Frequently when we want to change the direction of where we are going, whether walking, driving or riding our Citi Bike down the street, changing direction on some level requires slowing down; maybe even stopping and then turning. A friend of mine the other night suggested that in the spiritual practice, changing direction (changing the direction of how we see ourselves, how we see the world, how we see others, etc.) is more like a big ship, a Cruise Liner changing it’s course at sea. SLOOOOW!
Given that one essential way we get a true measure of our progress is with others, Master Patanjali in the ancient text the Yoga Sutras gives us some tools to help change the habitual course of our mind as it turns back towards others. These tools help us turn back towards others in a way that brings us closer to them. The Yamas (Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, Aparigraha)* are almost like sign posts on a road intended to slow down the speed at which we are engaging with others, so that we have a real sense of the direction we are taking when we interact with others. The Yamas may often lend a moment of pause where we ask ourselves, “Do I really want to say this to this person?” or “Do I really want to do this to this person?”Slowing down creates the space to gather certainty – certainty of direction.
*Yoga Sutras Chapter 2, Verse 30
Ahimsa, Satya Asteya Brahmacharya Aparigraha Yamah
Yamah consists of Ahimsa (not adding to the suffering of others), Satya (not lying to others), Asteya (not stealing from others), Brahmacharya (not manipulating others sexually), and Aparigraha (not taking more than you need). These considerations in our practice towards others, are the first limb of the eight limb path of Ashtanga Yoga. These considerations in our practice are the first step in reaching that awareness of ourselves as calm, un-agitated, untainted, content and free of anxiety.