Exploring Ahimsa and the Self

"The practice of yoga did for me what no substance, doctor, support group, family member, friend, or lifestyle change could do. Yoga introduced me to my inner self"
- Maya Breuer (Yoga Journal, March 2010)

We have all played in the realm of these negativities at some point in our lives; some of us for far too long. Like Maya Breuer I have experienced the healing energies of yoga and understand, in some depth, the power yoga can have on those who are traumatized, oppressed and hurting.

Challenges in the style and quality of one's life affect the individual and community on a profound level. Negative forces such as abuse, addiction, violence, death and disease can cause individuals and communities to shut down and deteriorate.

Yoga counters these negative forces we face in life; it heals, reunifies and sets the basis for authentic living - which at its core is knowing, accepting and loving one's inner self.

The idea is to create a balance, so that when the negativities do come pouring in, we can handle them with our inner-strength, self-awareness and self-confidence. Creating a balance though, does not mean continuing or enduring through the struggles - sometimes the biggest strength we can exhibit is in walking away.

In yoga we call this practice Ahimsa, which is translated as non-violence; not causing harm, injury or pain to any living creature – this includes one’s thoughts, words and actions. Most often we freely accept the idea of not causing others pain, but what about the pain in our own lives? How much do we repeatedly hurt ourselves or allow others to hurt us? The yogic philosophy is to teach through example and practice – when learning a difficult pose, we must take time and ease ourselves into it, building strength, flexibility and knowledge of ourselves - we must approach Ahimsa in the same way. Perhaps today is not the day you can walk away, but today is the day you can balance harm with healing.


Try the following poses to begin the process of healing, lay in each of these poses 5to 20 minutes, reflecting on yourself - what you feel, how you feel and why you feel.

Balasana/Child’s Pose This is a wonderful pose to do with a pillow or two between your thighs, supporting your torso and head


Viparita Karani/Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose Using a pillow to support the lower back feels really good in this pose. As an added benefit, it opens the heart a literal action for the figurative idea of loving one’s self


Uttanasana/Standing Forward Bend Forward bends are all about looking into the future, prep from your future by awakening your legs and relaxing your mind.