Ahiṃsā is an ancient doctrine enshrined through Vedas and practiced thoroughly in Indian culture as a age old tradition. Yoga Sutras by Maharshi Patanjali emphasized on this principle as the core of one’s living.  Mahatma Gandhi vowed, lived and preached this principle as his Dharma. Ahiṃsā sees its mentions multiple times through a phrase :

Ahiṃsā Parmo Dharma

Non-violence is the highest virtue of man.

 Ahiṃsā when literally translated means ‘absence of injury‘ [‘A‘ is a negative prefix means ‘absence’ ‘hiṃsā‘ means ‘injury’]

Ahiṃsā as a practice of not hurting anyone seems straight forward in theory. Because we are all good souls and would not go around hurting the other, what is harder is : To go one step deeper – it is the intentions, the attitude, the thought – that which originates in the mind. What is tough is – the lack of desire to hurt yourself or others is the actual tough one.

Not to hurt the other is, no doubt, a part of  ahiṃsā , but it is its ‘least expression‘. The central theme being based on the principle that: every creature is sacred, goes through the same emotions and is made of same components.

In other words, the underlying principle is to not hurt by evil thoughts, undue haste, lying, hatred, wishing ill for anyone, etc.

Breaking it down further, there are 3 types of injury one can cause to self or others:

1. Physical hurt/pain – Kayaka
2. Hurt/pain by spoken words – Vachaka
3. Hurt/pain by thoughts – Manasika

Now, lets look at instances how ahiṃsā manifests in our real lives:

• Feeling negative emotions, the negative responses like guilt, resentment, disappointment or when we feel ashamed or embarrassed.
  Simplest example is : when we cannot forgive ourselves or others for the mistakes, instead we carry the anger, guilt, disappointment all along – disturbs ours and their inner peace – let it go – move on.
  
  
• Expectations [too much or too little, from yourself or others – doesn’t matter]. When we expect – we also accept the responsibilities of cause and effect – which may or may not be in our control.
  Expecting from the other might in rare cases lead to disappointment and anger when remained unfulfilled – leading to harsh words or thoughts – Why get trapped in that cycle? – break free !– just radiate that love, kindness and light in you!
  
  
• Acting out of fear! Each one of us have our sets of insecurities and vulnerabilities. The challenge is not let these govern our thoughts or actions.
  Because, if you think about it any thought or action that stems from fear ends up in hurting the other but ourselves the most!
  

A closer look at the importance of ahiṃsā in various aspects of life from Yoga to self healing to interpersonal & personal relationships to community to diet to inner thoughts.

1. Yoga and ahiṃsā go hand in hand. As per Yoga Sutras, practicing ahiṃsā is of utmost need before getting on our mats. It forms part of the mental cleansing. It becomes your skill when practicing asanas with more stable and concentrated mind, making it easier for us to attain the final posture with full control.
   
   For example: non-violence in yoga is when we do not push ourselves too much that it hurts, rather just enough to challenge ourselves so that we can grow. By doing so we will learn to respect our boundaries and listen to our body. We will also learn self-compassion while working with our body than going against it.
   
   
2. Proper Diet and Water– Keeping in mind that our body is a precious gift and we must honor it. By not having proper diet we are committing violence against our body.
   
   A proper diet comprises of food which is lubricating for our joints and internal organs, naturally sweet and freshly cooked.
   
   Ideally, our Stomach should be : – 0.5 filled with food – 0.25 filled with water/liquid and – 0.25 should be kept empty.
   
   To get the most out of it, keep a journal to monitor our emotions, moods and thoughts. With right food, in right time and in right quantity we will start noticing subtle to significant changes in our mood, energy levels and overall health.
   
   
3. Thoughts play a extremely important role in our overall well-being.
   Think about it how much ever healthy we eat, how much ever we exercise, take rest, supplements, meditate – if our thoughts are negative – we will not feel good internally.
   
   Ahiṃsā in thoughts allows us to be mindful of what we are thinking and deliberately choosing loving thoughts over negative ones. This results in release of dopamine – the happy hormone in our body – naturally. Improvises our bodily functions and results in overall upliftment of mood for us and everyone around us – coz they say : ‘ happiness is contagious‘ – let’s spread it while we still can!
   
   
4. Ahiṃsā towards self is when we accept ourselves with all your flaws. Letting go off ourselves and allowing room for mistakes, resulting in overall improvement in quality of life, self-esteem, attainment of inner peace and living a balanced personal and professional lives.
   
   
5. Ahiṃsā towards physical body is equally important where you exercise enough, maintain personal hygiene and proper resting routine. These in combination releases dopamine and endorphins in our body – naturally! Improving our immune system and keeping us healthy and happy.
   Additionally, it reduces cortisol levels in our body – the stress hormone – responsible for keeping our immune system strong.
   
   
6. Ahiṃsā within community creates a feeling of equality and mutual respect. Each person learns to manage their expectation about each other thus preventing any conflicts, resulting in bringing everyone closer to each other, understand and be able to have each other’s back in difficult times.

Strong intentions and patience is the key here. We know that any practice when we understand it and start practicing it in real life – will take time to manifest itself and its effects.

Quick Summary of ways to practice ahiṃsā in everyday lives:

• Eat balanced food, in right time – do not skip meals
• Exercise well in combination of strengthening, flexibility, cardio, etc.
• Rest well, stay hydrated.
• Make slow and consistent changes over long period of time.
• Try to live each day in a environmentally friendly way – it’s a constant and consistent choice.
• Reduce-reuse-recycle.
• Choose ethical brands, small businesses, handcrafted gifts, promote locally grown produce.
• Practice Yoga compassionately and gently
• Pay attention to your breath as often as you can.
• Learn how to resolve conflicts peacefully, no matter, how hard it gets, keeping some basic principles in mind:
  – Everyone is fighting their own battle and all that each one of us need is Love – being loved and to love.
  – Nourish your soul with love.
  – Engrave the core values of Ahiṃsā for every situation/person that is coming or might come – gentleness, understanding, love, patience & compassion!
  – Strive for inner peace only even in difficult situation – take a pause – be aware of your breath and make the conscious choices all the time!

Thank you for reading this article with me. I hope you enjoyed reading the article, was long enough. This concept is very close to my heart and practicing in the hard situations is the toughest! Nevertheless, we keep reminding ourselves to only spread the love and light that each one of us carry within us and is looking for in the other in different ways, shape or forms.