8 Limbs Yoga & Oils: Astheya

Do you remember back in the day when researching meant taking out note cards, finding information in the encyclopedia, and then citing the source properly? Looking back now it seems a bit laborious, and yet, we all knew where the information was coming from. We couldn't just pop on the ole Google, find something interesting, and then share it without giving credit to it's author or owner. ​

No, we had to look through these lovelies!
image courtesy of www.smithsonianmag.com
Astheya is usually translated as "non-stealing". We probably think of non-stealing quite literally, as in taking something from someone else. And most of us don't think of ourselves as thieves, so this one is rather difficult to interpret. Let's reframe Astheya a bit. The yoga Sutras have this to say, "Abiding in generosity and honesty (Astheya), material and spiritual prosperity is bestowed". Instead of non-stealing, let's think of it as intentional generosity, without a need to receive in return. ​

Generosity opens us to receive

​This interpretation makes it a lot easier to apply Astheya both on and off the yoga mat, doesn't it? 

On the mat, we can practice generosity and honesty by: 
  • giving ourselves time to practice! (Yoga teachers, you too!)
  • arriving to class with enough time to settle in
  • taking a modification or a break when our bodies need it
  • noticing when we compare ourselves to others and bringing our focus back to our mat
  • letting the pose fit our body, not pushing our body into a pose
  • feel, don't conceal, what's happening in your mind, heart and body during a class

Off the mat we can bring Astheya to life by: 
  • giving credit where credit is due. Did you hear/read/see a great idea? When you share it make sure you tag, state, or otherwise address where you got it from. 
  • give generously of yourself: put your phone away at dinner and give your full attention to the people you're with, arrive on time for appointments, read that extra book to your child
  • watch your interactions. Instead of jumping in during a conversation or interrupting, take the time to truly listen completely to what another is saying. 
  • make self-care and self-nurture a priority, even if it's 5 minutes
  • speak honestly, question thoughts that might not be totally honest, and act with honesty 
  • feel, don't conceal, what's happening in your mind, heart and body throughout the day
  • take stock of your intentions and motivations for your words and deeds, your thoughts about your possessions.

Yoga & Oils Astheya Challenge

Today's yoga and oils challenge encourages you to be generous and honest with yourself, to come from a place of integrity, respect and abundance with:

Oil: Coriander
​Mudra: Hasta mudra
​Pose: Warrior III
Sequence: Warrior II, Crescent, Warrior III
Intention: I live in abundance  ​

Coriander: the oil of Integrity. It fits so well with Astheya, especially when we think about being generous and honest with ourselves. Often we can become trapped in cycles of giving too much to others, neglecting our own needs, or trying to be something we're not to make someone else happy or comfortable. 

Coriander helps us to move away from doing things for the acceptance of others and instead honor and live from our True Self. By doing so, we are living with integrity. We are connected to  to our bodies, thoughts and hearts, trust our inner guidance, and revel in our uniqueness. (Emotions and Essential Oils: A Reference Guide for Emotional Healing)

You can try Coriander by placing a few drops in a diffuser, inhaling directly from the bottle, or place a drop in your palm, rub, cup and inhale. You can also apply Coriander over your solar plexus (the center of the energy channel in your body associated with ego) or on bottoms of the feet. ​

Hasta (hand) Mudra. Open your palms together in a gesture of both giving and receiving. Reach your palms out to willingly give and receive. ​
Warrior III: Poses that require balance encourage us to seek balance in all areas of our lives, and they direct our focus very keenly to the moment at hand. To find this pose: 
  • step one foot forward, using the back toes to push your weight forward as you lift the back leg
  • continue to shift your weight as you find balance on your standing foot, bringing your torso parallel to the floor
  • Need to modify? Try placing your hands on a chair to maintain your balance as you gain confidence, adjust the height of the back leg and/or the torso as you work on this pose
​
Astheya Sequence: this is a simple flow you can do alone or add to a longer practice. 
  • standing in mountain, sweep arms up as you inhale, then exhale and hold forward, inhale to a half lift, exhale place palms on the mat and step back to a plank
  • inhale and push the floor way, exhale to downward dog
  • inhale one foot forward, exhale to warrior II, inhale sweep the arm and back foot forward to crescent, exhale shift your weight onto the front foot as you lift the back leg to balance in warrior III
  • cup hands as you reach your arms forward

Did you try coriander in your diffuser or on your palms today? How about warrior III or the sequence? Of the ideas to practice Astheya on or off the mat, which spoke to you the most? 

Comment or share a picture below and let us know! You can also share a photo on Instagram. Make sure to tag me @alifethatglows and use the #EightLimbsChallenge and #yamachallenge so I can come and check it out!