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Kill yourself with kindness: Practicing Ahimsa in your week
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Spiritual Sadhana of the Week: Ahimsa
It reminds me of flight safety instructions. Boarding the flight and taking your seat means committing to certain measures of protocol. One of them is to secure the oxygen mask on your face before securing the mask on a nearby sitting child. The practice of Ahimsa, or non-violence, is about being kind and loving. We open doors, say ‘thank you’ for our latte at the coffee shop, move over to allow someone else to cut through but sometimes put our own self-love to the back of the line. We may say ‘I love you’ once a day to those we hold dear, but when’s the last time you thanked your feet for carrying you through yet another day?
When it comes to ourselves, love is the one thing we could use more of. We curse our thighs or our backs, push ourselves on six hours of sleep or nosh on Taco Bell and Papa Johns for body fuel. We rarely give thanks to the legs that run us through our daily to-do or stop long enough to make time for the gym or a quiet walk. We treat our cars better than we treat our bodies. Our cars are important for carrying us to and from points of purpose, but our bodies are equally as important, if not vital, in serving as vehicles for our soul. The condition of our Self directly impacts our quality of life – In the present moment and over the long haul.
The quote which said, “If we wish to cure the terrorism of the world, we must cure the terrorism in our own hearts” is unknown but goes perfect here. While we spend the greater part of our day appeasing others, I invite you to invite change in your life by being kind to yourself.
This week, set a mark for something you will do – Just for you. I’ve listed some ideas below, but I encourage you to find your own sweet spot in this week of Ahimsa. Find one thing you want to do for you that is all your own. If we are to truly be kind and loving to others, we must start with ourselves.
1. Instead of using the TV for background noise, put in a favorite CD or soothe the mind with Krisha Das. Downloading Pandora (www.pandora.com) on your computer is a great way to channel in new songs. Try Krishna Das, Laura Powers or Lisa Kelly. Pandora allows you to punch in a song you like and it will do the job coming up with others that are similar you may enjoy.
2. Volunteer. Not only does it help others, it’s soothing to the soul. Heading to sites like volunteermatch.org can pair you up with a charity or organization that suits your style.
3. Reserve a night all for yourself – Watch movies you’ve been wanting to see, take a bubble bath or curl up with a book. It’s like Girls’ night or date night, but 100% for you.
4. Come up with your Fave Four. Name four favorite things you love about yourself. Maybe it’s your feet, your hair, your arms. It doesn’t have to just be physical. Reminding yourself how much you’ve accomplished, even in the smallest ways, shows self-appreciation and gratitude.
5. Make a better-for-you habit. Maybe it’s banning coffee from your diet, drinking a glass of water first thing ever morning, NOT skipping breakfast (see article here). Choosing to make better choices in our diets can provide multi-level benefits.
6. And my personal darling? Buy flowers. Having life and color in the room is uplifting and refreshing. Male? Try bamboo!
Whatever you choose to do for yourself, make putting ‘you’ first at the top of the list.
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