The word "Yoga" is often literally translated as "To Yoke" and interpreted to mean "yoking [joining/connecting] the body, mind, soul, and universal consciousness". This is a beautiful sentiment, and it's at the heart of my personal practice. Over the past 20+ years of practicing and teaching yoga, I have seen how yoga in its typical western format nurtures our own bodies (and sometimes - not always - our minds), but neglects that soul connection to universal consciousness, to the divinity that exists within us all. I have come to learn that this idea of "individualism above all" is actually so damaging to us as humans.

Depression and anxiety are at all time highs amongst the primary caregivers (often mothers) of babies & young children, and the younger populations (Millennials and Gen Z), as a result of greater isolation and the prioritization of screens and social media over in person interactions. Xenophobia (the fear of the "other") is leveraged by politicians to win elections and boost nationalistic pride in one's country/identity, at the expense of feeling a deep love and connection to every human being in our city, in our country, on our planet.

So what does yoga actually have to say about this connection, how to cultivate it, and what our responsibility is as the most intelligent beings on our planet? To answer this question, I will draw from the Yoga Sutras, the first written account of what has become modern-day yoga. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras consist of instruction in Ashtanga, or the 8-Limbed practice of Yoga. The first two limbs in Ashtanga are the Yamas & Niyamas - essentially a collection of philosophical and ethical guidelines on how to practice yogic principles in your daily life. You may not realize it, but practice of these ethical precepts is often incorporated into a physical yoga practice when you join a class at a studio. This is because virtually all these ethical guidelines can be practiced within our own bodies and minds as we move through postures on our mats. However, the real work and life changes happen when we bring these practices off our mats and out into our lives.

I'd like to call attention to four of these precepts in particular, although I believe all of them are relevant to how we show up in our communities. The first two, Ahimsa and Satya, are Yamas, while the second two, Tapas and Svadhyaya, are Niyamas. The Yoga Sutras aren't specific in exactly how to practice the Yamas & Niyamas, so I will give you my interpretations in this context, and how they resonate with me.

Ahimsa - Non-Harming

This principle is the guiding one of my life. Like doctors who take the Hippocratic Oath, my first and foremost objective, in everything I do, is to do no harm. Of course, it's literally impossible to never do any harm to anyone or anything, but I believe as yogis we should seek to minimize the harm we do whenever possible. In the context of Social Justice, this means ensuring we are never taking a stance or supporting an action that is unnecessarily harmful to others, but we also need to look at how our non-action or silence affects people who are marginalized or oppressed. In the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu : "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."

Satya - Truthfulness

This more active way of thinking about Ahimsa leads into the principle of Satya which means truthfulness. As yogis, it should be at the core of our practice to ensure we are always striving to align our thoughts, beliefs, and actions with truth. We have seen over the past 8 years the alarming rise of "fake news" which could also be called propaganda, disseminated by news outlets, people in power, and social media posts. It is our responsibility as yogis to ensure we seek out accurate and reputable sources of information, and strive to find the truth regarding all matters of social justice and human rights issues, rather than just blindly believing and acting on things we are told by people in power.

Svadhyaya - Self-Study

Self-Study can be interpreted two ways, and I choose to follow them both: study of the self (ie, reflection on one's own ingrained patterns of thought and behaviour), and self-directed study of yogic and other enlightened sources of information. Before we can take action in Satya (truthfulness), we need to take time to learn about our own internalized biases, as well as the deep-rooted biases in our culture that are the cause of so much harm to others. As many prominent yoga teachers suggest, the ultimate goal of yoga - self-enlightenment - is inherently bound up with anti-oppressive work. This goes back to the idea of the universal consciousness, or divine light, that is at the core of every single being. How can we become enlightened if we disregard the humanity of others? As Nelson Mandela said, “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” This is a powerful statement that echoes the words of Jewish poet Emma Lazarus: "Until we are all free, we are none of us free." Lazarus lived in the 1800s and while she was a proponent of a Jewish homeland for the purpose of safety for Jewish people, I can only hope that she would have applied her definition of freedom to the Palestinian people as well.

Tapas - Right Effort / Right Action

The previous three ethical precepts come together in the concept of Tapas, which can be translated as mindful action, right effort, or self-discipline. The idea here is that we can cultivate self-discipline on the mat, by holding a challenging posture or noticing difficult thoughts as they arise without running away from the discomfort they present. Once we've built up that self-discipline and the ability to make the effort we know will bring about a positive result, we can apply it to other areas of our lives - perhaps towards letting go of a bad habit, or towards taking action on a human rights issue. Again, how this action manifests might be different for everyone, and can change day to day depending on our capacity, but the important thing is that as yogis, we do not remain indifferent to the various situations and ideologies harming ourselves and others, but develop the capacity to become instrumental in making change.

We could bring in other Yamas & Niyamas to this discussion, such as Brahmacharya (right use of energy), Asteya (non-stealing), and Aparigraha (non-attachment), especially when it comes to the actions of governments and people in power. However, in terms of our own personal conduct, I think the guiding principles of actively minimizing harm, striving to act from truthfulness, using self-study to determine the truth in all matters, and building the self-discipline to commit to taking right action, are excellent places to start. These are also beautiful guidelines upon which to build a yogic community that believes not only in honouring our own individual bodies, minds, and spirits, but a community that is willing to stand up for all beings with whom we are connected through the divine.