Your time is incredibly valuable.

When you take a moment to read my essays you are offering me some of your time and I do not take that for granted.

To take up your time and not offer something of value in return would essentially be stealing.

As yogis we are always looking into our thoughts, words, and actions and noticing if they contribute to the freedom or suffering of others. 

The answers aren’t always obvious. Often, the ways in which we are contributing to the freedom or suffering of others are so small it becomes easy to brush past them without notice or concern.

Asteya, non-stealing, is the third restraint or observance listed in yamas, the first of the eight limbs of Raja yoga as outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra.

Obviously, this yama speaks to the stealing of physical items, but let’s consider it a bit more deeply. 

Most of us know that it’s unwise and hurtful to steal someone else’s physical property, but what about their intellectual property?

One way to avoid unintentionally stealing someones intellectual property is to always give credit to the source. Even if you aren’t exactly sure who came up with the words or concept first share how you came upon the information.

When we cite or reference the person that we were inspired by not only do we avoid stealing from them but we also give our listeners or readers the opportunity to connect with the original source and to be further inspired and empowered in their own learning. 

This is true whether we are speaking to a large group or to an individual.

What about jealousy? 

When we think thoughts that center around us feeling like “it should’ve been me” or “what’s she got that I don’t” we are wishing that someone else’s success was ours.

Not only does this keep us stuck in a lack and scarcity mentality, but it also conflicts with the practice of asteya. 

Instead, we should celebrate the success of others. (PS.There is a whole chapter on how to relate to others toward whom we feel jealousy, anger, or frustration in my book. If you’re interested in going deeper, click here.)

Another less energetic and more obvious way to practice asteya is to consider what we are taking from the enviroment and animal beings. 

Last week I spent a day at TEDxCharleston and was moved by Lia Colabello who spoke about the plastic that we are funneling into the ocean on a daily basis.

The next day I approached my behaviors with renewed mindfulness and curiosity. My cell phone cover is plastic. My toothbrush and toothpaste tube are plastic. My contact lens, solution bottle, and storage case are plastic. My body wash container is plastic. My frozen fruit comes in a plastic bag and there is a plastic wrapper around my bananas. My spinach was in a plastic box. My chai seeds, vitamins, and supplements come in plastic bags and jars. The straw that I drink my smoothie out of is plastic…

That list is just a portion of the plastic that I encountered in the first hour of being awake. Much of it was single use and all of it is ultimately going to be thrown away.

I am interested in finding ways to do better. How can I create consumer habits that embody the practice of asteya and steal from the health of the enviroment less?

This is the practice of yoga. What happens on our mat and meditation cushions is wonderful, but it’s only a small piece of the practice.

We must take our practice off the mat and we must continue to evolve in our thoughts, words, and actions.

Now, I want to hear from you? 

How are you going to practice asteya, non-stealing, more deeply in your daily life? 

Please leave a comment below and let me know. I’d love to get a good conversation going here. Perhaps it can start with you.

If you found this essay helpful or inspiring please share it with someone else.

Did you miss the first two yama essays? Check them out here: 1st yama & 2nd yama.

Much love,

Katie