Last night my husband showed me a video of a fawn stuck in a soccer (or football, for my overseas friends) net and a kind Samaritan who freed it. Though Bambi and his mother initially fled into the forest, at the end of the video, they stopped the man on the road and came up to him as if to thank him for his kindness.
Mark Twain said, “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
And apparently it's the one that can transcend even species at times too.
practice Starts with Kindness
With this sort of impact, it’s no wonder that the very first principle in yoga is Ahimsa, which often is translated as Non-Violence, Peace, or Kindness.
On the outset it seems simple—don’t kill or hurt others. It has so many more nuances, though, which makes it so darn difficult to master.
The most common and obvious interpretations of Ahimsa define it as not harming others. Some people choose to practice by becoming vegetarian. Others commit not to kill wasps or other critters that accidently wander inside their homes. More and more, folks are speaking out and mobilizing for social justice causes too.
For me, the practice of Ahimsa means not only abstaining from obvious violence. It also encompasses learning how you might unintentionally cause harm and going out of your way to be kind as well.
An Integral Approach to the Yogic Practice of Ahimsa (Kindness)
More integrally, Ahimsa includes being compassionate and non-violent to your body, your mind, and your environment, as well as towards other people and creatures.
Unintentional violence—especially towards ourselves—can happen so easily and sneakily.
5 Signs of Unintentional Harm on Your Mat and what to do instead
So, today I’m sharing 5 examples of what inadvertent harm towards yourself could look like on your yoga mat and what to do instead.
Doing something your body isn’t ready to do, like pushing yourself into a more advanced backbend or even forcing your way towards the floor in a forward bend. Instead, work with an instructor who can guide you safely into more advanced expressions of the pose as your body is ready. Let your progress in the pose be something you savor a little bit at a time, like sipping a fine wine.
Staying too long in the pose and ignoring the signals your body is giving you that enough is enough. Instead, come out and rest for a few breaths in your favorite restorative pose.
Not staying long enough in the pose. Just as those of us who push might need to rest, those of us who tend towards inactivity might benefit more from persevering. Perhaps try the technique my teacher Jehangir Palkhivala sometimes uses of noticing when you feel you need to come out of a pose and then staying 3 more breaths.
Being careless about alignment and transitions in and out of poses. Although everyone’s body is different, alignment and recommended ways to get in and out of poses are there for a reason—to help keep you safe. Paying attention and working with an experienced instructor can help you safely try out and modify to find the alignment and transitions that work best for you.
Comparing yourself to others and criticizing yourself for what you can’t do. Instead, turn your awareness to yourself as you practice. You can maintain your visual focus on a specific neutral body part (yes, like your naval), notice what feels good in the pose, or simply celebrate what you CAN do instead of what you can’t.
On Your Mat and In Your Life
If unintentional harm is happening on your mat, chances are it’s happening somewhere else in your life too.
If you push yourself too hard on your mat, where else in your life are you doing it? Conversely, if you cause unintended harm by doing too little on your mat, perhaps there’s someplace else in your life where that’s happening too.
And don’t get me started on comparisonitis. It’s one of the gravest diseases of the social media era.
I’ll be the first to raise my hand and admit that I have a lot of work to do in my practice of Ahimsa, whether it’s towards others, the environment, or myself.
As Buddhist teacher and author Pema Chodron says, “Be kinder to yourself. And then let your kindness flood the world.”
It’s a lifelong practice that starts with awareness and mindfulness.
Tell me, how do you practice the yogic principle of kindness towards others, the environment and yourself? What’s your biggest challenge with it? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!