Ahimsa
अहिंसा Ahimsa
I have been under a lot of pressure recently, for many reasons. And I know I haven’t been the most fun person to be around. But I’m going to take a step back and rethink some things now.
I went into yoga class on Sunday very pissed off. It was definitely not the right mindset to be in just before class, but a conversation sparked that anger. When my teacher walked in, he sensed that something was up and asked me about it. I thought I was covering it up pretty well by sitting still in lotus with my eyes closed, but apparently not.
So we went into a long conversation and he introduced me to the eight limbs of yoga, as set out in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. I’m not going into the theoretical here since it is quite a bit to digest. The gist of it was that before the Asanas (yoga poses), there was the Yama and Niyama that makes up the first two limbs. Which means they are kind of important right. They are sort of like the ethics and principles a yogi is encouraged to practise.
Within the Yamas, there is something called “Ahimsa”, which is translated as non-violence. It doesn’t only apply to physical violence, but also relates to kindness, compassion, etc.
Since I was feeling pissed off, my teacher decided to put me through a meditative and anger releasing practice. Apparently pent up anger is held within the hip areas, and we did a lot of hip openers, some pretty extreme. Like full splits with my entire upper body flat on the mat.
I remember being very stressed out in certain positions, and my breath because choppy. “Ahimsa”, he reminded me, “Non-violence to oneself and one’s body too.” I had to really let go of my ego of wanting to get into the full pose and back up a few notches till I could breathe properly. Then I started to slowly ease into it again. I realize it gets easier once you’ve released that expectation and the “I can’t do it” mentality.
In the middle of the class, I could feel something rising up. “Just let it go”, he told me. I swear he’s psychic, because then my tears started falling.
By the end of the class, I was crying like a baby but somehow I felt so much better. My mind was cleared and I knew what I should do.
Better than a shrink. Heh.
