“Through the practice of yoga, you come to feel confident and develop a feeling of wholeness and completeness; you are not likely to feel deprived or ‘less than.’ People steal because they feel deprived. They try to make up for their deficits by depriving others.” ~ Sharon Gannon, Yoga and Vegetarianism
Today we look at the third practice of the “yamas” which is:
Asteya / अस्तेय
Sutra 2.37: Asteya pratisthayam sarva ratna upasthanam
This yoga sutra translates as,
“To one established in non-stealing, all wealth comes.” ~ The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, Sutra II.37
“This aphorism can be explained in two ways. In the first place,
when a man becomes free form all feelings of covetousness
he no longer experiences the lack of anything; he is therefore the richest man on earth.
Secondly, it is true that a lack of desire for material benefits actually seems,
in many cases, to attract those benefits.” (Christopher Isherwood)
Asteya means “non-stealing” and focuses on not taking anything without permission that is not ours, including not having the intention of stealing through action, thoughts and speech.
“The desire to pos
ses and enjoy what another has, drives a person to do evil deeds. (It) includes not only taking what belongs to another without permission, but also using something for a different purpose to that intended, or beyond the time permitted by its owner.”
~ BKS Iyengar, Light on Yoga
It is worth considering the many ways that we may (unconsciously) take things away from others. While most of us may only think of material goods, asteya can be found in many other areas in our lives. Here are a few examples:
- We can be taking time away from others by being late or not showing up, taking the other person’s time for granted and our time to be more valuable.
- Take away ideas of others and maybe even take credit for it, stealing away their creativity, success and vision.
- Speak for or interrupt another person, assuming that we know better and stealing the opportunity from them to express themselves.
- Make promises we can’t keep and keep the other person hoping and waiting.
When we start to focus on what we don’t have, envy others and compare ourselves, we feel miserable and come from a lack. Instead let’s remind ourselves to bring our awareness back to the abundance of what we already have. So next time you may think about any inabilities in your yoga class, take a deep breath, and bring your attention back to all the good things about your practice, e.g. your commitment, showing up, being healthy, doing your best, staying with your breath even if the pose may be challenging, listening to your body, etc.
As you feel the gratitude and contentment, your perspective shifts and new opportunities can come to you.
I would love to hear from you. What does asteya mean to you and how to do apply it in your daily life? You may leave a comment on my website, Facebook page, or email.
