Did you know that yoga isn't just about asanas (postures)?
Asanas are indeed part of yoga, but only one of the eight limbs of the discipline. This means that yoga can be practised off the mat in a variety of ways. The analogy of the tree is often used to refer to the eight limbs of yoga, since they are distinct branches, but form a whole (the tree).
One of the members is called: Yama.
In yoga, the Yamas are general rules/behaviors to adopt in our lives, and there are five of them. Today, we're going to look at one in particular: “Ahimsa”. Ahimsa means non-violence. This Yama emphasizes benevolence towards others, the environment and, of course, oneself. One of Ahimsa's key words is compassion. Indeed, Ahimsa is about having compassion for all living beings (including ourselves). It also means making gestures of self-giving, while respecting one's own energy and limits.
In this article, we're going to look at the practice of Ahimsa towards oneself, since it is, in my humble opinion, essential to grant oneself gentleness, listening and compassion first and foremost in order to feel more at peace and connected with everything around us.
In a world where performance is paramount, it can sometimes be particularly difficult to apply Ahimsa. For example, out of a desire to please, we sometimes fail to respect our own limits.
Here are a few examples:
- When you say “yes” and it screams “no” inside;
- By surpassing ourselves;
- By accepting situations that are not aligned with our values;
- By not listening to our needs;
- By judging ourselves.
We're human, so necessarily, we probably all have examples of situations where we haven't been gentle with ourselves. The idea here is not to judge ourselves, but to observe ourselves with an honest and compassionate eye.
Here are a few thoughts on Ahimsa:
- Am I listening to myself (body, heart and mind)?
- Do I respect myself (body, heart and mind)?
- Do I have compassion for myself?
The answers to these questions may be negative. Once again, the important thing here is not to judge yourself, but to be open to changes that will make you feel better.
For example:
- By taking a step back before accepting offers to check if it's what you really want.
- By refusing offers that don't suit us.
- By setting our limits.
- By offering ourselves quality time for ourselves (activities that make us feel good).
- By taking time out.
- By transforming self-judgments into benevolent thoughts.
Ahimsa is an interesting Yama to visit (and revisit) within ourselves to ensure that we apply it as much as possible in our lives.
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