Ahimsa: How to practice non-violence every day?

Ahimsa is the transcendence of violence but this means more than what you would initially think. It is the state of non-violence. If you are not realizing your unity consciousness you are, on a certain level, violent because as long as you are bound by any identity, whether it’s nationality or religion or whatever it may be, you are going to be in conflict. Ahimsa is the state of unity consciousness. Only someone who is realizing their essential nature has access to non-violence as they are experiencing unity, love. When you are experiencing that love you will naturally radiate peace, non-violence.

When a person is in a state of consciousness where natural unity is being experienced, they can act in a way that appears violent, but the energy behind it isn’t violent, because they are in a state of unity consciousness. What arises here is the natural law of nature, not violence. It is the appropriate response, the spontaneous correct action.

When you allow nature to move through you, to fulfill its purpose, that is the state of ahimsa.

Notice how you are in your thoughts and actions. Is it arising from ego? The ego is constantly in a state of violence as it fundamentally exists in a state of fear, so it is always trying to control and is constantly concerned about ME. It is judging and critiquing the whole world in order to find a certain level of validation for its isolation. The human species is inherently violent. There is that potential within all of us, so to just assume that you are not violent and not explore this possibility within yourself is itself an act of violence.

A yoga practice is an aid to transcending violence as your ego comes into check. You drop the judgments, attachments. Your violence against yourself, that self-sabotage, self-hatred, starts to fall away. You stop playing the victim, you stop shifting the blame, the burden of responsibility, on to someone else as all these positions are violent to oneself.

The practice of ahimsa also affects our consumption, making us more conscious about how we consume, how we spend our time, our money and how we are affecting the environment as ahimsa means non-violence against yourself, others and the planet.

It is not by being non-violent that you move deeper into the state of yoga. It is by being in the state of yoga that you are able to achieve non-violence. As your awareness opens to the cosmic Self, you are naturally making contact with the field of love and transcending the ego. As you do, you are able to observe your violent tendencies, the unconscious behaviors that create violence, conflict, with yourself and others.

As you become really alert, really present, you begin to surrender to what Is and from that place arises appreciation for what Is. Then the correct responses, not reactions, will start to occur as you can only respond when you are not resisting what Is. Otherwise, you are reacting.

As you surrender to what Is rather than what is imagined, a fearlessness, a great freedom, is born. This is the state of yoga, the state of non-violence, the experience of non-violence, the practice of non-violence. The state of yoga is non-violent as it is filled with bliss.

To not live life fully, to not seize the great opportunity of life, is a great act of violence.

The state of ahimsa is not to be at peace but to Be peace. This is not fragile and it requires no particular setting as you are it. You are peace!

To go deeper into these teachings, check out This Is That by Himalayan Master Anand Mehrotra.