What is Ahimsa?

The other day as I was journaling, I thought it would be interesting to create an online journal. The thought that followed was: How stupid, no one would want to read that, and that's where ahimsa comes in. I first learned about ahimsa in my Yoga Teacher Training. Ahimsa is a Yama (the first limb of yoga) and it is defined as, "the principle of nonviolence toward all living things." 

Some yogis, myself included, do not eat meat because this is. However, this is a very basic example of ahimsa as it runs much deeper than physical harm. Circling back, the thought I had about not creating this blog because it's a "stupid idea" is not practicing ahimsa. Any negative thought is considered violence, whether toward yourself or any other being. 

HOW TO PRACTICE AHIMSA

Well, that's just it, it's a practice. If you want to get better at the piano, you take piano lessons. For some reason, as humans, a lot of us are hard-wired to believe that if we have negative thoughts, there's no way to change that. I've heard people say, "That's just who I am." That's not true. Does it take a lot of practice? Yes!! But, fortunately, just because we're hard-wired to believe certain thoughts doesn't mean we can't change them. So, here's how to practice ahimsa:

1. Recognize your negative thought patterns and change them. We all have them. I listened to an interview Marianne Williamson did the other day and she talked about how every character flaw we have is related back to something that happened to us as a child. Basically, your character flaws aren't your fault, but it is in your hands to change them. How great is that, though? You've got the power to change yourself in a positive way. I have a tendency to be a control freak. Every single time I'm about to do something controlling, I have the power to stop myself and create new wiring. Even the littlest things-- for example, we hired a dog walker the other day and my first instinct was to set up a camera and make sure she was doing it right. I'm not shitting you, that's how crazy I can be. I could have easily followed that thought pattern, but (with the help of Kellen kindly correcting my crazy) instead I felt the discomfort and left for work. Guess what? Our dog lived. Recognize your thought patterns and change them. The more you do it, you'll start creating new wiring.

2. Do yoga (or mindfully move your body). I only say yoga because it's the perfect way to tune into your body and mindfully move. When you're connecting every movement with breath, it moves you from your egoic mind to your tue, loving mind, which doesn't allow for harmful thoughts.

3. Change a few daily activities. As humans, we all have habits (again, this goes back to rewiring your brain). Some of our habits are good, some not so good. Change a few of the not-so-positive habits. Some examples: stop eating meat (maybe even just one day a week), quit watching trash TV that brings negativity into your life, drink more water, fuel your body with healthy foods, quit gossiping. The more positive habits you have, the less harm you cause yourself and others.

4. Start meditating. I know, I'm probably the 50th person who's told you to start meditating, but you "just don't have tiiiimmmeee." I've said the same thing. But, what I can tell you is that when I'm meditating, I have a clear, focused mind, I eat more healthfully because I'm more in tune with my body, I want to exercise, I am more aware of my negative thought patterns, and I have more energy. When I quit meditating, it's easier to start creeping back into my old patterns. (If you think I'm crazy right now, Google "Famous people who meditate.")

I try to live my life by the philosophy of ahimsa; it's who we all truly are at our core.