What is Ahimsa? Running our lives through a filter of compassion
Ahimsa (अहिंसा) is a Sanskrit term that is translated as “non-violence” or “non-harming”. Many of us see ahimsa as a given, especially if we view it through the lens of physical violence. However, as is the case with many concepts in yoga philosophy, the interpretation of ahimsa goes much deeper.
In this post, we outline the meaning of ahimsa in the context of yoga philosophy and then we go on an exploration of the deeper meaning of ahimsa when it comes to all of our everyday decisions, our inner critic, and most importantly our higher purpose.
What is Ahimsa? The basics
Ahimsa is a fundamental principle in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. It was a term that received worldwide recognition due to its use by Gandhi.
At its core, Ahimsa promotes the practice of kindness, compassion, and non-violence towards all living beings, including humans, animals, and the environment. It is also often associated with a vegan or vegetarian diet.
Ahimsa in Yoga Philosophy
The Yamas
In the context of yoga philosophy, Ahimsa is one of the Yamas. The Yamas are the first limb of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. These are the core teachings many yoga students will learn first when they begin their studies.
The Yamas are the ethical guidelines outlined in the yoga sutras, which provide yoga practitioners a framework for ethical living and moral conduct. This provides the foundation of a pathway towards enlightenment on their yoga journey.
There are 5 yamas and Ahimsa is the very first and therefore most foundational Yama.
The First Yama is Ahimsa
In yoga, Ahimsa is the practice of non-violence or non-harming in thought, word, and deed.
The purpose of this principle is to encourage yoga practitioners to avoid causing physical, mental, or emotional harm to other living beings. This helps to foster a sense of empathy, and understanding and to acknowledge the interconnectedness of all beings on earth.
Ahimsa extends far beyond physical violence and also includes harmful thoughts, words, or actions to others and ourselves. When we apply ahimsa to ourselves, it means treating our own body, mind, and emotional states with compassion, kindness, and love.
When it comes to ahimsa, it is worth noting that the intention behind actions that cause harm is also important. If harm is caused in some way to yourself or others but there wasn’t any intention to cause harm, then this principle has not been violated.
Let’s break down the yoga philosophy of Ahimsa further
To gain a deeper understanding of the multifaceted nature of ahimsa in yoga, let’s break the meaning of ahimsa down into 5 elements:
Non-Violence in Thought: Practicing ahimsa means refraining from harmful or violent thoughts to ourselves and others. This one can be the trickiest to embody since no one else can see or hear what is going on inside our minds - but it really does matter. This is about cultivating a peaceful mindset full of compassion and free of anger and aggression.
Non-Violence in Word: We can then extend the practice of Ahimsa to speech. This completely denies that old saying ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me’ - we can delete this from our minds! Ahimsa encourages us to communicate with others and ourselves with kindness, honesty, and compassion.
Non-Violence in Deed: This is the element that most people think of first when it comes to ahimsa. Non-violence in deed refers to refraining from physical actions that harm any living being, whether that is ourselves, other humans, animals, or the environment. This is about acting in a way that promotes peace and harmony for all.
Self-compassion: Ahimsa extends beyond our interactions with others. It applies just as much to how we treat ourselves. For many of us, this can be the most challenging element of ahimsa to truly and honestly embody. So many of us suffer from self-hatred, self-judgment, and self-criticism. It is easy for us to talk to ourselves in ways we would never talk to others. Self-compassion is about practicing kindness and unconditional love towards ourselves and avoiding self-criticism and self-destructive behaviors such as addiction.
Compassion for all beings: Finally, one of the hallmarks of Ahimsa is compassion for all living beings on earth, including animals and the environment. This is one of the reasons why many yogis follow a plant-based diet.
Diving deeper into Ahimsa: Running your life through a filter of compassion
So far our exploration of ahimsa has mainly come down to non-violence or kindness towards others and ourselves. However, when we look a little deeper, we can see that ahimsa is really about running everything in your life through a filter of compassion.
Here are some examples of how we can apply ahimsa in other areas of our lives include:
Walking on the earth gently, and mindfully.
Watching the tone of our voice by speaking more kindly and gently.
Being aware of different ways we may cause suffering and trying to limit those. For example, being aware of where our food and clothing comes from.
Make connections with other humans and treat them with kindness and compassion.
If you eat meat, you can still practice ahimsa by carefully selecting where your meat comes from, making sure it is sustainably and ethically raised & killed.
Choose to buy food with a smaller environmental footprint. Eat in season and locally.
Buy from businesses that treat their staff with kindness, and fairness and offer them a living wage.
This is all about making choices that create the least amount of harm and the greatest amount of good.
It can be easy to lose sight of the greater good
The reality that we currently live in is one built on capitalism. This means that we can choose to embody ahimsa, non-harm, and choose peace every time we decide on where we spend our money.
However, it is so easy to get swept up in the busyness of life and go for things that are cheap and convenient.
When we are around someone who is truly embodying non-violence, it is hard to feel anything but peaceful! These people have a presence that is like a soothing balm. However, it is also easy for us to get caught up in our ego, the need to be right, and the desire to get what we ‘want’.
When we enter the realm of the ego, we’re thinking about what WE can get out of something for personal gain and how things will affect us as an individual.
This can easily lead us to act in ways that cultivate suffering and it is actually a lot easier to slip into this way of being than to truly and mindfully embody ahimsa with every decision we make and every dollar we spend
Standing up for what is right through the lens of non-violence
“Ahimsa is the weapon of the strong. It's for the brave, never the cowardly.”
When we support nonviolent movements for change, we're standing up for what's right, even if it's difficult or unpopular. This is why embodying ahimsa on all levels actually requires a lot of courage and bravery when we look at many controversial global issues that cause an immense amount of suffering.
Ahimsa is about quieting the inner critic
Another crucial element of ahimsa that is easy to overlook in favor of the external world, is how we treat ourselves.
It can be easy to forget how connected WE ARE as individual human beings to EVERYTHING. If we apply this philosophy to life, we can say harm done to ourselves is harm done to all.
When we lose sight of this when we forget who we are and how everything we do matters, it can be easy to engage in self-harming behaviors.
This could be disordered eating, drug addiction, physical self-harm, over-exercising, under-exercising, eating junk food, not sleeping enough, overworking, and so on. These types of negative ways we inflict harm on ourselves can often lead to negative self-talk and even self-hatred.
Ahimsa is about treating every aspect of ourselves with kindness, compassion, and radical acceptance.
The highest goal of ahimsa is being at one with our higher purpose
When we want to quiet down our inner critic and start to really embody all aspects of ahimsa towards ourselves, we need to get familiar with what it is that we FEAR. This could be the fear of dying, of not having enough, or of losing what we have.
These are the fears that come up when we forget the connection we have to a higher power.
When we are plagued by our very human fears, we lose touch with our purpose on planet Earth, why we are here. This is why putting ourselves first with kindness and compassion is so powerful as it allows us to be of service to others and the planet. Spreading love and light around the world for the well-being of all.
From this, we can therefore deduce that the highest goal of ahimsa is to be at one with our higher purpose or with the connection to the divine that resides within and without.
When we remember this, it is easy to be kind to ourselves and embody every element of ahimsa with ease.
Ready to truly embody yoga philosophy?
Join me for my live accessible yoga classes which are intentionally integrated with yoga philosophy. In June & July 2025 I am covering the Yamas and Niyamas (starting with ahimsa!).
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