YS II.35 अहिंसाप्रतिष्ठायां तत्सन्निधौ वैरत्यागः ॥ २.३५ ॥
ahiṃsā-pratiṣṭhāyāṃ tat-sannidhau vaira-tyāgaḥ
When you stop harming others, others will cease to harm you.
The early morning sun fills my home. My dining area’s bamboo floor is flooded with sunlight, making it impossible not to see what has accumulated there. Even over the course of a week or two, dust, hair, and bits of food find their way onto the floor. In the sunlight, there is only one reasonable conclusion: it needs to be cleaned. It is remarkable how quickly the floor accumulates filth. Yet without the sun, when the room is shrouded in shade, it is easy to believe that the floor is clean, perhaps even pristine.
So it is with our minds. Without the light of consciousness, we may not recognize the defilements we are accumulating or even realize how much we stand in the way of our own joy.
Yama, behavioral restraint in our relationship with others, is the first limb of Master Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga, also known as Raja Yoga. Whether you know it or not, Raja Yoga is our ongoing curriculum at Satsang Yoga Charleston. There are five Yamas, and Ahimsa is the very first Yama of the very first limb. Ahimsa means non-harming. The first step toward joy is the practice of nonviolence. It is a beautiful, sunlit beginning.
I emphasize the word practice because Ahimsa, along with the entire Eight-Limbed Path, is presented in the second book of Patanjali’s four books of the Yoga Sutras, called Sadhana, which translates as practice or spiritual discipline. This is not about black and white, nor is it about perfection. It is about practice.
One cannot simply decide to never be violent again or that one's actions will never cause harm. What one can do is commit to minimizing the violence we cause, which is another way of saying increasing the compassion and kindness we extend to others.
Practice implies willingness. If you want this yoga, this miraculous art of joyful living and deep satisfaction, Patanjali is asking us to be willing to examine the harm we create and make a sincere effort to minimize it. We are talking about real peace.
Ahimsa is the very foundation upon which the entire path rests. Without it, the practice loses its ethical compass and its deeper purpose. How we live, how we treat others, and how we participate in the world are not separate from our yoga practice. They are, in many ways, the measure of its authenticity.
This is why being vegan (plant-based) is given such emphasis in the practice of Ahimsa. At this point in time, veganism is the most effective way to minimize the violence we inflict on other living beings. Veganism is the literal practice of peace and one of the most powerful expressions of yoga in action.
Having said that, does the practice of yoga say you should be vegan? Will you be judged at Satsang for eating or wearing animal products? No, that’s ridiculous. In large part, there are no shoulds in yoga. Like in 12-step recovery, take what you want and leave the rest behind. Yoga is for everyone, and everyone is exactly where they are meant to be.
That is precisely why this topic can and will be discussed this month. Because we are thoughtful adults. Because we are all doing the best we can. And if this ruffles your feathers (pun intended), perhaps that's an indication that there is something here worth examining. That isn't something to shy away from. It is an opportunity, and an exciting one at that!
I'm a joyful, imperfect vegan, and have been since 2003. In my life, joy is synonymous with veganism, with Ahimsa. The longevity of Satsang Yoga Charleston and the abundance in my own life are the result to this commitment. The potency I feel from my veganism is immeasurable.
There are literally thousands of excellent reasons to be vegan, and many of them will be enthusiastically shared. Why? Because we are a school of yoga. To avoid this conversation would be like owning a private jet and never flying it anywhere. Not only would we be falling short of what it means to be a school of yoga, we would be neglecting an important responsibility.
Because yoga is joy. And Ahimsa is the direct path.
In Yoga we dwell,
Jeffrey
November 2026