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6. Ahimsa: The Practice of Non-Violence · Lately with Lexi

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  SPEAKER_00: Hello,
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  SPEAKER_00: you are listening to Through the Veil,
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  SPEAKER_00: a weekly journey into the themes,
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  SPEAKER_00: teachings,
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  and practices that help you move beyond who you think you are
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  and step into who
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  SPEAKER_00: you're meant to become.
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  Every single week I choose a different theme that I'm teaching
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  in my yoga classes and
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  and typically it's tied to what's coming up for me in my
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  personal life or something
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  SPEAKER_00: that's coming up with my clients or students,
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  or maybe it's tied to what's happening on a global scale or
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  even just tied to
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  SPEAKER_00: nature and the seasons.
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  SPEAKER_00: So for the last couple of weeks now, we have been talking about the
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  origins of yoga and kind of thinking about yoga as so much more
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  than just physical
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  postures that help us create flexibility and strength and
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  reduced stress in our
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  SPEAKER_00: life,
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  SPEAKER_00: but to actually look at yoga through the lens of philosophy.
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  SPEAKER_00: and where it came from, and all the different facets of yoga.
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  SPEAKER_00: So today,
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  SPEAKER_00: this week's theme is all about Ahimsa,
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  SPEAKER_00: which is the first yama in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.
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  SPEAKER_00: So we are going to explore this first yama that is related to yoga,
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  SPEAKER_00: and it's really all about exploring how we can cultivate nonviolence.
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  SPEAKER_00: And it's not just in our actions that makes us nonviolent,
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  SPEAKER_00: but also in our words,
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  SPEAKER_00: our thoughts,
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  SPEAKER_00: and our intentions,
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  SPEAKER_00: and also our interactions with others in the world.
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  And we want to support this union within ourselves and the
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  world around us.
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  SPEAKER_00: So when I talk about union, it's typically related to yoga and
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  and this idea of self-realization and coming into oneness with
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  our God spark,
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  SPEAKER_00: with our own innate internal divinity.
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  It's just turning the volume up on that so that we can lead our
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  lives from that
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  state of wholeness and peace and love so that we can experience
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  more of that peace,
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  SPEAKER_00: wholeness,
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  SPEAKER_00: and love and
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  SPEAKER_00: within ourselves,
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  SPEAKER_00: within our relationships,
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  SPEAKER_00: within our work and invocation in the world,
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  SPEAKER_00: and just have a better overall experience of life.
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  SPEAKER_00: So with that being said, I want to talk a little bit more about Ahimsa.
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  SPEAKER_00: So in yogic philosophy, at the deepest level, we
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  SPEAKER_00: all believe as yogis that we share the same essence,
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  SPEAKER_00: you know,
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  SPEAKER_00: whether you are a yogi or not,
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  SPEAKER_00: like consciousness does not judge,
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  SPEAKER_00: right?
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  SPEAKER_00: You can't be like more spiritual in terms of consciousness, right?
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  SPEAKER_00: It just is.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so there is this understanding in yoga that
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  SPEAKER_00: that all beings share the same essence.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is called Atman or Purusha.
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  SPEAKER_00: And when we forget this,
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  SPEAKER_00: when we forget our innate divinity,
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  SPEAKER_00: we experience what we call a vidya or ignorance.
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  SPEAKER_00: And ignorance creates this illusion of separation,
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  SPEAKER_00: separation from our divinity,
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  SPEAKER_00: also known as maya.
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  So the illusion is where our individual and collective
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  suffering starts to arise.
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  SPEAKER_00: If you are familiar with A Course in Miracles,
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  SPEAKER_00: there is such an emphasis on love and how fear is the opposite of love.
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  SPEAKER_00: And whenever we're not aligned with love and in that coherence,
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  SPEAKER_00: it's typically because there's fear that arises.
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  So it's kind of a similar parallel that I wanted to make and
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  share with you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Spiritual practices like yoga are designed to dissolve this illusion,
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  SPEAKER_00: reminding us that union,
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  SPEAKER_00: our connection to our innate divinity,
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  SPEAKER_00: it's actually our natural state.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's where we feel the most whole.
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  SPEAKER_00: So remember, yoga, it is not just about asana or physical poses.
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  It includes so much more like meditation,
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  breath work,
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  contemplation,
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  and also right action.
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  SPEAKER_00: So what do I mean by right action?
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  Well,
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  ahimsa,
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  cultivating nonviolence,
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  this is one of the cornerstones of what yoga truly is.
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  SPEAKER_00: So cultivating nonviolence,
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  that is a right action that yogis can contemplate on and
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  practice in our lives.
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  SPEAKER_00: So there's a lot of yoga we can do off of the actual yoga mat.
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  So ahimsa or nonviolence,
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  it is the very first ethical restraint in Patanjali's Yoga
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  Sutras.
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  I have an article that I wrote recently that dives into
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  Patanjali and the Yoga
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  Sutras and where yoga came from and how it evolved over the
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  years through different
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  SPEAKER_00: spiritual things.
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  um hymns and texts and i'll link it in the show notes um if you
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  want to learn a
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  little bit more about the yoga sutras we're also going to
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  really stick with this
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  theme over the coming weeks so this is like just the tip of the
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  iceberg so ahimsa
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  SPEAKER_00: teaches that non-harming
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  SPEAKER_00: is not just refraining from physical violence.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's also about how we speak,
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  SPEAKER_00: how we think,
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  SPEAKER_00: and how we feel,
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  SPEAKER_00: both towards ourselves,
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  SPEAKER_00: but also towards others.
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  SPEAKER_00: Whether you know the person or not,
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  whether you have a personal relationship with Taylor Swift or
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  Donald Trump or not,
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  SPEAKER_00: those feelings,
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  SPEAKER_00: those thoughts,
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  SPEAKER_00: your speech –
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  That is an opportunity for us to practice non-harming and to
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  practice ahimsa,
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  which is going to create a shift energetically and
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  vibrationally around you.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so we want to be really mindful because hate, anger, and division are
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  SPEAKER_00: These are all subtle forms of violence.
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  SPEAKER_00: Why?
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  Well,
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  because they disturb our inner peace and the harmony of the
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  collective.
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  So the yogi's path is to master the mind and emotions and not
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  be mastered by them.
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  SPEAKER_00: It sounds so much easier, right?
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  So the yogi's path is to master our mind and emotions and to
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  not become mastered by them.
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  SPEAKER_00: So this week, our intention is to explore how.
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  SPEAKER_00: Explore how by starting with just a simple moment of reflection.
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  So ask yourself,
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  where in your life are you holding onto subtle forms of
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  violence?
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  Maybe there's certain thoughts that arise time and time again
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  towards other people,
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  SPEAKER_00: towards yourself.
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  SPEAKER_00: Thoughts of judgment, resentment, irritation.
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  SPEAKER_00: Get really, really honest with yourself.
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  SPEAKER_00: How does clinging to those stories,
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  SPEAKER_00: those narratives,
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  SPEAKER_00: any of that anger and division,
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  SPEAKER_00: how does that impact your inner peace and your relationships?
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  SPEAKER_00: Especially those thoughts and feelings and emotions when it's like,
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  SPEAKER_00: oh,
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  SPEAKER_00: but that person's wrong and I'm right.
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  SPEAKER_00: Like that's the best place.
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  That's like the most fun to pause and to see how we can shift
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  and practice ahimsa.
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  It's when the ego is so loud because we feel like our way is
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  the right way.
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  So maybe you journal some of your reflections or sit with this
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  in meditation this week.
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  Just notice any subtle sensations that arise when you
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  contemplate on what is angering you.
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  SPEAKER_00: And where is there room to call upon greater forgiveness and compassion?
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  SPEAKER_00: So ahimsa, it's not a passive act anymore.
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  It is the highest expression of love and respect for the truth
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  of our shared existence.
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  SPEAKER_00: So I want to share really quickly just four practical,
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  SPEAKER_00: simple ways you can integrate a Hizma this week.
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  SPEAKER_00: So the first one is mindful speech and thought.
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  SPEAKER_00: So just start to become aware,
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  set an intention that you're going to be a little bit more
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  conscious of your
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  SPEAKER_00: thoughts and your words.
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  SPEAKER_00: You know,
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  SPEAKER_00: what critical,
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  SPEAKER_00: harsh words,
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  SPEAKER_00: thoughts enter your mind,
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  SPEAKER_00: whether they're towards yourself or someone else?
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  And can you just practice catching yourself in those thoughts,
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  in those patterns and
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  SPEAKER_00: And once you become aware of that speech,
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  can you replace one of those negative thoughts with a gentle or
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  compassionate
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  SPEAKER_00: thought instead?
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  If you practice nothing else but just that every single day,
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  like you are doing so much yoga.
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  SPEAKER_00: So start there.
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  Start with mindful speech and mindful thought and catching
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  those negative thoughts
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  SPEAKER_00: and replacing them with love,
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  SPEAKER_00: compassion,
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  SPEAKER_00: forgiveness, and non-judgment.
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  SPEAKER_00: If you're familiar with the Ho'oponopono practice, like, oh, I love that.
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  That's a really beautiful mantra and practice for cultivating
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  greater compassion,
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  SPEAKER_00: forgiveness,
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  SPEAKER_00: and non-judgment.
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  SPEAKER_00: Number two is breath awareness.
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  SPEAKER_00: So anytime we practice deep,
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  SPEAKER_00: slow inhalations and exhalations,
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  SPEAKER_00: anytime we feel tension,
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  SPEAKER_00: anger,
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  SPEAKER_00: agitation,
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  it's going to help to dissolve those lower vibrational feelings
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  and emotions so
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  that they don't create and stitch these gnarly new neurological
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  pathways in the
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  SPEAKER_00: brain that really makes it
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  more challenging for us to move into the state of love,
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  compassion,
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  forgiveness,
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  peace.
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  SPEAKER_00: So actually the more we are angry and frustrated,
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  especially if we like vent and we ruminate and like a lot of
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  that is not productive
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  SPEAKER_00: and it's actually really not what we want to create within our brain.
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  SPEAKER_00: We want to create a shift there.
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  SPEAKER_00: So our breath can really help to support that.
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  SPEAKER_00: Long, slow, deep breathings.
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  If you're familiar with the,
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  it's a two-part inhale,
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  one-part exhale breath.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's called the psychological sigh.
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  SPEAKER_00: You can probably Google this or reach out to me.
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  SPEAKER_00: I can teach it to you.
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  But that is a really simple practice that can shift your
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  nervous system when you're
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  SPEAKER_00: in a stressful state.
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  SPEAKER_00: Gentle movement, of course.
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  SPEAKER_00: Anything around opening your heart.
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  SPEAKER_00: So think camel pose,
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  SPEAKER_00: gentle twisting,
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  SPEAKER_00: anything you can do to open your heart,
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  SPEAKER_00: your chest,
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  SPEAKER_00: taking a lacrosse ball,
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  SPEAKER_00: rubbing it across your chest,
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  SPEAKER_00: like that is going to really help create this mind-body connection,
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  SPEAKER_00: inviting more peace into your body.
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  SPEAKER_00: Also, affirmations are really powerful.
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  So maybe reciting the mantra,
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  I cultivate peace within myself and in the world around me.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then lastly is just daily integration.
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  SPEAKER_00: So how can you respond instead of react?
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  SPEAKER_00: So before speaking or taking action,
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  SPEAKER_00: when there's a topic,
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  SPEAKER_00: a conversation that is emotionally charged or triggering,
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  SPEAKER_00: can you pause and ask yourself,
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  SPEAKER_00: will this response cultivate harmony and peace?
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  SPEAKER_00: Or does it fuel greater division?
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  SPEAKER_00: I was thinking about this earlier today.
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  How many times have you felt someone was so wrong and that you
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  just gave it to them
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  SPEAKER_00: and you let them know?
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  SPEAKER_00: And then after, you did not feel better.
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  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you felt worse.
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  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you felt better temporarily,
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  but then you felt like guilty and like you wished you handled
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  it differently or –
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  So this is where having the intention to respond instead of
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  react can create that
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  SPEAKER_00: space so that we are more grounded and peaceful in our communication.
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  SPEAKER_00: This doesn't by any means mean that we take shit.
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  SPEAKER_00: and that we are a doormat like that is not at all what I'm saying but the
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  invitation here is how can you allow small conscious choices in
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  your communication
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  compound over time to shift your state of being so it's not
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  about the other person
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  it's really about you and your state right and watch how that
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  alone can transform
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  SPEAKER_00: your relationships and also how you feel
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  SPEAKER_00: So in closing,
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  SPEAKER_00: as you move through this week,
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  SPEAKER_00: notice where you can embody ahimsa in your thoughts,
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  SPEAKER_00: your words,
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  SPEAKER_00: your actions.
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  SPEAKER_00: And remember,
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  each moment is an opportunity to dissolve the illusion of
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  separation and also to
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  SPEAKER_00: step more fully into our shared oneness with all beings.
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  And when we can recognize that,
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  we can recognize that we're not so different after all.
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  SPEAKER_00: So even small mindful gestures of nonviolence,
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  SPEAKER_00: they are going to ripple out,
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  SPEAKER_00: creating harmony within yourself and the world around you.
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  So I just want to thank you for tuning in and listening to
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  Through the Veil.
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  Make sure you subscribe on Substack to go even deeper and be
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  the first to know
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  SPEAKER_00: about my next workshop or retreat.
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  SPEAKER_00: All of the links to work with me are below in the show notes.
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  SPEAKER_00: I hope you have a beautiful week.
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  SPEAKER_00: Om, peace, amen.