Hello December

The holiday travel season is a good opportunity to practice asteya, the third yama or social attitude of yoga. Asteya means “non-stealing.” It may seem obvious that we shouldn’t take from another living being, yet history shows we need reminders. Thousands of years ago, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali emphasized this very principle, highlighting that non-stealing is an attitude requiring ongoing, conscious practice.

Stealing can take different forms: taking possessions, time, resources, or advantage of another’s goodwill, etc., without reciprocating in some fashion. While the forms might differ, all of them show a disregard for another. Not stealing however, means practicing consideration for others. When we consider others, we become more attentive to others in a particular situation. Regard draws us into the present moment and integrates the particulars.

Attentiveness, as many of the previous posts this year have shown, is a skill that we must practice. On the mat, it helps us to avoid overdoing poses in order to be in the experience of the pose. Take, for example, Eagle Pose (Garundasana). In Eagle Pose, you bend your knees and cross one leg over the standing leg and the foot tucked behind the standing leg calf. The arms cross in front in a similar way, with one arm over the other and the hands tucked. A pose that challenges balance, perception, knees, and shoulders, it encourages you to integrate physical aspects as well as regard your mental state to create evenness. Too aggressive and you could hurt yourself. Too tense and your stamina fizzles as your breathing becomes erratic.

However, of the eight limbs of yoga, the individual physical practice of asana comes after practicing social attitudes (yamas). Even the individual attitudes, (niyamas), follow the ability to interact with others and the world. Yoga prioritizes consideration of others in one’s worldview and actions.

So, this holiday season, whether traveling or staying, practice taking others into consideration as you move through your day and find a greater sense integration.