Himsa
by Randy Just
Recently during a Zoom class, a participant unmuted themselves and gave an animated and strong proclamation on Himsa. What is Himsa? Himsa is violence and this is referencing Ahimsa (non-violence) which is one of the Yamas.
The participant stated:
“Judgement is Himsa, criticism is Himsa. gossip is very harmful and is Himsa. Betrayal is Himsa, as is slander. Negative self- talk is definitely violence against your own self because you are criticizing God's perfect work. When used with Himsa, our tongue can be the most violent weapon on earth. The list, unfortunately, goes on and on.”
There are five Yamas (yogic disciplines or restraints) defined in the yoga sutras of Patanjali: ahimsa (non-violence or non-injury), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacarya (continence) and aparigraha (freedom from avarice or non-covetousness).
The Yamas are meant to be a lens for an individual to observe themselves. Yet many times, the Yamas are wielded like a sword of judgement and shame against others, proclaiming a person or a behavior or a situation unyogic. What they are saying is that the person and the behavior or the situation exhibits human nature. That judgement shows a lack of awareness of their own human nature and their lack of empathy and compassion towards themselves and others.
“You must purge yourself before finding faults in others. When you see a mistake in somebody else, try to find if you are making the same mistake. This is the way to take judgment and to turn it into improvement. ”
Through the eight limbs of yoga, we begin to get present to the machinery that is our life, our nature, our ahamkara. From that heightened discrimination and awareness, we can begin the transformation towards our Divine Nature.
Stephanie Quirk wrote a brilliant article on the Yamas and Niyamas.
To paraphrase:
Through the practice of yoga, we encounter the yamas and niyamas, and they act as reconditioning or transforming principles that we undertake. They are training principles, not commandments.
The yamas address aspects of human nature that need to cease or be taken out if transformation is to happen. It’s the only way we can harmonize and beautify our energies enough to get a sight of a Self that is far deeper and more profoundly meaningful than anything else we have or can even imagine.
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