace that suited them and our driver was moving fast. I was amazed at how our driver wove in and out of traffic so gracefully. Drivers were cutting each other off non-stop! There was no cursing, shaking fists / heads or honking their horns. I asked the driver why? How could this chaotic driving situation be so calm? As our driver got cut off - I explained to him that back home, many people would honk at the driver that cut him off and be mad. "Oh? Really? No, not here," he said. "Why would you want to cause harm to another driver? Not even with my thoughts do I want to cause harm toward him. He has a family, he has children, I wish him well."

"Wha?" I was confused. Within the organization of the street in Canada, if some one cuts another off on the street, there is sure to by some sort of backlash.

He went on to explain. "In my religion, we believe that with every action comes a reaction. I would never want to have poor wishes for another, just as I would never want poor wishes on my family. I think well of all people. Wish all people happiness and love. Causing harmful thoughts toward another, first I must have harmful thoughts in my head. That hurts me too you know! Why would I want to do that?"

We stuck with this driver for the entire day. I learned a lot that day.

Another way to think of Ahimsa is how one interacts with the environment. How much waste to does one person contribute to the world? What type of products do you use? What is your carbon footprint? This, on it's own could make up it's own blog posting. I'll let you think about this on your own.

Ahimsa. Think about it. Wrap your mind around it. Act upon it.

Please comment with your thoughts, experiences or stories. Together we grow.