What I love about this video is that it really brings home the practice of Ahisma, non harming and non judgement. You can see when Susan first comes on stage that everyone has made a pre and rather harsh assumption about her ability. If they had the gong out on stage, someone may have gave her the boot before she even started singing, that is how palpable the tone was in the audience.
You never can be too sure. Be careful about the assumptions and judgements you make as you go through your day. Next time you judge someone, think about this video and how it demonstrates that the treasure isn’t always obvious when it is hidden in the chest.
This week is for the practice of Ahisma. The essence of Ahisma is non-judgement and non-harming. Today I considered the practice of Ahisma as it pertains to your yoga study itself.
If you practice yoga, maybe you have noticed that not only are you struggling with some postures but you also struggle with the judgement you have about your ability to achieve the postures.
Yoga means “becoming one”. As long as you stand in judgement of your ability to achieve a posture or a practice within yoga, you will miss the experience of the integration that is yoga. We all have to experience boredom, discomfort, irritation, impatience, hesitation, and even distraction during the postures at some time. In a culture that promotes “full speed ahead, excellence at all costs, no pain no gain” we shall find it hard to just be observant of these feelings. We have not learned to watch them come and watch them go. Rather we sit in judgement, get discouraged and sometimes even quit.
In the western culture, the predominant focus is on the Asanas (postures) and this makes us susceptable to the ego’s process of continuous judgement. It makes us susceptable to quitting the practice due to the feeling listed above. We cannot sustain ourselves through the judgements of ourselves, our teacher, someone elses behavior in the class, the time of day and just about anything to keep us from the true learning in yoga: which is allow and let go.
We can learn that the development of some of the other aspects of yoga such as brahmacarya (meditation), santosa (contentment), and svadhyaya (self study) can make the practice more enjoyable. We can then take rest while in an active posture instead of reaching total exhaustion by fighting ourselves.
If you practice Ahisma: non judgment in yoga practice itself I and sure you will find the whole process a lot more enjoyable.
This week is a week to practice Ahisma. The essence of Ahisma is the practice of non-judgement and non-harming. We have carried this into the subjects of judgement of oneself, judgement of others as individuals, and judgements of others as groups.
Today , consider the practice of Ahisma as it relates to the enviroment. The practice of non violence, non harming towards the enviroment is essential to the preservation of our livelihood on earth. One way to consider the practice of Ahisma with reference to the enviroment is taking a break away from excessive consumption. No matter how much advertising and marketing says you must partake, you have the free will to say no, if only for today.
Each and everyday we are taught, pressured, lured into the belief that we are what we do, what we have, and how successful we are. The level of consumption we have is equated with the level of success. The bigger the house, the fancier the car, the more gadgets and games we possess, the bigger the vacations, the more cell phones we can hook together in one plan…..are all indicators of our level of success. In a competitive world, we think we are in the lead if we have all these things. But really, are we?
Do you go through your day with a sense of accomplishment and peace because you have accumulated these many things? Or do you always have a sense of never enough, always chasing, always moving and yet never arriving? It is easy to see that joy and peace will never follow consumption, no matter how much we have been brainwashed to believe it is so.
The truth is, we are all vunerable. In the words of Byron Katie: Life is as it is. The only thing we can control is our attitude and actions. When you practice Ahisma, there are many obstacles.
So, for today, only for today: practice Ahisma or non-harming towards the enviroment. Take a break from buying something today, disposing of something that is still useful, or destroying something that no longer pleases you but is still functional. Consider a walk in nature and give thanks for the things the universe gives us for free everyday. We all get oxygen to breath today, the earth still has trees and water for us to drink and use and enjoy.
If we practice Ahisma towards others today, we can even enjoy what the universe offers us in terms of love and joy. Get out of your head and the ego’s need to get more and rest in the moment: looking for what has been graciously given for you to enjoy. No matter how rough it is for you, there is always something to be grateful for today. If you had a shower give thanks. If you had water to drink say thanks. If you had a home to live in says thanks. If you had some food today give thanks. It is said that if you have a dish full of change on your dresser night stand, you are more wealthy than something like 80% of the worlds’ population.
Today is a good day to practice Ahisma towards the enviroment. Have a great day.
Today is the 3rd day in the practice of Ahisma. Ahisma is one of the first Yama’s in the Four Limbs of Yoga.
The essence of Ahisma is the practice of non-harming, non-judgement. Yesterday we practiced, just for a day, the practice of refraining from judgements against others, and the day before that was the focus of the practice in passing up of judgements directed against oneself.
Today we will move the practice into a greater sphere. Think about how you pass judgement on entire groups of people today. Do you find yourself thinking in broad negative terms about groups of people? Even the most sensitive person, who does not consider themselves to be prejudiced against other people, will have instantaneous thoughts, words, or actions that beg to differ with this perception.
Here are some small examples of the less obvious group judgements we make. Do you have beliefs about what obese people should or should not be seen eating in a public place? How about a group of teenagers in a restaurant behaving badly. Most of us have had the thought: Kids nowadays:Yikes: No respect etc etc. How about the group of young people with purple hair that stands straight up, all dressed in black, hanging out on a corner in front of a store at 4pm in the afternoon? What are your thoughts there? What about a group of seniors sitting in a coffee shop, and you over hear a conversation. Ever judged any component of that in a negative way? Got any “so called truths” about groups of people that you are pretty sure are true, even though under a magnifying glass, likely represent degrees of prejudice?
So for today, check in on your thoughts, actions, and words that are around or directed towards other groups of people. Any groups will do. Just notice whether or not you make generalizations that are in fact negative and therefore not in alignment with the practice of Ahisma.
Practice compassion, understanding and refraining from those negative thoughts and have a great third day in the practice of Ahisma, the first Yama.
It is in being free from all thoughts of I and Mine that man finds utter peace.
Bhagavad Gita
Today is the second day in the week of the practice of Ahisma. Ahisma is one of the first Yama’s in the Four Limbs of Yoga.
The essence of Ahisma is the practice of non-harming, non-judgement. Yesterday we practiced, just for a day, the practice of refraining from judgements against oneself.
Today, just for today, try to extend the practice of Ahisma out to include individuals you come into contact with. You may have noticed how hard it is to be faithful in the practice of non-harming to oneself. The extension of a non-harming attitude, behavior, and speech towards others can also be extremely challenging.
Until we monitor all our thoughts, words, and actions towards individuals for the day, it is likely that we will not realize the extent to which we are involved in the continuous judgement of others. Simple things like comments regarding someone elses behavior, how someone looks, their bad attitude etc constitutes a judgement and therefore a harming thought.
Do you find yourself inadvertantly having negative thoughts about another persons hair, clothes, body weight, house, family, kids, or just about anything? What is with the nose ring anyway?
Practice compassion and understanding today on all matters pertaining to individuals you meet today, the ones you know and the ones you do not yet know. Try to extend the same caring attitude you see yourself extending to your treasured ones. Treasure someone you do not know. Hold the door open, wish someone a nice day, offer to help when you are seemingly too busy to, smile, save the judgements, and wish them a nice day.
Small acts of kindness have a way of spreading the practice of Ahisma, when no one even knows the meaning of the word. When you are nice to someone, they may be inspired to be nice to someone else and extend the kindness forward. A simple of act of kindness is proven to raise not only your serotonin level, but the serotonin levels of people who witness the act as well:)
Have a great second day in the practice of Yoga: the practice of Ahisma.
