The Power of Ahimsa: Transform Your Relationships and Diet

In a meditation, I was introduced to the idea of “Ahimsa”, which has been top of mind for me ever since. Simply put, Ahimsa is the ethical principle of not causing harm to other living things.

Rooted in several Indian religious, we can find similar concepts in Western religions, but usually limited to interactions between human beings. Ahimsa is a wider concept that also includes animals and ourselves. This is why I think it’s a great spiritual principle for everyone, religious or not: it won’t contradict your religious beliefs, and it will be a nice guide if you don’t practice any specific faith. It can help you experience a more balanced life by improving your relationship with others, and very importantly, with yourself.

Here are some ideas to apply Ahimsa to our every day.

With others

Just be kind and compassionate. Listen to understand, not to respond. Most times, people just want to pour their heart or mind out. Avoid being judgmental and giving unsolicited advice, even if your intention is good. If you are asked for an opinion, then of course it’s fine to do so – without judgement. Starting with “in my experience”, “what I’ve seen others doing”, or even “if I were you” are compassionate ways to provide requested advice. “I think you should” is not, as it implies judgement.

On the flip side, also set boundaries and learn to say “no” – because you need to apply Ahimsa to yourself too! On the surface, it may seem that you are disappointing others. It is not easy to say no without feeling guilty, since you are denying help to someone.

A practical way to do this is to use assertive communication: explain why to cannot agree on something. It boils down to your needs versus the other person’s needs. Most people will understand your reasons and won’t take offense. Perhaps offer an alternative that works better for you. For example, at work: I cannot work late because I have a personal commitment, and unfortunately I won’t be able to have this completed today. But rest assure that I will put it on top of my list for tomorrow morning.

Some people think that “no” is a complete sentence, and in some cases, it might be. But in general, I think it’s best to use assertive communication.

With ourselves

This can be the hardest!

How do we talk to ourselves when things don’t go as planned? Are we compassionate, or do we punish ourselves, thinking that we are not enough, missed the mark, are lazy, and similar things?

I recently did a yoga balance class with several standing poses. The goal of the class was to cultivate Ahimsa to ourselves, and notice what crossed our mind if we lost balance. Did we think “I suck at balance” or “I didn’t focus enough”? Or maybe we simply caught yourselves without judgment and started again? I found it really interesting.

Affirmations are a tool to cultivate ahimsa with ourselves. For example:

• I am doing my best.
• I improve everyday and in every way.
• I am allowed to fail, as everyone is.

How affirmations work is also linked to a yogi concept, Sankalpa. This is topic for another day, but in short, it sets a goal to work towards, and in the end, as we keep repeating the affirmation, we get closer to the goal.

Ahimsa with ourselves is as “simple” as treating ourselves like we’d treat our best friend.

With exercise

Even if this would fall under the “ourselves” category, I think it deserves being called out separately. We are too used to the “no pain, no gain” mindset, to fitness challenges or to competitive leaderboards. I understand that this can spark motivation for some, but it can backfire easily as well. It’s a double edge sword.

Ahimsa is actually the first principle of yoga: don’t do anything that hurts or increases current pain. Quite opposite to “no pain, no gain”, right? There is a fine line between pushing a little aiming for organic progress, and too much, too soon.

An approach that works for me is to leave my ego at home. Ego gets in the way of exercise. It’s natural to compare yourself to others, or even to your younger self. Nevertheless, you are running your race in your lane at your pace (metaphoric or literally speaking), and you are right here right now. Others are running other races in their own lanes, and the past is just a memory. So know and honor your body as it is today.

It is OK to take a rest day. It is OK to choose the easier version of an exercise. It is OK to modify a yoga pose and to use props. Let’s please overcome the yoga prop stigma. Personally, I’ve been guilty of avoiding yoga blocks in the past, and you know what? I learnt that I get more benefit with yoga blocks, since it allows me to get into the yoga positions with the right alignment. Without the prop, I may be overstretching, or engaging other body parts that shouldn’t.

Another big one for me is to take walk breaks when running. I used to think that a real runner doesn’t take walk breaks. I was wrong! Walk breaks actually allow you to run with better form, less strain and longer. And personally, my cardiovascular fitness is improving more with a walk:run approach. I guess I was actually overdoing it with only running, and I was never able to give my body a chance to adapt.

In summary, make exercise work for you, not against you.

With food

An Ahimsa diet is a diet of nonharm, following a vegetarian, plant based or vegan diet to reduce animal suffering. Many yogis are vegetarian.

From a different lens, an Ahimsa diet is also a nonharm diet for you. It has been demonstrated that a plant-forward diet decreases chronic inflammation; reduces the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure; reduces the risk of heart disease; and reduces the risk of cancer, among other benefits.

A plant forward diet is good for you, for the animals and for the planet.

Putting it all together

My 5 keys to Ahimsa:

• Be compassionate to others
• Learn to say no when necessary with assertive communication
• Treat yourself as your best friend
• Make exercise work for you, not against you
• Eat a plant forward diet.

In the end, we get what we share. If we share love, respect, unity, truth, authenticity and ultimately Ahimsa, the universe will mirror that to us in exchange. If we share violence, criticism, judgment, division and hate, that’s what we will get instead – perhaps disguised as loneliness and isolation.

Namaste.