different things mean different things to different people. waking up early means 6am to me, means 4:30am to rameshji, one of my yoga teachers, means 11am to my cousin nus. but i do know that the sun rises and sets at a certain time.
according to the practitioners of yoga from its ancient lineage, beyond asanas, the term yogi is a title that is conservatively reserved for those who can walk on this royal path of humility, of warriorhood.
none of my yoga teachers in india referred to themselves as yogi's, but as teachers. as masterful as they were in their contortionist movements, they were all too familiar with the discipline involved in being a yogi.
with every fast i do, i aspire on this path that sits like a full moon on a may day, clear and bigger than the city, yet a trillion miles away. i'm walking.
the warrior code of yoga is also known as ashtanga - 8 limbs. yama is the first limb mentioned in the order, as presented by all my teachers so far.
1. yama - laws like commandments you live by to restrain you from engaging in lower frequencies
- -Ahimsa - Non-violence: this includes not just the act of refraining from violent behavior from your fellow human, but all species, thus, vegetarianism is a requisite. of course self-defense is debatable.
- -Satya - the practice that gandhi has come to be known for - Truthfulness - "happiness is when what you say, do, and think are one and the same" - gandhiji
- -Brahmacharya - celibacy - control of the senses and celibacy - how many of you can hang?
- -Asteya - respecting other peoples belongings by not stealing. in the frequency of corportacracies robbing the world, it's people and resources blind, it's arguable about what subverting this may mean.
- -Aparigraha - Non-covetousness and non-acceptance of gifts, meaning to not be a hoarder. ultimately, nothing belongs to you anyway, right?
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