A stay at home mom forces her views of Ahimsa on the world one Chaturanga at a time.
I’m currently stuck in Portland, Oregon. I miss my mom, sister, and family beyond words. I miss my country, I miss reasonable debate. All I know is that I’m soul weary and utterly exhausted much like the rest of the world. The things that make me tired; Trump flags, confederate flags, blue lives matter flags, don’t tread on me flags. I wish I had a yoga forever flag for irony and sarcasm. Yoga and meditation are two of the things that have helped me survive the gaping human wound that has been the last year. Screw bandages, it’s going to stay open for a long time. So I’m going to provide my entourage with a little dark humor and some yogic thinking.
Did you know, dear reader, that there is a whole philosophy to yoga beyond the asanas (poses)? If you didn’t I’m here to help you tie the amazing benefits of yoga to your actual life. It’s truly a thing and I’m not delusional, I pinky swear. Being a self-actualized human being would be so beneficial to a crumbling democracy don’t you think? One way of making the world a better place is to be of benefit. Yogic philosophy is a start.
The eight limbs of yoga are much like branches on a tree as outlined by Patanjali, an Indian sage and author of the Yoga Sutras some 2500 years ago. The first limb of Yoga is Nama. Nama is the concept of morality and the actions that govern our behavior. The sutras outline five main elements to the Namas — Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (not stealing), Brahmacharya (right energy), and finally Aparigarha (having a spirit of generosity as opposed to miserliness).
Most of these elements come easy for me, they’ve been ingrained from birth. Ahimsa is what I struggle with even though it’s an idea prevalent in all religions. The desire to have interactions that are full of mutual moral benefit, I believe, is ingrained in the spirit of mankind. Sometimes I get glimpses of what an entire existence might be like if we all collectively decided to do this. It’s that moment of bliss in meditation, it’s the touch of your lover that is both electric and peaceful, it’s all the things that make you feel alive. Then the glimpse vanishes like wisps of smoke. I’ve crashed a lot with Ahimsa this year. Compassion for all people leads to Ahimsa. I believe it was his holiness the Dalai Lama who said the world would benefit greatly with the practice of Karuna, genuine compassion creating a generosity of spirit. Being continuously on one side of a power imbalance as a minority and female in a country that is openly saying that my mind and contribution are worth little, doesn’t make me want to be compassionate. Yet, I know it’s the right path.
I’ve known and understood compromise all my life. Someone needs to de-escalate and be the adult in the room. Stand back and stand by folks — a mostly pacifist, uber-aggressive view of right and wrongdoing must prevail. This mom is one dangerous yogi who will chant for the good of your children and de-escalation. There are times when calculated aggression can be beneficial. It’s always a risk but some things are worth it. Cultural genocide, ecocide, the loss of democratic values around the globe are worth confronting. I promise you and time will show that my self-restraint and lack of overt aggression are infinitely more powerful than your petty temper tantrums. There is nothing weak about this stance.
I cannot conceive of a moral compass that asks for martyrdom to dispense with the innocent and meek in life. Moral fortitude in the face of aggression is a must. Throughout history, someone dared to draw a line in the sand. Someone protected the pacifists, often with violence. I understand the contradiction and don’t have trouble in its reconciliation. I don’t see a reckoning at this moment, I see an implosion with a legacy of self-destruction that will linger. For the world and children everywhere that’s ENOUGH. Get your house in order like a grown adult. As a little aside, and as an immigrant to this country - did you Americans know that de-escalation is not your forte? It truly might be your Achilles heel when making strategic decisions (assuming strategic decisions are actually made by some thoughtful person/people).
This brings me to the second limb of Yoga — Niyama. Where the Yamas have to do with morality, the Niyamas are more about personal conduct or inward conduct. The five tenets are saucha (cleanliness), santosha (contentment), tapas (the burning of energy and directing of it), svadhyaya (study, knowing yourself, and self-examination) Ishvarapranidaha (surrender to something bigger than oneself). You can be an atheist, devout Christian or any denomination and still understand this. It’s humanistic and universal.
Anyone with active kids understands tapas. Especially this year we all know that kids who burn off energy are less argumentative, less prone to get into trouble, less likely to put on warpaint, Viking hats, or try and zip-tie their elders. When that energy is cleansed or redirected I’m sure many men would be less likely to put a target on a 5'5, 130 lb female. You don’t need to be Indian, Tibetan, or Asian to understand this. Even atheists understand the transcendental - bliss is not the sole domain of the religious. Surrender to something beyond yourself. Try having a moral compass without lip service to some egotistical God.
That brings us to the third limb of yoga, the one most people are familiar with, the Asanas or physical movements of yoga. Notice the philosophy precedes the posture. Just like ballet or dance, yoga is an elegant discipline that can truly transform your mind and body. The postures can be difficult, challenging, sublime, funny, awkward, and make you prone to farting in public. Holding in a fart during yoga is so uncomfortable, so what? After having bean chili, hang out in the back hoping there are no inversions. When you respect yourself and your body you might be able to respect others.
Pranayama is one of the most important limbs of yoga, if not the most important. It brings the first three into laser focus and sometimes, just sometimes, I’m immersed in a moving meditation that links my breath to movement. It’s akin to the absolute best sex of your life. Not the kind that leaves you hungry but the kind you want everyone to experience. It’s not about addiction, it’s patient, sometimes frustrating beyond words but the struggle, the falling out of a pose, the mastery is an analogy for life, love, passion, and devotion. No pipe bombs, ego, or violence needed.
Pratyahara is something the world is in dire need of. My understanding of pratyahara is a drawing back of the senses to focus them more accurately. Long time meditators might understand my poor attempt to put this into words. In a world full of distractions, likes, misinformation, and inane entertainment, the ability to withdraw, collect, and refocus is absolutely necessary. It would prompt you to question blind allegiance, ignorant loyalty, and herd mentality.
Dharana is a bit confusing to me. I understand that it’s a deeper concentration of mind. My progression with yoga and meditation has taken years. There are a multitude of levels when someone starts yoga and meditation. There are the first glimpses of focus, then a steady calm that seems to pervade your body, followed by an imperceptible change in the way you see the world, and finally for me the ability to start to slide in and out of those states. Perhaps it’s the similarity to pratyahara that escapes me, I’m not sure. Deep focus brings clarity, patience, and de-escalation. Society really encourages ego, yoga helps you step back in humility. You begin to sense the deep web of life that exists, how fragile that web is, and how people have a moral duty to maintain it. We need to be stewards, historians, and participants. Egocentrism fades away with concentration. It’s humbling.
Dhyana is the seventh limb of yoga and is the concept of perfect contemplation or total absorption. Athletes know this: runners, artists, scientists, you see it on children’s faces all the time. As adults, we seem to lose it. When a toddler can spend hours playing in a field of dandelions they are fully absorbed in the moment. We need more adults who can hold all the knowledge, experiences, pain, etc…in their minds while being that child. It’s a tough gig. I sometimes get there but society isn’t designed for this.
Finally, the ultimate goal of yoga is Samadhi. Union with the divine or contented bliss. This is an interesting one for me. I know all people experience passion, bliss, and love differently. I know we can fill our hunger and addictions with ‘positive’ paths or ‘negative’ ones. It’s a matter of energy, willpower, and pivot. Turn one way you fall off the cliff, turn another, and bliss is found. Even my desire to gain knowledge can be an unhealthy addiction if I let it. There is no balance in the extremes. It’s those moments of infinite balance that I find the most bliss. I learn the most and it comes effortlessly. For much of my life, I was taught that striving will help you achieve all your goals. While that might be true in some realms, it’s been in the letting go of all I know that I’ve found truth and contentment.
As frustrated as I am with my politicians, I naively await the day that justice is served for the world to move on and I truly mean the world. BLM didn’t just resonate around the globe as coincidence. It resonates with anyone who has suffered any kind of oppression which is likely two-thirds or more of the world. The Sunrise Movement, Occupy, and BLM all speak the same language. The US cannot isolate itself and compete. It’s an outdated mentality. Global engagement is mandatory and absolutely necessary.
A word to Republicans across the board, I have no party affiliation and in the past have voted both Democrat and Republican. I will never forget this moment as a woman of color, a mother, an advocate for abuse victims and survivors of rape. I will never forgive you for creating another generation of imbecilic blowhards and their small view of manhood. I will never let my son become anything like you. Having been fetishized and intimidated by incompetent men like you all my life, it’s something I will not tolerate anymore. If you had any misgivings, America is a deeply racist, misogynistic nation. I will not leave my children, particularly my daughter with your cowardly legacy. There will be a reckoning. You can cooperate, come along, or disappear quietly. I’m sure your Christian roots would never allow you to burn your country to the ground out the door for the sake of your pitiful ego. That’s not power, that’s the most pathetic form of terrorism. That would be such a blow to real patriots and democracy around the globe. History will not be kind to you. The stakes will only get higher. Practice yoga, think before you act, the consequences of your actions are far-reaching.
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Go forth, break bread: I made these Buffalo Chicken appis for New Years. They are really good. Air fry them if you can. I used crushed Doritos instead of breadcrumbs.
