Fitness Mantra: ‘Do not steal on another’s chance to focus in yoga session’

According to Gandhiji ‘mankind’s greed and craving for artificial needs are also stealing’. Swami Sivananda also focused on the fact that ‘desire or want is the cause for stealing’. So, as we discover more about this yama, it may be more helpful to look at why we might consider stealing in the first place, rather than refraining from stealing in itself. 

The root cause of asteya is the feeling that ‘I’m not good enough’. The need to steal essentially arises because of a lack of faith in ourselves to be able to create what we need by ourselves. Lack, insecurity, wanting, feeling incomplete — it all boils down to the feeling like there’s something missing. The word yoga means ‘to yoke’, ‘unite’, ‘connect’, or essentially to become ‘whole’. So by practicing each aspect of yoga on and off the mat, we can move further towards feeling as though we already have enough, and we already are enough within ourselves. If we allow ourselves to be open and accepting to exactly how our practice is at that moment on the mat, we never need to feel as though we’re losing out if some asanas are a little out-of- reach at the moment. 

While in class, the moment you enter the yoga room, you enter a sacred space. It may be the only place some people are able to find peace. Rushing in with bags, dumping them and throwing the mat down may be the fastest way of getting into class. But when we disturb the peace upon entering the room, we really do steal anyone else’s chance of fully focusing on their breath. 

When we buy more than we need, we’re often subconsciously looking to ‘fill a gap’ that we feel is missing in life. When we begin to let go of what we don’t need, we make space for the universe to provide us with what we do need – be it a physical possession, an experience or simply a sense of wellbeing. Continually running around in circles after experiences which bring us only pleasure keeps us locked in a cycle of wanting and desiring, which — if we think about it — never really ends. Even when we feel content, there’s always that small part of us that worries about what might happen if we lose this feeling/person/possession/experience. By attempting to feel only the ‘good’, we ignore the other half of life completely.

There doesn’t have to be ‘good’ and ‘bad’ in every situation, there simply just ‘is’, and if we allow ourselves to step into the parts we fear a little, we give ourselves the opportunity to fully experience life in that very moment. 

Abundance means to have a large amount of something – so much so that there is no need for anything else. Practicing knowing that we have enough, and we are enough, is the key to wanting and desiring less, and therefore feeling a lot more whole and happy within ourselves. 

Whenever those feelings of lack, want or desire arise, practice using the mantra ‘I am enough’ and see how it brings a positive change in your life.