Ahimsa
I live in Seattle. A cloudy, sleepy, tech hub that is surrounded by water, forrest and snow capped mountains. We were the first epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic. In part, because so many of our community can work from home, we are a medium densely packed community unlike NYC, and the so-called Seattle Freeze social trend, we started socially distancing, and self quarantining early. There are so many aspects to the fight against the virus, and many of us (myself included) are staying home, out of work.
There is time to sleep, cook, work on projects that have been piling up over the past couple years. One of those for me is getting yoga content online that is free and accessible. You can get to the channel here.
But when we think about the uncertainty that is right up in our face, and the anxiety that follows, the values that we build throughout our practices become super important. For me, those values were offered through yoga. For others they may come from religious practices. What’s so lovely, is that the base of most practices that strive to create kind human behavior have a commonality: non-harming.
In yoga, this is called ahimsa. It is the first yama, in the first limb of yoga. It is the offering to be kind, be aware of your actions, and create relationships that have boundaries. Ahimsa allows each individual to have their own experiences and feelings, but also to understand how we are an interconnected global community. Our actions matter, our feelings are valid.
Right now, our actions are tied inextricably to whether we harm or not. Sheltering in place is not easy for us. There is a reason why connection for our human species is so important. But right now, connecting in person with others is by definition increasing the risk of significant harm. So we practice non-harming by staying home, crossing the street to give people space to be at least 6 feet apart, and by working virtually with those who can support us while the isolation brings about numerous challenges. Wont it be nice when we can finally hug each other again. But for now, and for however long this takes, we practice ahimsa by being separate in person, but connected in practice.
Stay safe. Practice well. May we all be free from this pandemic and support those who are in the hospitals, grocery stores, delivery groups and other services that keep our communities growing.