Asteya translates to non-stealing. From the book The Yamas and Niyamas:
We
steal from others, we steal from the earth, we steal from the future, and we
steal from ourselves. We steal from our own opportunity to grow ourselves
into the person who has a right to have the life they want.
Asteya doesn’t just mean not taking objects that don’t
belong to you. It means so much
more.
When we compare ourselves to others we either feel more or
less than them. This leads us to either
feeling jealous, cheated or maybe better than them and we might become arrogant. To level the playing field, we steal from
others by one-upping their stories and successes; their excitement; their
troubles and their suffering. Whenever
we take a situation away from someone and make it about us, we are stealing
from them. Instead, we should try to be
present for them. Listen actively. It is not always necessary for us to explain our
own story in order for our friends to know that we understand them. Our friends know our stories and that is why they
come to us in the first place. A common
example of this is what I call The Better
Vacation. Ever told someone about an
upcoming vacation or trip you had planned and they then told you about all the “better”
places they have been. Did they steal a
little of your excitement? Had you ever
told someone about a terrible thing that you were going through and they
followed it up with their own terrible story from the past. Ugh, stealing another person’s pain is the
worst. We should stay present when
communicating with the people that fill our world and remember that each one of
us has something unique, special and sacred that no one else has and it takes
each one of us to make the world go around.
In a relationship, when you give freely and receive
equally, in other words, when both partners are giving equally, it creates a
place for both partners to replenish themselves. When one partner is “super” partner and gives
more than the other, that partner eventually becomes depleted. Like constantly going to the bank and taking
money out but only making small deposits that won’t sustain the account. Having an energetic imbalance creates resentment
and often leads to a loss of the relationship or divorce. If trusted by someone, do not take advantage
of that trust. When we steal from our relationships, or don’t honor our
relationships, we steal from what that relationship will become or where it
could go in the future.
We should also remember that we are just visitors of this
earth. One day we will no longer occupy
our physical space. Nothing is really
ours. Everything belongs to the
earth. All of our material possessions
are really just borrowed goods. We
cannot take them with us. When borrowing
from our earth, don’t take anything without replacing it with equal or more
value. Like when borrowing something (yard
tools, crockpot, etc.) from your neighbor we should return it in the same or
better condition. The same applies to
the earth. We should make every attempt
to leave it better than we found it. Reduce,
reuse, recycle and make every attempt to conserve and clean. Like we came after the many generations
before us, we will come before the many generations after us. It is our responsibility too. When we steal from the earth, we are also
stealing from the future.
Also from the book The Yamas and Niyamas:
The excess
in our bodies, our calendars, our closets are all signs that we are living as
if there is no tomorrow and no one to live here after we are gone. If we stop long enough to gaze at what is
laid out before us, to let the mystery of beauty and the wonder of the seasons
sit deeply in our soul, our hearts cannot help but burst forth in thanksgiving
and gratitude to life itself.
Sometimes we steal from others or the earth when we are afraid
that we won’t have enough. Be confident
in your abilities to provide.
Remember: There is more than enough
to go around.
Stealing from ourselves is probably the most common
form of disobeying asteya. All versions
of self-harm, our lack of belief in ourselves, low self-esteem, judgments,
criticisms and demands for perfection are ways we steal from ourselves and rob
us of our sparkle. The ways we live in
the past or future and the walls we build up, drain our ability to grow and
expand into our full and true selves. Shift
the focus in. We need to go within to
find out who you we and who we want to become instead of focusing on what
others are and have. When we search for
what our dreams are, we can our build up the knowledge we need that will allow
us to support and sustain our dreams and create an environment that allows us
to obtain them. When we shift the focus
in and honor our true selves, we are unable to steal from others or the
future. Take the time to shift the focus
to live and honor the true self, to find passion and happiness, to mourn and
work through sorrow and to forgive. Shift
within and live your best self.
Asteya and Yoga:
Perhaps we steal when we rob ourselves of our own potential by
neglecting a talent, or by letting a lack of commitment keep us from practicing
yoga.
Sources:
Adele,
Deborah. The Yamas &
Niyamas. Duluth, Minnesota: On-Word Bound Books, 1949. 59-74. Print.
Desikachar, T.K. The Heart of Yoga. Revised Ed.
Rochester, Vermont : Inner Traditions International, 1995. 99. Print.
Bachman, Nicolai. The Path of the Yoga Sutras.
Boulder, Colorado : Sounds True, 2011. 153-156. Print.
Hanson Lansater, Judith.
"Beginning the Journey: Living the Yamas of Patanjali." Judith Hanson
Lasater. Judith Lasater, 1 Jan. 2010. Web. 2 May 2014.
<http://www.judithlasater.com/writings/beginningthejourney.html>.
My Blog: Hapy, Isshe. N.p., n. d. 2 Apr 2014.
<http://isshehapy.blogspot.com/2014/03/walking-path-of-yamas-and-niyamas-ahimsa.html>.
