Physical Ahimsa

This is a four-part article:

Physical Violence.

The most obvious manifestation of violence is physical harm. War, violent crime, killing and causing injury to any other beings, including taking actions that indirectly lead to harm or death, fall into this category. A common example of violence towards other beings in the West is the farming and killing of animals for food. This is a large and contentious subject that is outside the scope of this article; suffice it to say that Patanjala Yoga does not offer any support to consumption of meat (I will address this in a separate article). Remember, however, that this is not a moral injunction but rather an instruction aimed towards the accomplishment of a specific goal.

I expect that most readers of this article do not spend their free time assaulting people. Yet many of us may entertain thoughts of physical violence when we’re in a particularly frustrating situation. Similarly, it is not uncommon in our culture to eat meat, kill insects, or release our anger on inanimate objects (which you don’t harm–but this action keeps the seeds of violence alive).

A slightly subtler form of physical violence is how we treat our own bodies. Ahimsa requires caring for our bodies: ensuring proper fitness, preventing unnecessary injury, providing proper nutrition, releasing physical tension, etc. There are countless examples of how a violent attitude manifests in our own bodies, perhaps most commonly chronic injury from holding our body in an unnatural position at work all day or disease resultant of unhealthy food. Emotional stress can even manifest at a physical level. Holding negative emotion can increase blood pressure and heart rate, create muscular tension, reduce the efficiency of the digestive system, and more, through unabated activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

As an Ashtanga-Vinyasa Yoga teacher and practitioner, I must consider the needs of the body in prescribing practice and ensure that neither I nor my students push too far. Remember that asana (practice of physical postures) is much farther down on Patanjali’s list than ahimsa. Ambition, competitiveness, and expectations of “progress” result in injury. If we practice Yoga techniques but violate ahimsa, we’re not making any progress, just struggling with recurrent violent tendencies. Rigid ideas and tendencies invite rigid bodies. Rigidity is brittle, and breaks easily. Flexibility isn’t only physical!

Exercise: We are often less considerate of our own needs than those of others. How are you less-than-friendly towards your body?

This exercise is not intended to instigate guilt, but rather to increase self-awareness. The practice of Yoga has the tendency of dredging emotions to the surface. This is the point! This is your opportunity, not something to feel bad about. If you notice that ambition or expectation is causing you to push your body too far, take the chance to observe your mind and question the usefulness of these thought forms. Then you can decide to release your expectations or transmute them into a consciously used tool.

Continue to Part 3.

This is a four-part article: