ahimsa

Ahimsa
means non-violence
and is one of the ten
suggestions in yoga.

five are things to cool it on
and five are things to cultivate
(see contentment, santosha, earlier posting)

non violence
is yoga
is pretty easy to realize
and often forgotten:
let's not hurt ourselves
let's not confuse learning to move
and to be in our bodies
and to find the spiritual essence of a posture
with this weird idea that if it
isn't painful we aren't getting
anything out of it

and in teaching yoga
ahimsa
is to be kind
to all the students
what can they do
that they will enjoy
in this class
what can we all do
that they will learn
what can we not do
that they will have a chance
to be silent
and connected to all
that beauty that comes
in the stillness


ah