July at LRY: AHIMSA

“Every being is a mother’s child.”

I hold my newborn as she smiles and babbles. This love aches deep in my bones, an ache that holds the tension of how beautiful this life is while also knowing that I cannot fully shield her from the sufferings of being human. 

All over the world, including here in the United States, mothers fear for their children’s lives as bombs drop, raids are carried out, aid is withheld, justice is denied. Mother Earth cries for us all. No doubt this is a period of immense suffering. 

Ahimsa is a Sanskrit word meaning nonviolence or nonharm. In many traditions, including Yoga, ahimsa is the central pillar of spiritual life. Ahimsa is not simply the absence of violence, it is the unwavering presence of love. It is not a void. Rather, a fullness, a call to wholeness.

Ahimsa is possible in the everyday acts that preserve our humanity; forgiveness, connection across differences, staying sensitive in a numbing world. Ahimsa asks that our hearts remain open to the world so that our collective heart beats with the ripples of unconditional love for all beings, where there is no 'other'. A love that reimagines and rebuilds systems from the ground up. A love that has no choice but to reveal hard truths. A love that bridges rather than divides. 

May we see all children as our own.

May our hearts have no borders.

May we imagine and build a new world where all are free and loved without exception. 

love,

Christina + LRY