Peaceful Warrior

In Yoga, we talk extensively about Ahimsa, (Non-Violence) there is the clearly obvious element of ‘Doing no Harm’ which comes to mind when we initially think about Ahimsa but Ahimsa is so beautifully complex that we could literally study it as a lifelong syllabus on its own! There are infinite layers & therefore bottomless depths to the concept of Ahimsa! The layer that this blog addresses is that of personal Ahimsa or Non-violence to the self. Our tendency towards self-deprecating dialogue, our need to fight with our flaws, our attempts to segregate from our perceived ‘negativities’ in a bid to somehow transcend the animal/human are all absolutely pointless! Take a sigh of relief…..not because you’re off the hook & suddenly have licence to be lazy around your self-development Practices but rather because you can stop seeing your inner life as a battleground!

Let’s start again….from a different perspective, there is massive merit in the realisation that we are wired in a certain way, the impulses of conflict, separation & defensiveness are woven into our nervous systems for the purposes of survival….we will never purge those instincts, they are part of us as long as we are alive & embodied much like the beating heart or the sensing skin, so rather than continuing to be angry about our inherent barbarity, let us use it as an opportunity to optimise our Swadhyaya! (Self-Study) Here’s an example of what we mean by Swadhyaya in our Practice: Yoga invites us into an uncomfortable place physically & psychologically so that we can observe how we are triggered by discomfort, the idea is that, once we are adults, the comfort zone is no longer a place of learning….kids can very successfully learn & grow in the comfort zone, they need to be nourished & protected in a very specific way because they are not yet developed, however after the human being’s brain has completed the quests & processes of infancy & adolescence, we need a more challenging type of environment in which to continue ‘growing’ the fact is that discomfort is often unpleasant yet necessary in equal measure! Our innate resourcefulness cannot express itself fully unless we are, as my Father used to say ‘In a spot of difficulty’ when we encounter an obstacle, a shock, a loss, a conundrum or a catastrophe, we then actualise what is latent and not only grow from the experience but also we unlock our potential…..potential is both useless & meaningless in our lives unless it can manifest!

So this is your homework, both on and off the mat, don’t resist who you are, do your Practice from a place of inquisitive study, as you plunge yourself into uncomfortable landscapes watch your reactions closely & see what you can glean from them because if we lie about our animal nature in the name of Yoga we are practising inauthentically, ignoring the fact that violence exists is as illogical an endeavour as undertaking an electrician’s apprenticeship without electricity! We can only find peace collectively, we can only become skilled in transforming our world into a Non-Violent one if we first make a Practice of understanding our inner war! The Peaceful Warrior is one who can strategise artistically so that what was once perceived as a battlefield becomes the study-house of the master. Stop fighting with yourself, only then can we stop fighting with each other. Om Shanthi.