Contact Me
[Email]
vk ((at)) victoriaklein ((dot)) net
Tumblr!
… via Yoga, of course :)
This is a full-length article, but well-worth reading every word.
[YTT] My Chosen Yama: Ahimsa
Almost 2 weeks after the infamous 7-Day Immersion that began my Yoga Teacher Training journey + I’m still processing everything I learned + felt.
The most infamous Yoga-related book is “The Yoga Sutras” by Patanjali - available in countless translations + interpretations.
Patanjali laid forth 8 “limbs” of Yoga, often symbolized (somewhat inarticulately) as the limbs of a tree. Unlike climbing a tree, you can practice + experience nearly all of the 8 limbs of Yoga at once, instead of progressing from 1 to another.
“Each limb must be tended to in order for the tree to remain healthy and vibrant. Compared to the eightfold path of Buddhism or the Ten Commandments of Christianity and Judaism, the eight limbs of Yoga are a straightforward set of personal and ethical guidelines for living a conscious, meaningful life.” - Adapted with permission from 27 Things to Know About Yoga by Victoria Klein ©2010 by Victoria Klein.
The key personal + ethical guidelines of the 8 limbs of Yoga lie in the first 2 limbs (even before the asanas/poses are introduced!): the yamas + niyamas.
The 5 yamas are how we relate to ourselves + the world around us - in thoughts, words, + deeds.
The 5 niyamas are more intimately about ourselves + less about others.
During our study of the 5 yamas in the week-long Immersion, we were asked to choose 1 of the yamas to work on within ourselves + our lives throughout the entirety of Yoga Teacher Training.
I chose the very 1st yama: ahimsa.
Ahimsa is often translated as “non-harming”, but can also be seen as embracing compassion and love for all. It requires the belief that we are all one, cultivating an absence of anger, jealousy, and hatred. Feelings are welcomed not as failures, but an opportunity to seek their root causes.
I am gentle to all beings.
I easily forgive myself and others.
I am free of fear and anger.
I move away from judging to loving.
I embrace all, trusting the Diving flow.
Yeah, I need to work on that stuff :)
When asked, “How can I practice more compassion for myself + others?” I wrote:
Remind myself to “live now” + not fear the future.
Be curious about the stories + choices of others, knowing what works for me isn’t the only answer.
Be patient with my journey.
All easier said than done … but that is part of my journey :)
I’ll be writing more about my ahimsa efforts over the next few months of Yoga Teacher Training + beyond.
How can/do YOU practice more compassion with yourself + others?
[MindBodyGreen] 5 Food Lessons From Japan for a Healthier Life
It all seems simple enough, but oh how quickly we forget.
[TreeHugger] 5 Things Plants Do Better Than Us
Rock on, Mother Nature :)
[Jennifer Louden] Find Your Tribe
How do you find like-minded individuals, no matter what you live?