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Exploring Ahimsa

Strategies for helping students cultivate non-violence and compassion in their yoga practice. 

Ahimsa is the first of the 10 yoga ethics - it is often described as non-violence, non-harming, and compassion. Ahimsa represents both intention and action. In a yoga practice, it is possible to both cultivate feelings of compassion (which develop the intention of ahimsa) and skillful action (which enables us to act is less harmful ways). 

The following suggestions can help you develop a class that focuses on ahimsa. All of these suggestions focus on directing ahimsa toward oneself - self-compassion and self-care. Consider including the heart opening, loving kindness meditation at the end of class, which helps students extend self-directed ahimsa to others.

RESTORATIVE CLASS

A restorative, gentle practice can cultivate ahimsa by encouraging students to care for their bodies. A restorative class focusing on ahimsa might include the following elements:

  • A discussion of how our everyday pace of stress, rush, and activity can actually be an act of aggression toward ourselves and our bodies. Introduce restorative/gentle yoga as a way of challenging this mindset and lifestyle.

  • An emphasis on using props to support the body. Explain how using support is a way of being compassionate to the body - not a way to "fix" the body or the pose.

  • Deep relaxation.

  • A guided meditation that invites students to consider how they can take care of themselves in everyday life.

ACTIVE/FLOW CLASS

An active class can cultivate skillful action by developing the student's ability to move mindfully and use internal cues about alignment, comfort, and safety in a pose. You can also create specific challenges that help students develop self-compassion.

  • Focus on mindfulness as a way of preventing injury.

  • Encourage students to attend to breath and sensation, and to stay in the realm of comfort. Work with the idea of being receptive to internal feedback about what feels good, what is safe, and what is aggressive/likely to cause harm.

  • Include progressions of increasing challenging poses, and invite students to use the principle of ahimsa as a way of guiding themselves. I like to use progressions that move toward half-lotus, because they require students to attend carefully to sensation and alignment. 

  • Include poses that typically invite comparison and self-judgment (i.e., any poses that your students find challenging!). Encourage students to notice any negative thoughts, and let them go. Practice self-compassion by approaching challenging poses without judgment.

ACTIVE/ALIGNMENT-BASED CLASS

An slower-paced, alignment-based class is an excellent way to develop skillful ahimsa.

  • As you introduce alignment principles in a pose, focus on how skillful action creates stability and safe opening. De-emphasize focus on "doing the pose right".

  • Introduce props as a way of practicing ahimsa - the props provide support that honors the integrity of the pose, which is compassionate toward the body. Encourage to choose and use props as an act of self-kindness and self-care.

  • Invite students to stay in poses only as long as they feel supported and comfortable. Give students an opportunity to explore when "enough is enough", by staying in poses a little longer than usual. Encourage students to come out of the pose and rest when they need to. Discuss how self-aggression can manifest as a refusal to rest.

In addition, you can help students develop ahimsa by modeling it. Cultivate compassion for all of your students. Demonstrate ahimsa in how you plan your classes, by creating sequences that reduce the risk of harm, and offer options for all students. Demonstrate ahimsa in how you work with students, by cultivating intentional and informed touch.

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