The Eight Limbs: Yama (Asteya)

Asteya. Non-stealing. Don't take stuff off other people. Don't steal things from yourself.

Really, I could just stop there. But I won't of course!

First of all, we shouldn't steal from others because

a) that is a form of harming them (it's that Ahimsa thing again) and

b) stealing causes guilt and stress within ourselves.

If you haven't stolen stuff, you have no guilt, no stress and that results in a quiet, relaxed mind and conscience.

So there, that's why, let's take a look at how..

Obviously Asteya means not stealing material goods from people eg. if you borrow something, make an effort to give it back. But Asteya also includes other things like time, emotions and gifts. Let's look at this a little deeper.

Time: basically, don't waste anyone's time. Unless someone is fully willing to participate in whatever it is you want them to participate in, don't force them into it. The minutes in their life are just as precious as in yours. Now, this could become a problem, for example, with students in a class that they don't want to do. In this case I think the next step is really making sure that they understand why they are in that class and how it will benefit them personally. If you manage to convince someone that you are not wasting their time, then you won't waste their time. We must also consider our own time. Are we maximising it to the best of our ability? Are we fully experiencing every moment? Or are we so caught up in the to-do list that we are barely present in the actual actions.

Emotions: I know you're thinking 'how the heck do I steal someone's emotions?!' but it's actually surprisingly simple. If someone says to you "I'm so excited! I just got 16/20 on that really hard test!" and you respond with "that's good. I got 19/20 though." you sorta just stole someone's excitement and pride. Can you see what I'm getting at here? You transformed another person's excitement into your own, and in doing that you stole from them. Our thoughts can also steal emotions from ourselves. If you're looking at yourself in the mirror and thinking 'damn I look fine,' stop yourself from following that up with 'but my butt looks like a sack of potatoes.' Don't steal that from yourself! Stick to Ahimsa.

Gifts: I know a few people who really love giving gifts. So much so that I feel bad when I receive on from them, because they give so much and I'm just a poor student that can't give them much in return. But you must always accept a gift, no matter how hard it is for you, because if you don't you are taking that experience away from them. As the saying goes, it's give AND TAKE. You gotta get down with the taking bit sometimes, if something is being willingly given.

Asteya also means that if someone entrusts something to you, you should not exploit it or take advantage of the person.

In a yoga class, the biggest thing for me is time. My students have given me an hour of their lives and I am determined not to waste it. As teachers we must strive to make every class as beneficial to each individual as possible, even if it means throwing away the plan. We must also take time to appreciate what you are doing as a yoga teacher, which is giving the gift of yoga and relaxation to others!

There is so much more I want to say but I think I'll leave it there for today!

Namaste,

Mia