Practicing Ahimsa in a divided World
When I first started yoga teacher training five years ago, we were introduced to the 8 Limbs of Yoga. These teachings are the foundation of yoga, reminding us that the practice isn’t just about the physical postures—it’s about how we live our lives. We began with the Yamas and Niyamas. The Yamas guide how we interact with the world around us, while the Niyamas are more personal—how we cultivate growth and discipline within ourselves.
One Niyama that I keep coming back to is Ahimsa—the practice of nonviolence, or simply, doing no harm. I touched on this in my fall newsletter earlier this month, but as I sit with everything happening in our country right now and how divided things feel, I hear this call even louder.
As a woman of color living in the Midwest, I find myself surrounded by so many different perspectives. In my family and circle of friends, I’ve got people who lean very conservative and others who lean very progressive. Everyone has a story that shaped the way they see the world, and honestly—I respect that. What I notice, though, especially on social media, is that it’s rare to see people able to disagree and still hold love for one another.
It makes me wonder:
How do we keep having meaningful conversations when our leaders can’t seem to?
How do we build bridges for the generations coming after us?
Maybe the first step is something small—coming back to the practice of Ahimsa.
Words Can Harm Too
Ahimsa reminds us that harm isn’t just physical. It can be in our tone, our choice of words, or the way we shut down instead of listening. Most of us were taught as kids not to hit, not to name-call, not to hurt others—but what about how we communicate?
During my training, one of the suggested books was Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg. His work really opened my eyes to how much of communication is less about being “right” and more about being understood. He writes, “What you say next will change your world.” That line always sticks with me.
Rosenberg outlines a way of speaking and listening that helps us move away from reaction and into connection. It’s built around four simple components:
Observations – Seeing what’s happening without rushing to judgment or labels.
Feelings – Naming how we actually feel, instead of assuming or projecting.
Needs – Recognizing the deeper needs under those feelings.
Requests – Asking for what would help in a way that creates understanding.
It sounds simple, but when emotions run high, it’s not always easy. Still, it’s a practice that can shift the energy of a conversation from conflict to compassion.
Coming Back to Practice
Yoga has always been more than poses on a mat. It’s about the way we show up in everyday life. Practicing Ahimsa doesn’t mean avoiding hard conversations or pretending we don’t care. It means speaking honestly but with kindness, pausing before reacting, and remembering that every person we meet has their own story and struggles.
I don’t think one person alone can solve division in this country—or in the world—but I do believe small practices ripple outward. If we can bring Ahimsa into our families, our friendships, our communities, then maybe we start to shift the culture little by little.
At the end of the day, even when we disagree, we still have the choice to lead with love. And to me, that feels like the heart of yoga.
