How to apply Ahimsa (non-violence) in February, the month of Love

Ahimsa as abundance of love and kindness towards ourselves and the others.

February arrives and it brings along the chilly trail of the winter as well as a new promise for the upcoming spring. Subtle shifts in energy, slightly longer days, the first rays of sun, all indicate that the dormant world is slowly awakening, that something is moving. 

And yet, darkness and cold surround us and the winter torpor is still very present. If the past month was dedicated to looking into our real resolutions (sorry I didn’t write about it yet) now it is the time to shift our attention somewhere higher and foundational at the same time: ourselves. And we do so with pink glasses on and open hearts. 

I don’t believe February was randomly chosen as the month for Valentine’s day, the month of love placed right at the beginning of the awakening year. In fact, I believe that even flowers, before they start to bloom they need to feel loved by mother nature. So who are we to feel differently? To decide that we are okay with a coffee and a good idea to go far, face our fears and make our dreams come true? We need more than that, and for sure we need to feel loved.

Now, as much as we are familiar with the sensation of loving others unconditionally, how about ourselves? How many of us look in the mirror and count their flaws over their qualities? Or can easily name 5 things they would improve about themselves and very hard to name 3 things they appreciate? It might sound normal, but it is actually not fair on us. 

How do we expect to go slay dragons if in the back of our mind we are still worrying about that belly fat we’ve got during the holidays?

A wise dance teacher of mine used to tell me “an empty bag cannot stand”. She meant it as a metaphor to nourish the body with food to perform well, but I will borrow it as a reminder to nourish our soul too with words, thoughts and actions towards ourselves filled with kindness and love. It might sound selfish, but if you think about it it’s needed. We cannot just give and give to others. We need to deliberately pause and care for ourselves, recharge our love batteries first and then support the others (yes, I am talking to you all lovely care givers and life savers: you need to take care of yourselves first to care for others longer and better!).

That is why I chose Ahimsa as the theme of the month. Ahimsa in Sanscrit is translated as non-violence, but I prefer to look at it from the other side: abundance of love and kindness shaped as thoughts, words, and actions we address to ourselves and the others. 

So for this month, or even for just one time, let’s become aware of a sneaky self-talk, a sharp word we are about to shoot to a loved one, or even a punch we are about to land on someone’s face (no judgement, it might happen) and reflect if this is the kindest way to express ourselves. Spoiler: most probably not!

That is when Ahimsa enters the game. That is when we want to pause, become aware of our thoughts and feelings and add to them an abundant dose of love. Wait until it warms our body, our muscles become relaxed, our heart shines bright and gets filled with empathy, and then react. You will see how much the outcome will differ than usual. 

How do we translate it into Asana practice? All the heart-opening poses can contribute to open up our hearts and my three favourite here are Bhujangasana (cobra), Ustrasana (camel pose), and Supta Baddha Konasana (reclined butterfly, the one lying on a bolster we all love) as they embody the sense of research and engagement, the challenge and the surrendering, and the trust involved in a love relationship with ourselves or anyone else. 

Great! But where do I start from? 

I believe that the first step to build a loving relationship with ourselves is to embrace us with gratitude and love exactly the way we are right here and now. Then, become aware of the self-talk, the actions, and the words we address to ourselves and formulate them as if they were for the love of your life. Because let me tell you, you are the love of your life and you deserve to be treated as such. Always.

If you need further convincing about it, check out Viola Davis' advice here!

For those of you lucky enough to live in Leuven (Belgium) or surroundings, come catch a class and let’s practice Ahimsa together on the mat for the whole month of February. For the others, let’s stay in touch through the socials and here :)

Sending love and kindness,

Francesca