Season 4 of Present Moments uses excerpts from the book, The Eight Limbs of Yoga: A Handbook for Living Yoga Philosophy, by Stuart Ray Sarbacker and Kevin Kimple to dissect yoga beyond the mat. In each episode, I read a short selection from the book and offer an interpretation followed by some practical ways in which you can incorporate the concept in your daily life. Yoga is a spiritual practice that offers a framework for people who have the desire to walk the path of enlightenment.

Today we are covering the first Yama, Ahimsa which translates to non-harming. In our previous episodes about the Yamas, we discussed the premise of using the Yamas as guiding principles and a framework for living that supports spiritual growth. Ahimsa is possibly the supreme of all the Yamas in that yoga tradition places non-harming as the critical foundation for all of the Yamas and Niyamas to build from. Ahimsa is the practice of becoming aware of how your thoughts, actions and feelings are in service to yourself and all other sentient beings on this planet. It is the recognition you have a choice in how you choose to relate to yourself, others and the living and non-living environment that shapes your life. Non-harming asks you to use discernment when deciding to speak, act and think so you are creating space to operate from a position of love.

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