Yoga and meditation are designed for self-realization and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali provide a step-by-step guide to reach enlightenment.
Ahimsa A Motivator of Veganism? By Chahna Tailor Gupta
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he ancient Vedic science of yoga is gaining more and more popularity each and every year. Even though the current practice of yoga is slowly moving towards mindfulness rather than just stretch-based fitness, many still fail to realize that yoga is so much more. Yoga and meditation are designed for self-realization and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali provide a step-by-step guide to reach enlightenment. To attain this, however, one must be able to quiet the mind and find a stillness between her thoughts. The first step of the Yoga Sutras is “Yama” which translates to selfrestraint or moral discipline and has more to do with our relationship with the exterior world. Yama includes:
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ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (conscious direction or use of energy), and aparigraha (non-attachment). For enlightenment, finding stillness between the thoughts is easier when we are at peace with our thoughts. This is because peace does not produce a reaction. On the other hand, excitement, anger, sadness, and other emotional reactions disrupt stillness. Reflecting on our actions can affect us in times when we want to simply focus and meditate. At first glance, Yama seems easy to interpret. However, in actuality, there are many layers to it. For example, ahimsa, non-harming, can
be interpreted as not hurting people or ourselves. But what about other actions, or even inactions, through which we may contribute to it? An obvious action that conflicts with ahimsa is eating meat or dairy, which is why veganism is sweeping the world. Vegans abstain from consuming animal products, byproducts, and even those items that exploit animals during the production cycle, such as honey from bees and silk from silkworms. It is easy to see how veganism is a conscious practice of ahimsa. When yoga and Vedic sciences were flourishing, living off of the land and being one with nature was a huge part of the lifestyle. In general, yogic diets usually favored (and still do favor) light, easy-to-digest, seasonal, sattvic foods. This did not include meat, but did include dairy when taken from the animal without harming them or their babies and taking only what was needed. Mass production is the main culprit of animal abuse which helped propel the vegan movement. As Dr. David Frawley states, “Yoga
AUGUST 2022 - WWW.DESHVIDESH.COM
