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What is Ahimsa/ NonViolence?

ahimsa/nonviolence the eight limbs of yoga the yamas

Everything You Need To Know

Ahimsa is a Sanskrit word that can be translated to non-harming or non-violence. The root of the word, 'himsa' meaning 'to cause pain' and 'a' means 'to not'.

So ahimsa/ nonviolence, the first Yama, is one of five concepts that help us deepen our relationship with the external world, by reducing the harm that we cause intentionally or unintentionally to ourselves, others and the planet with our thoughts, words and actions.

In this blog, I will be sharing everything you need to know about the first Yama and how it can improve your life.

Yoga History: Yoga Sutras + 8 Limbs of Yoga

The true meaning of Yoga is the union of body, mind, soul, and spirit.

According to the practice, we often suffer because of not knowing our true Self and the illusion of separation of our individual consciousness from Universal Consciousness.

So taking a step back... where do the Yamas come from?

The five Yamas are the first Limb of Yoga, within the 8 Limbs of Yoga, which are 30+ concepts that come from the Yoga Sutras.

If you'd like to dive deeper into the other Limbs, I have written the additional blogs below so far:

1st Limb of Yoga - The Yamas

2nd Limb of Yoga - The Niyamas

3rd Limb of Yoga - Asana

4th Limb of Yoga - Pranayama

5th Limb of Yoga - Pratyahara

6th Limb of Yoga - Dharana

7th Limb of Yoga - Dhyana

8th Limb of Yoga - Samadhi

The Yoga Sutras act as a practical guide to assist you on your journey of remembering this union.

The Yoga Sutras were transcribed by a man (and most likely many of his colleagues and students) named Patanjali, presumably from India, estimated to have lived between 2nd century BCE to 4th century CE. Patanjali is also credited with developing Sanskrit grammar and basic text of Ayurveda.

The Yoga Sutras contain 196 verses, which discuss the aim of yoga, the development of the processes which involves the ‘Eight Limbs of Yoga’ and finally, how you strive for freedom, liberation and self-realization which is the 8th Limb of Yoga also called Samadhi.

According to the Sutras, beginning the pursuit of self-realization is the most significant step in life – as they make us aware of our pitfalls and how to overcome them.

So why would we harm ourselves or anything else?

Yoga philosophy says this type of thinking, speaking and behavior is FEAR based and happens when we are embodying negative energy like greed, anger, insecurity, or judgment.

So when we observe these types of thoughts, words, feelings and actions during the practice, we can acknowledge them - on and off the mat - and then let them go... allowing more love, kindness, compassion and forgiveness to be created.

“Already without your knowledge you are destroying many creatures. You walk and many ants are dying under your feet. You are not killing anyone. It is just happening. But an intention to destroy something, an intention to do violence can destroy your very basis, your very own root. Dropping this intention for violence is ahimsa.” - Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Ahimsa asks us to actively engage in nonviolence and to use our time on this planet to help bring peace to ourselves, our communities and beyond.

Start with ON the mat - this is how we practice doing things in daily life.

ON The Mat:

Do you do your sadhana / movement/ yoga practice consistently or randomly? Why?
Do you tend to be extreme in intensity or laziness in your practice? How?
How often do you take breaks or rest your body and mind during the practice or do you push through without consideration for what you actually need? Explain how you did either.
Do you pay attention to your breath during your practice or were you breathing naturally? Keeping it intentional and rhythmic, especially if your mind is busy. Yoga poses without an intentional breath are just stretching.
How often are you in the present moment during the practice, or do you let the mind wander to the past or present? If it wandered, what did it wander to?
When practicing wth others, do you look around and compare yourself to other students or the teacher? How?
Do you judge the teacher’s voice, body, what they talk about or what they wear? How?
Do you base your worthiness or value on your body’s abilities? How?
Do you judge the appearance of your body or others during the practice? How?
Do you get down on yourself for a busy mind or anxiety in savasana or in meditation? How?

OFF The Mat (or in daily life):

What scares you the most? Can you create more courage and reduce fear?
What in your life feels unbalanced? How can you recharge yourself more often to come back to balance?
How often do you feel powerless? Can you question this feeling and shift out of this by learning skills needed or practicing gratitude for what you already have?
Can you cultivate more positive and loving thoughts, words and actions towards yourself and others?
How often do you connect with feelings like compassion, empathy, and forgiveness?
Can you practice more consistent or even daily physical, mental and emotional self-care?
When supporting others, can you trust other's abilities instead of thinking you know best?
How often do you worry? Can you reduce it, how?
Can you try to be a calm driver, how?
Can you live more sustainably, how?
Can you let go more, how?
Can you resolve conflicts more often, how?
Can you volunteer, give back, or get involved in your community, how?

Who besides Patanjali has talked about Ahimsa?

This essence of nonviolence is not new and was not only talked about by the yogis. It has also been demonstrated by many philosophers, political activists, scholars, scientists and religious leaders throughout time, including Lord Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Lao Tzu, Henry David Thoreau, Sojourner Truth, M.K. Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King Jr., The Dalai Lama, and Nelson Mandela have all spoke on this topic at length.

Benefits of practicing Ahimsa:

Ahimsa involves embodying more courage, balance, love, compassion, empathy and forgiveness on a physical, mental and emotional level and reducing how often we worry, feel powerless, and try to control others.

Continually coming back to this idea of not causing harm or violence to ourselves or anything else takes skill that can be developed over time with practice.

The yogis say when this skill is mastered you attain siddhi (power) of peacefulness, and whoever is in your presence will feel peaceful too... how powerful is that?!

Additional benefits include:

Exudes vibrations of love and peace
Increases willpower and acceptance
Generates mental fortitude
Cultivates courage and confidence
Helps to overcome anger, fears and insecurities
Expands our sense of belonging and purpose
Improves our relationships with the self and with others
Increases patience, compassion, empathy, communication
Reduces conflict and stress which helps to achieve peace of mind

Mantra and Active Meditation Technique for Ahimsa

Gam Ganapataye Namaha

As you chant the mantra, draw your mind to the Divine inner wisdom of the Self in the form of Lord Ganesha. Ganesha is the son of Mother Parvati and Lord Siva, who are the Mother and Father of all the worlds. Ganesha is known for his elephant head, his great intelligence, for courage, for steadiness in the face of all problems, and as the remover of all obstacles or this case harm or violence.

Options include:

Sit or lay down and say or sing the mantra silently or out loud
Listen to a recording and sing along
Could wear Mala beads and move fingers along beads for each verse.

Conclusion

Would you like to learn more about the 8 Limbs of Yoga how you can start embodying this amazing concept to enhance your life and the lives around you?