Yoga Philosophy = What is Ahimsa (non-Violence)?

Ahimsa is Non-Violence

If you would like to listen to the discussion from Sacred Spaces with Jennifer Dixon and Merritt Maloof Plumb, check out the video here.

Ahimsa is also the first Yama or the first of 5 ethical guidelines of Ashtanga Yoga (otherwise called the 8 Limbs of Yoga).

Although it goes without saying that non-violence is not killing someone or causing injury, non-violence can be much more subtle than that and it is the absolute foundation to the first limb of yoga, or Yama.

Non-violence extends outward but starts right within when you look at how you treat yourself.

What does your internal dialogue sound like?

Do you make statements like,

“I’m such an idiot.”

“I am soo fat.”

“I’m never going to be good enough.”

Or, maybe you’re super tired, but you try to maximize your gym visit. Or you’ve been pushing yourself at the gym or in the studio so long that your body aches and you can’t relax or you push yourself so much that you hurt yourself.

Whether it is the words you allow that internal voice to say to you or how you force yourself to do things that your body simply isn’t ready to do (ahem, all you super serious yogi friends of ours!) practicing non-violence towards yourself is key to translating a non-violent relationship with the world.

We dive deep into what non-violence means to each of us and how it extends from within and we bring up some interesting tid bits in today’s shorter episode, so sit back, relax and let us know what you think about Ahimsa, or Non-violence.

What do you think about Ahimsa? How do you practice non-violence towards yourself and others in your life?

We used the book, The Yamas and the Niyamas by Deborah Adele (this is an affiliate link.) We love reading this book and referencing the wisdom in this book, taking concepts that were written about thousands of years ago, and making them relevant today. Bonus is that is also a quick read! 🙂

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