Me steal? Never! Or do I?
This week's theme is Asteya (non-stealing).
I'm against stealing, I really am. Leo, my son stole a Mario figurine from a store one time and I made him take it back and hand it to the manager (he was about 7 years old and he cried the entire time, lesson learned!).
I say I'm against stealing, but if I think of all the ways in which I've stolen things over the years, I guess I do steal. We all do. You do too.
Now wait a second, you say. I would never steal anything!
Let me give you many examples of how you and I have stolen.
You may have:
-Stolen someone's thunder
-Underreported your earnings to the IRS during tax time (or overreported your deductions, like Goodwill, YES, my sh*t is worth $5000!)
-Borrowed a book from a friend and never returned it
-Got home from the grocery store and realized you did not pay for that 12 pack of soda on the bottom of the cart, but you did not return to pay for it (hey, it's cold outside and they make enough money anyway!)
-maybe you heard of someone's idea and stole it to make money (that's just good business)
There are other ways in which we steal, like stealing from our future, the earth, our children, someone's energy, from ourselves...the list goes on.
So, after much consideration. I've stolen A LOT over the years. Maybe it's just borrowing good ideas (that sounds better).
I ruined a good friendship after I opened my yoga studio by stealing my friends teacher training flyer and program. I really didn't know what I was doing and I didn't even consider asking her for advice. I just thought, it worked for her, it will work for me. It didn't. We aren't friends anymore. Lesson learned.
Asteya is about so much more than just walking into a store and stealing a Mario figurine. I hope my examples have made you think about the ways in which we steal (their are just so many!).
Amazing books about Asteya:
-The Yamas and Niyamas, Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele
-Meditations from the Mat, Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison
#asteya #yoga #suryayogakc #stealing #yogapants #yamas
