Do you practice Ahimsa?

You’ve heard the word ahimsa, I am sure. It is a Sanskrit word that means to do no harm. Most of us practice ahimsa in the big picture. We don’t beat up people or kill them. Of course, it also applies to animals and is one of the foundations for the practice of vegetarianism.

There is another form, however, that I want to mention here. It is one that I think most people aren’t even aware of as violence. I’m talking about violence against the self. How often do you mentally criticize yourself for not doing enough or not being enough? How often are your mental tapes playing the beat-yourself-up tune? This is a form of violence against the self. I’m not talking about honest self-evaluation where we see areas for improvement and set about the path of personal growth and discovery.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to practice true non-violence in the world if we can’t practice it within our own minds. I, for one, am tired of those voices that I inherited from Lord-knows-how-many-generations. They have been evicted and are not invited back.

How about you? Do your internal voices practice ahimsa? Are you non-violent to yourself? If you beat yourself up, if you constantly tell yourself you are not good enough, perhaps it’s time to declare your mind and heart violence-free zones. Practicing ahimsa begins at home within yourself.

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Living in grace and ease,

Krysta