The Third Yama: Asteya or Non-Stealing

Throughout September, The Yoga Sanctuary is embracing the theme of Traveling the World of Yoga.

In our Monday Morning Meditation class, we are honoring that theme by exploring the Yamas, which are the yogic principles that guide our behaviors. This week, we will explore the third Yama, Asteya.

Asteya means non-stealing. So once again, there's a similarity to the Ten Commandments, where we are told, Thou Shalt Not Steal.

But just as with the first two yamas, non-harming (ahimsa) and honesty/truthfulness (satya), in yoga philosophy, we are asked to look beyond the obvious wisdom of not stealing other people's stuff, and to consider the many less obvious ways that we can "steal" from ourselves and others.

When viewed from this expanded perspective, the realm of what behavior constitutes stealing can be very eye-opening!

                                            

How might we steal from ourselves? Here are just a few ideas:

• When we worry excessively about the future or dwell too much on the past, we steal our own joy in the present
• Engaging in belittling or limiting thoughts about ourselves prevents us from actualizing our full potential
• Fixating on specific outcomes robs us of exploring possibilities that might be better!
• Being envious of others steals our happiness and harms our relationships

       

What are some of the ways we steal from others that are less obvious than the act of physically taking their stuff? Again, just a few possibilities:

• A pattern of always being late steals other people's valuable time
• Hogging the conversation or constantly interrupting steals the other's person's voice, steals from the pleasure of engaging with you, and robs you of hearing other perspectives and ideas
• Taking credit for someone else's idea or work is...stealing from them

                   

As always, we tie behaviors back to the first and foremost yama, Ahimsa, which enables us to recognize that these more subtle forms of theft are harmful to our relationships and to ourselves. This exploration can feel a little harsh, because applying the asteya principle to behaviors that we often excuse as being personal quirks that we think of as just the way we are, or harmless, reveals them to actually be far more harmful than we thought! 

Behaviors are not just the way we are, they are the way we choose to behave.

But remember, the point of this exploration is not to berate ourselves and add to our misery! The intention is to SEE our our thoughts, words, and actions, in a new light. 

  

Once seen, we have the ability to change our long-standing and often unrealized or acknowledged behavioral patterns, and in doing so, bring less suffering to ourselves and to others.

The Yamas certainly give us a lot to think about! We'll be invited to reflect on this in our Monday Morning Meditation class on September 15th. Class is online-only and free, from 7:30 to 8:00am.

Class link: The Yoga Sanctuary Schedule

Satya: The Second Yama

Hello! 

Continuing with my September YOGA MONTH theme of Exploring the Yamas, for our next Monday Morning Meditation class, we'll invite exploration of the second yama, Satya.

Satya is the Sanskrit word for truth. 

So the second yogic principle that guides our actions is truthfulness and honesty. Comparing again to the Ten Commandments, we remember this one: Thou Shalt Not Lie. This is very specific: Don't tell lies. But in yogic philosophy, the principle of honesty and truthfulness is, as was the case with the first yama, non-harming, broader and more complex than simply not telling lies. 

Satya means to be honest and truthful in your thoughts, words, and actions. This means not just speaking the truth, but also living and speaking YOUR truth. Being honest with yourself, and living your life with honesty in every way - by honoring your gifts, in the work you do, in the way you speak to yourself with your thoughts, and to others with your words, and in all of your actions and interactions. 

There is an added dimension to this concept, as the Yamas always ask us to test our behavior against the first and foremost principle - ahimsa or non-harming. So for example, when speaking to another person, we might ask ourselves if the truth we are about to tell them will be harmful to them. This is not always clear cut! In this example, we are being asked to really think before we speak. We are not always required to speak!

In our Monday Morning Meditation class on September 8th, we will be invited to reflect on Satya in our own lives. Join us from 7:30 to 8:00am ET online through The Yoga Sanctuary. The class is complementary and the link to register is here: The Yoga Sanctuary.

Non-harming, the First and Foremost Principle of Yoga

 Hello and Happy Yoga Month!

Throughout September, each of our Monday Morning Meditation classes will use one of the five guiding principles called Yamas (say it with a Boston accent - yah mahs) as our theme. This is a complimentary, online-only class through The Yoga Sanctuary that runs from 7:30 to 8am ET. You can join from your bed if you like, with fabulous bed head hair, and in your jammies! 

The first of the Yamas, which are guidelines for how we comport ourselves in connection with other people and the planet, is Non-harming. The Sanskrit word for this is Ahimsa, which is composed of the root, himsa, which means to cause pain, and the prefix a, which means not. (Keep using your Boston accent for pronunciation).

So, above all things in life, do not cause pain. Do Not Harm. This first yama underlies all the others, and is what we test against when we aren't quite sure what the right course of action is. More on that in the weeks to come!

Most everyone is familiar with the first of the Ten Commandments, Thou Shalt Not Kill. That rule is very clear and quite specific. Ahimsa is similar, but you can see right off that it is broader and more encompassing than simply not killing other living beings. Ahimsa refers to refraining from committing violence in all its forms - thought, speech, and action - towards ourselves and others.

                                 

           

When we inflict harm on others with our thoughts, words, or actions, it is an outward expression of the conflicts that are going on inside ourselves. And as we've all learned, when we wound others, we also wound ourselves, so our behavior can create quite a vicious cycle.

With this expanded concept of what it means to harm, we can reflect on the many ways in which we maybe harmful to ourselves. Here are just a few examples:

• Thinking undermining thoughts like, "I never do anything right," or "I don't deserve to have good things happen to me" 
• Constantly criticizing ourselves
• Subjecting ourselves relentlessly to feelings of guilt and shame
• Taking on too much responsibility
• Excessive worrying
• Over-indulging
• Harboring resentment or anger toward others

You get the idea. 

So, we begin by understanding ourselves and the roots of our behaviors, and this is what we will be invited to explore during our first Monday Morning Meditation class of September.

Hope to see you there!

Here's the link to register: The Yoga Sanctuary Class Schedule