The goal is sublime, to reach enlightenment, whatever that is. Patanjali’s Sutras offer a path that is pragmatic and methodical. Not the most poetic of scriptures, it is the how-to manual of the genre: start from the outer and obvious and penetrate inward to the subtle and strange by progressing through eight stages (usually called the eight limbs of yoga).

Each stage, when it is mastered, will bring gifts.

This first stage or limb of yoga is called yama (restraint). It guides us to examine behavior in relation to others. When we have mastered the yamas, we will no longer meet hostility or resistance from the world. Notice in your own practice if that seems to be true.

The yoga sutras list five restraints to consider. The first is ahimsa which means non-harming.

We all agree, right? We shouldn’t be harmful. Yogis don’t shoot their neighbors or beat their dogs. Many yogis don’t eat meat. But they frequently kill lettuce and kale even before it’s had the opportunity to reproduce. Most yogis would take an antibiotic to kill an infection.

The point is, it’s not always easy to judge harm. Instead of trying to figure out the rules, spend this week considering the harms and benefits your actions have in the world.

Homework

Scrupulously avoid harm in asana by minimizing sensation. Avoid strong feelings of stretch or effort. Just for this week. Is it easy? Hard? Is there anything you gain by working so gently? Is anything lost?

sarvangasana, triang mukha paschimottanasana, janu sirsasana