I heard a talk by Dr. Ravi Ravindra who’s a Sanskrit scholar. He was talking about Ahimsa which is usually translated as non-violence. But he said a more accurate translation is ” non-violation”. It’s an important difference because violence has external indicators but violation doesn’t. It’s like the distinction between physical violence and say, emotional abuse. It’s tough to ignore a black eye, but the other might be tricky to detect and easier to dismiss or ignore.

Ahimsa Off the Mat

So if we look at Ahimsa off the mat, we may not be “beating ourselves up” but what about not asking for what we need? What about not taking time for ourselves? What about not getting enough sleep? Or not taking a lunch break. These things seem small but it’s really a violation of our needs. And ignoring our needs is a badge of honor in our go-go culture. You tell people you took a nap and you might as well confess that you panhandle on Tuesdays. It’s like Anne Lamott says, “I believe that sleep and rest and self-care are radical acts”.

J and I always laugh – we’ve used work as an excuse to say, cut a family visit short, because god forbid you’d confess you need some R&R time. Who would think that was OK? But work? Oh sure, see ya’, it’s been fun.

Ahimsa On the Mat

So when we consider Ahimsa on the mat, from a non-violence perspective we say, hey if I’m not physically hurting myself then it’s all good. But if we take the non-violation view we have to look deeper. What about when we ignore our need to take the modified option for a pose? What about when we stay in a pose longer than our body wants? Or do Sun Salutations when we should be doing Legs Up The Wall?

We can’t be compassionate with others until we learn to be compassionate with ourselves. Thank god we have the mat to first practice noticing our needs, and then maybe responding. Here’s to being a well-rested well-cared-for radical.