🙏 ✨It is a common misconception that yoga is an exercise practice. In reality, it is an 8 step process towards reaching spiritual enlightenment and bliss in life. ✨ The first step includes 5 elements which refer to self-regulating behaviors that involve our interactions with other people and the world at large. Yama. The 5 elements of yama highlight the external dimension of reaching spiritual enlightenment. The first yama is ahimsa: non-violence towards all living things. Do you ever have negative thoughts, words, or actions towards others? It may not even be out loud… It could be in your head. Is it toward people, animals, or even plants? Do you have respect for everyone and everything you touch? When we treat others unfairly, we are not recognizing the divinity within them; divinity resides in all of us. We tend to forget that. We live in a world where income, looks, religion, and house size determines whether a being deserves a certain level of respect. In reality, you came into this world with nothing, and you will leave it with nothing. The years you spent in school do not matter. Your material possessions do not matter. After death, even the body is defeat of purpose. Your body, true matter, will return back to the elements. So, what do you have left? Your impact on others. How do you make other living beings feel? Even when people are harmful towards you, does your divinity and your respect for their divinity shine through? Reflect. Negativity is harmful, even if it is not directed towards yourself. Positivity raises our energy frequency. So vibrate at a higher frequency. Whenever you have a negative moment, immediately combat it with a positive one. Smile at random people. Help someone that hasn’t asked for it. We drop the word “namaste” to each other all day. But do we live it? Serve your fellow beings with no expectations of return. There is no separation between you and the next being. So, show them how that is true. Your spirit will thank you for it 🙏 #namaskartoyou #yogaoutdoors #yoga #yama #ahimsa #weareallrelated #ifyourecreatedthenyourerelated #family #earthfamily #lovethyneighbor #selfimprovement