Essay Writing

KINES 77 - Yoga I Personal Practice #1—Off the Mat: the First Limb of Yoga

… be the change you wish to see in the world…. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love. ~ Mother Teresa Ahimsa, the first of the yamas, the very foundation of all yoga practice, means the absence of harm, the practice of compassion, kindness, and gentleness. To practice yoga is to work to bring this ideal into our lives, both on and off our mats, in order to contribute to greater peace and harmony within ourselves, our relationships, and our society. We begin, where we are, by bringing our awareness to our thoughts, our speech, and our actions. All of our actions have repercussions—from the food we choose to eat, the businesses and industries we support with our dollars, the things we say, the jobs we take—repercussions that ripple out in myriad ways not immediately perceptible. To practice ahimsa is to take the lens of mindfulness to our lives, to begin to see these ripples of effect, and to seek ways of creating more peace, kindness, and well-being. We begin with our thoughts, because these are the source of our actions, and often the very root of both conscious and unconscious harming behaviors. This assignment is an opportunity to treat your life like an experiment, and “try on” the practice of ahimsa in a way that suits you. First, read two articles posted in Canvas. Reading 3, “Feeding the Right Wolf” by Pema Chödrön (chapter one of her book Taking the Leap) will give you a sense for how to approach the practice of ahimsa. Reading 1, “What is Yoga” by Donna Farhi is worth rereading—please focus particularly on her description of ahimsa. Once you’ve read, take some time to contemplate, feel, consider, and yes, practice (and, if you want to, research**) this concept of ahimsa, and write honestly about your insights, in the form of a personal essay. Your paper should be approximately 2-4 pages. ** Don’t bother with internet research; this is not a research paper, but a personal essay. To help you generate ideas on how to approach this assignment, you might wish to read the supplemental readings in Canvas. Chapter 3 of Bringing Yoga to Life, by Donna Farhi, discusses the yamas and niyamas (the first two of the Eight Limbs). Pages 29-37 are of particular relevance to this assignment, and I strongly encourage you to read these pages. For another perspective, Judith Lasater’s Living Your Yoga includes a brief personal essay on ahimsa (p.135- 140). If you use these or any other outside sources (not including the two required readings in Canvas), please include a bibliography listing the sources you used. The most important aspect of this assignment is to practice ahimsa: incorporate the idea of ahimsa into your daily life over the course of three or more weeks, and reflect on your experiences. Notice for yourself where and when in your life you find an attitude of ahimsa easy to maintain, and when more challenging. What relevance does ahimsa have for you in the way you make your livelihood, in your social relations, your personal health, and your inner thoughts and attitudes? Is ahimsa relevant to your yoga practice?

As you incorporate ahimsa into your life, think about how you feel it makes sense to apply it. Do you practice ahimsa with yourself? With other people? Toward animals, or nature? Is ahimsa relevant to your life? If so, how can we translate the ideal of nonharming into daily practice? How does an appreciation for the interconnectedness of all life come to bear on our understanding of ahimsa? What relevance does ahimsa have at the personal level, the relational level, the societal, and the global levels? Think about historical figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Teresa, and other forces for peace in the world. Consider the ways our food is produced, its ecological and ethical impacts on the environment and on animals. How does our consumption contribute (or not) to ahimsa? Fashion, politics, partying, friendships, recycling—how do these and other elements of your life relate to the idea of ahimsa? For those interested in their food choices, there are many great books that discuss the harmful impacts of industrial food production. The Face on Your Plate by Jeffrey Moussaieff Mason is one that provides a perspective that is firmly (some might say radically) grounded in ahimsa. If you are interested in both political and personal alternatives to violence and suffering, The Search for a Nonviolent Future by Michael Nagler is a great overview of the broader implications and applications of ahimsa. Martin Luther King Jr.’s first autobiography, The Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story, provides his telling of the Montgomery bus boycott that began the civil rights movement, and includes a detailed description of how he came to believe that nonviolent protest was the only way to effect a lasting peaceful change in race relations. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk whom Martin Luther King Jr. nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, is a major force in nonviolent social action grounded in mindfulness. He has written many books about creating peace, practicing meditation, mindfulness, etc. His book Love in Action is a collection of his essays on peace and nonharming, and includes a brief chapter on ahimsa and war. This assignment is worth 30 points, and you will be graded on the creativity and insight of your ideas and presentation, and the organization and structure of the essay. Students who incorporate information from any of the books mentioned here (or another you’ve demonstrated relevant to your practice) will get extra credit. Please remember to:

 Write clearly and succinctly, with proper grammar and punctuation.  Take care in organizing and crafting your essay, including an introductory and concluding

paragraph, topic sentences in each paragraph, and some sort of overriding thesis or theme to your essay.

 Credit sources whenever necessary.