“At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
On the surface it seems simple, yet the embodiment of this principle penetrates the deeper layers of our being. Ahimsa is the practice of non-violence. It is foundational to all yogic philosophy and within it we discover that love lies at the root.
Let’s face it: being human isn’t easy. Everyday we are called by curiosity, challenged by confusion and contradiction, confronted with choice, provoked by wonder and awe. We travel a vast emotional landscape, often times getting swept away in a storm of thoughts that pull us far from our bodies, uproot us from our homes and lead us into sentiments of separation. As spirit, living in a human body, we are tasked with the endeavor of exploring our limitless potential within the constraints of our physical reality.
According to the spiritual philosophy I ascribe to, we are all moving from imperfection to perfection. That means we are all growing, changing, developing. We are progressing from crude to subtle, culminating in merger with the subtlest entity of them all: The source of all creation.
A dear friend gifted me the book How Yoga Works by Geshe Michael Roach. After tearing away the wrapping paper to expose a yellow cover displaying the chin mudra and the title How Yoga Works, my initial thought was, Okay, an instructional book about yoga…nice.
The essence of the human enterprise is encapsulated in the pursuit of meaning.
We must live with a sense of meaning, otherwise our lives become greatly chaotic. There must be a deep and abiding sense of purpose in our lives, for without which we slip into trends of banality, triviality, and perhaps even crookedness.
When meaning is lost, we can grow dark. We might capitulate to our more deviant and destructive tendencies. We may give way to warfare and strife. We might even generate sorrow – both within and without.
I asked a friend the other day how he maintains hope and faith when the whole world seems to have gone mad, and he told me he views life as a drama – there will be happy parts and sad parts and scary parts. He doesn’t expect life to be a smooth ride where nothing happens.
He also told me a particular scene that we find distasteful at the time could be pivotal to the story – in hindsight we may find certain actions were crucial.
In yogic philosophy, the first two limbs of Patanjali’s eightfold path outline the yamas and the niyamas – together, a code of ethics for how to be in the world. As few things are in yogic thought, the appearance of the yamas and nimayas as the first and second of the eight limbs of Raja yoga is not haphazard. These two sets of five restraints and five observances form the foundation of the yogic path to samadhi, or divine union and enlightenment.
Have you found yourself rushing to a yoga class? Or perhaps you have found yourself full-on resisting going to yoga, or putting off practicing at home? Oh yes, I have come up with all the excuses. I don’t have time; I have to do X instead; I’m sore; I practiced yesterday; I just ate; I’m too full; It’s selfish right now; My house is messy; My bike has a flat tire; I can’t find my mat; I have to get gas; I’ll be late; I’m already late…sound familiar?
We are energy, and our Self is not limited to the insides of our body. We have a bio-magnetic energy field that essentially goes on forever (hence our ability to potentially be conscious of all of existence of which we are apart of), like a candle’s light goes on forever – although this is most prevalent and potent to our perceptible experience within the auric field extending around our body.