What “Ahimsa Yoga” Means to Me
07 Apr 2009 ~ Categories: blog • body • wellness • yoga
When I was new to yoga and freshly enamored of its health benefits and the sense of harmony it endowed upon me, I happened to have lunch with a yoga teacher who I greatly admired. Seeking clues to the “right” way to practice yoga, I asked him how often he himself practices. Without hesitating, he told me, “Everyday.”
Just as I suspected. When you’re new to yoga, it’s tempting to go to class every day, if not more. Our type-A culture has us convinced that if something is good for us, we should do it all the time, even if it’s difficult.
“Wow,” I said, “How do you find the time to go to class that often?”
“Well,” he confided, “Sometimes I go to a yoga class. Sometimes I go surfing. And sometimes I just hang out at home and meditate. It’s all yoga to me.”
Meaning, I suppose, that it’s not the activity that makes it “ahimsa yoga”, but the intention and the sense of presence while you are doing it.
This was an early and profound yogic lesson that has slowly shaped and shifted my attitude toward how I practice yoga. In the beginning, I did find that going to a regimented asana class was helpful in that it gave me a sense of focus and self-discipline. It instilled a strong foundation for a physical and breath practice that I have never abandoned.
As the years have passed, I’ve learned for myself that sometimes foregoing the “workout” to stay home and read a book in bed does indeed feel more yogic and definitely more ahimsa. The concept of ahimsa, which is a concept often brought up in yoga classes, means the avoidance of violence or non-harming. I practice ahimsa starting with myself. In my personal life it often means, for instance, not forcing myself to do something that doesn’t feel right.
There is a compassion that accompanies truly “listening to your body” or your mind or emotions. Sure, sometimes I still push too hard and do things that don’t serve my body and mind, but I am getting better, more aware and skilled at bringing myself back to center and practicing ahimsa, starting with myself.
That said, it’s important for me to recognize the different between ahimsa and sheer laziness. Not engaging in the world can also be a concern. So I try to participate in at least one or two group yoga classes a week.
The other days, my ahimsa yoga practice consists of meditation in the morning, a little bit of asana practice at home, a brisk morning city hike, and yes, the delicious peace and coziness of reading in bed in the evening.
Practice ahimsa,
Amy
