Ahimsa

What is Ashima?

Ashima or non-violence has been venerated in Eastern philosophies and thinking through religious like Buddhism and Jainism. It has, in the last century , become a celebrated philosophy worldwide trough the heroic efforts of a man called Gandhi who galvanized the imagination of people worldwide with his singleminded adherence to the principle of non-violence as a principle tool in his struggle to secure India's freedom from British rule.

Applied in thoughts
Ashima can applied to our thoughts, words and deeds, particularly in our dealings with ourselves and the people in our lives. It all begins with our thoughts. If we take time to observe them, we will realize that some of the causes of violent thoughts (sometimes followed by violent action) are anger, greed and impatience. If we are cursing other people all time, thinking only ill of others, or constantly belittling ourselves, our minds will end up full of himsa or violence.
* So, it is only natural that words we speak and the actions that follow are of a similar predisposition.

Applied in attitude
It can also be applied in our attitudes towards our bodies, and in our yoga practice. This can be achieved by being less critical of ourselves and our ability to grasp the finer points of alignment and concept, and being more gentle with our bodies. However, we need to keep in mind our strengths and limitations, and work with them accordingly.

How to apply in our everyday life?
By having a clear understanding of our goals and where we stand, we will then be able to take the necessary steps to achieve them in a calm and focused manner.
By being:
* gentler and more patient with ourselves;
* learning to rein in our desires and work calmly towards our goals;
* harboring less attachment to expectations of others;
* extending kindness and compassion to all those who come our way,
we will be practicing ahsima as well!

Quotes

When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.
Helen Keller

The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we can.
Robert Cushing