To me, nonviolence means: gentleness, self-control, kindness, and compassion. It isn’t simply the absence of violent behaviors, it is the awareness of the potential for our actions to be harmful and to deliberately choose what will benefit instead of hurt. Violence can be acted out physically, verbally, and mentally–toward others and toward ourselves. If we are to be nonviolent at our core, we need to choose in each moment thoughts,...

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The first limb of Raja yoga is the yamas, the ethical disciplines we practice so that we can harmoniously relate to ourselves and the world. The very first yama is ahimsa, nonviolence. What qualities come to mind when you hear that word? What qualities are displayed by a person who has mastered nonviolence? Give yourself a minute to think of an answer. I’ll wait until you are done. I took a moment pondering those questions when I set about...

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Yoga is a way to harness our awareness and anchor it in this moment. The eight limbs of RajaYoga give us a framework in which we can build and practice present moment awareness in our day to day lives. We move away from the trap of thoughts like, “I would be happy if I could have (more money, a better relationship, a nicer boss, unlimited free babysitting, a bigger house, that cute pair of shoes)” and we embrace our aliveness in this moment. We...

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