ahimsa

So for the last few days I've been taking classes with a few different teachers from different traditions at the Yoga Conference that's going on..first time I've ever been and it was good.

There was someone who's class I probably enjoyed the most, more because it was aligned to the tradition of yoga that I follow. It had a more of a spiritual aspect to it and he gave a very good talk on Ahimsa. And as many times as I've given talks on the same subject or myself heard it, listening to it again today was great. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was like going to Satsang, which is important, because your listening to or reading scriptures, which you reflect on, discuss, assimilate their meaning, meditate on the source of these words, and bringing their meaning into one’s daily life.

Because of this, I decided that on Sundays for however long it last that I would talk on the 'Eight Steps of Ashtanga Yoga'....so a quick overview, the eight steps are Yama, Niyama, Asanas, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dyana, Samadhi. Now the Yamas and Niyamas have five sub-divisions each.

The Yamas are:
Ahimsa (non-violence)
Satya (truthfulness)
Asteya (non-stealing)
Brahmacharya (celibacy)
Aparigraha (non-covetousness)

The Niyamas are:
Shaucha or purity
Santosha or contentment
Tapa or austerity
Swadhyaya or self-study
Ishwar-Pranidhana or meditation on the divine.

Ahimsa or non-injury, of course, implies non-killing. But, non-injury is not merely non-killing. In its comprehensive meaning, Ahimsa or non-injury means entire abstinence from causing any pain or harm whatsoever to any living creature, either by thought, word, or deed. Non-injury requires a harmless mind, mouth, and hand.

Ahimsa is not mere negative non-injury. It is positive, cosmic love. It is the development of a mental attitude in which hatred is replaced by love. Ahimsa is true sacrifice. Ahimsa is forgiveness. Ahimsa is true strength.

So practice Ahimsa it develops love.