As a yoga instructor I try to make my fellow yogis feel nurtured and cared for. I do gentle adjustments to move them into feeling the poses. I like to use a towel to cover their eyes at the end of class to make svasana more restful. I massage their lower back when they are in child's pose. The goal is to remind my fellow yogis to do these little things for themselves.
Often when people think of the concept non harming, it is thought of as something that has to do with other people or about something like not harming the planet. In yoga this concept is called Ahimsa in Sanskrit, starts with the self. This is one of the Yamas in the Eight Limbs of yoga. How can you be expected to avoid harming others when you are harming yourself?
Non harming yourself starts with the little things. The little things in daily life is where we can start treating ourselves just a little bit better. Also when we are not harming ourselves we send that energy through out the world changing it one person at a time.
Here are a few ways we can avoid harming ourselves and effectively not harming others:
- Get up ten minutes early so you do not have to rush.
- Eat breakfast so you are not cranky and hungry all morning.
- Make your bed so when you go to bed you feel pampered and loved when you go to bed. For an added touch spray your sheets with a relaxingscented linen spray.
- Take a vitamin in the morning. This sets you up to think a little healthier all day.
- At work take a moment to clean your desk. Just five minutes a day will make your desk look amazingly better and you'll be more productive. If you do not have pictures add a few pictures of things that you love to look at. It can be a picture your family, rainbows, sunsets or anythingat all.Be careful not to have too many things so your desk does not have too much clutter.
- Get a tennis ball and massage the bottoms of your feet at the end of a long day while you sip some raspberry flavored tea.
- Do the dishes tonight so they do not overwhelm you in the morning.
- Lay out an outfit and what you and your family needs in the morning to help start tomorrow in the right foot.
- If you are having trouble sleeping try listening to a meditation CD and placing a wash cloth with a dab of your favorite scented oil on it.
This works better than a sleeping pill! - Look at yourself in the mirror and remind yourself of three things that are absolutely beautiful about you!
Can you see how adopting a few of these little habits only takes a few minutes a day and over time can translate to a happier world for you and the others around you? Being happy has a ripple effect to everyone and everything around you. So start non harming yourself and the pay attention to how it changes the world.
