I posted a request from YogaforVets.com on my Facebook page the other day. Seems simple, right?
It's a site, founded in 2007 by Navy diver and yoga instructor Paul Zipes. He says he had the idea for the site because he wanted to support the troops and their recovery from war-related stress and injury. He says, "as a yoga teacher and a vet myself, listing free yoga classes for war vets was an easy decision."
Zipes is asking yoga teachers everywhere to offer 4 free yoga classes to veterans of any war, so these men and women can learn a skill to help them cope with the stresses and traumas of active duty. He wanted me to help spread the word.
"Good idea", I thought--a no-brainer, actually.
But some of the negative responses from yoga students and teachers I received made me think again.
"How do you reconcile this post with the fact that yogis are against 'himsa'--or "violence", as set forth by yogic scriptures, and your support of war is shockingly non-yogic", one yoga practitioner wrote.
And there was more where that came from.
"Combat is inherently anti-Yoga"...
"Patanjali would never condone this..."
"War is wrong. How can you ask us to give yoga to those in alignment with it?"
Well, here's how. A fuller understanding of karma, or the outcome of actions, Dharma, or the human path of freedom and peace, and Ahimsa, or practicing "nonviolence" makes it impossible to judge warriors, or war, for that matter, as inherently good or bad. I'll show you why in a moment.
When it comes to their own, bliss-filled circles, many yogis feel right at home. They can walk into and out of their own yoga sanctuary with ease, armed with tunnel vision and a limited concept of yogic philosophy and be accepted by their peers, surrounded by their like-minded yoga family.
Bring a foreign element to the door however, especially one they don't agree with, and you'll see that often, this yoga home is closed to certain people, though open wide to those who share their views. This sanctuary is then revealed as the dogma-house it really is.
And frankly, I'm over it.
In my view, anyone who wants to try yoga, and seek a path of self-knowledge and harmony for any reason, should be welcomed onto the mat. As teachers, we have a responsibility to teach, not to judge, period. If I had to agree with everyone's views who came to my classes, my studio would be near-empty.
Besides, let's talk about yoga as the personal path of transformation it is, not in terms of "scripture", as if it's a religion that's set in stone. There are as many philosophies about how to reach self-awareness as there are people to teach the path, many of them directly contradicting the other.
One of yoga's most foundational texts, the Bhagavad Gita, tells the story of Krishna, a god, who is trying to get this guy, Arjuna, to march onto the battlefield and kill his family, friends and teachers, because, basically, they're anarchists who are keeping a kingdom under immoral and abusive rule.
Krishna himself won't participate in the violence, but he sends Arjuna his army. He explains that Arjuna's battle is just, because it protects humanity's Dharma, or universal harmony and freedom from oppression.
The war is called the "Dharma Yuddha", meaning a conflict fought on behalf of justice.
One yoga practitioner, Lt.Col Randy Fridley, USMC (Ret.), who was deployed to Vietnam, has found solace in yoga, and healing for his body and mind.
To those who might decline to teach a veteran yoga, he offers this advice: "Say what you want about more recent ventures into war by our country. History will judge them too. But that's not the point. Peace is best promoted by one at peace soul at a time.
He continues, "If a just war presents itself as a necessity, I suspect many in yoga would go, and continue to do yoga and keep their inner peace accordingly. Yoga promotes a peaceful soul. Who could find fault with that?"
Our culture, and most of them before ours, have consisted of different sections of society. There are healers, teachers, workers, artists and clergy. There is also the warrior class. And there's a good reason for this, in my opinion.
Yoga philosophy states that we should practice Ahimsa, or non-violence towards our fellow man and ourselves, as one way to release our resistance to our universal nature. If you're angry all the time, it's hard to realize your inherent goodness, and connection to all things. Check.
However, we are also taught that at certain times, employing force may be necessary in order to protect the larger right of a community to live according to their Dharma. We could call this "conscious himsa".
When Patanjali's meaning of ahimsa is applied appropriately, if done for the greater good, and from a place of fighting for people's freedom, and not against it, of denying bullies their choice to terrorize innocent civilians, and all this is truly done on behalf of justice, then it is not the enlightenment-busting form of violence he describes.
Any yogic concept, be it war, ahimsa, Dharma, or Upward Dog, has a positive and negative polarity. You can take action in your yoga poses in a way that harms or harmonizes you. It's the same way with anything. One person would call Elvis "a sinner" while another would call him "a star".
Unfortunately, we've often pigeonholed ourselves in the yoga community into "this is bad, this is good", this is "spiritual", this is "not enlightened" without thinking about the action's purpose and origination point.
Is the action decisive, or unifying? Done from fear, or love? If an action is taken from love and unity, the outcome will resonate that.
When it comes to embracing warriors on our mats, we also tend to conveniently forget our foundational teachings that actions taken for peace will be of constructive karma and actions taken from fear will be of destructive karma, or outcome. Yogically, it's whether you're acting on behalf of unity or separatism, love or hate, universal equality or ego that makes karma "good" or "bad". "War", "Veteran", "Fighting" can be either. It all depends where you're coming from in your heart of hearts, and if the war can said to be truly just.
I'm not making any statements about any of our current wars, or any war for that matter. This article is only to say that much of our warrior class joined the forces in order to protect and serve, two highly "spiritual" values. And, even if our choice would not be theirs, we can lessen this yogic revulsion to a man in uniform and learn to open our hearts with the same compassion we extend to those we do agree with.
Dharma, on the level of human beings, means our "true nature". The Dharma of sugar is sweet, for example. And our collective Dharma is to be free and equal, to live and love and worship as we wish and strive for good and to do our life's work without repression or fear.
If as yogis, we take an all-or-nothing view of Ahimsa as always wrong, and then judge the warriors in our society for their actions, no matter what kind of war they're fighting, or for what reason, then we miss the bigger picture of spiritual understanding of the outcome of warring actions taken on behalf of ultimate peace.
Now, granted, most wars nowadays seem to be more about greed and political power than protecting the inalienable rights of a people to exist without living in terror. However, they are not all about power. There is some justice in our violence yet.
And yogis, if you say that Ahimsa is always wrong, and it leads you to deny a Marine from taking your class, or turn your Yogier-than-thou sights on someone who is showing anger, then let me ask you a hard question, one that is quite disturbing, so brace yourself:
If you walked into your home, and some stranger had broken in and was trying to kill your child, would you stand back and chant Om Mani Padme Hum at them with a soft, compassionate smile on your face...or would you do what you had to do to stop it, using force if necessary?
Personally? I would do anything it took to protect that child's life and innocence. And I bet, even if you're an animal rights activist, you eat vegan, and you are anti-war...you might, too.
Think seriously about it. And if your true answer is closer to the second action than the first, then maybe it will bring a little gray into your black and white Ahimsa outlook.
Because it's maddening to me that we as yogis continue to spout this "no Ahimsa, no matter what" dogma, when in fact, sometimes it can be necessary to save the innocent people of entire cultures.
I know Gandhi is going to pop up in the comments, so let me address that here.
He was able to lead a relatively nonviolent protest against the English, who ultimately were civilized and democratic enough to react to the revolt with treaties and withdrawal. Plus, the whole time and cultural equation was right for that type of protest to be effective.
Do you think those responsible for the genocide in Darfur, or suicide bombers who believe in total Jihad against nonbelievers are going to "see the light" of a nonviolent protest by the people? Doubtful. They want you dead, and most likely, no amount of economic sanctions or making your own clothing or salt is going to change this type of aggression into peace. Because equality and harmony is not what they seek, but power, and destruction.
Perhaps you can also see some gray area around the warriors that go to fight in conflict, as a combination of really hard choices and factors--some of which are also striving for others' good, for freedom and protection from harm.
Would I like to see diplomacy take the place of war? Of course (Go, Obama!), but it takes two to come to the table, and we hit a wall when one of those two sides still prefers suicide bombs to negotiating for peace. Because it's not peace they want--it's for the enemy to be wiped off the planet, forever.
So yes, the reasons both parties are in conflict are opposing. So who is to say what's "best" for one side isn't good for everyone? Well, most rational people can say that erring on the side of allowing a people to live in peace is more constructive than allowing one group to terrorize others, and in order to live their idea of freedom, they must destroy other societies and all the people in them.
I'm not saying any of this to make you believe that war is good, or "right". I think it's always a method of last resort (or should be...right, W?).
I am, however, inviting you to broaden your perspective about the facets of conflict, so maybe you'll have more compassion for those who go to fight in them, at least when the fight is for the freedom of both sides to live in Dharmic harmony. I'm not saying all wars do that, but in my opinion, some of them have the protection of people in mind, and not annihilation.
One thing's still for certain, says Fridley, "The world is out of balance. "
"The fighting man and woman sees that firsthand in a dramatic way that the protected could not begin to appreciate. Their experience often has thrown them out of balance and they struggle to get it back."
He explains that for him, the practice of yoga is one answer to tipping the scales back again.
"Yoga is much about living a balanced life and really has contributed that effect to me. It is really helping me with my delayed onset Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ."
LCDR Eric Fretz, USN (Ret.) who is in support of veterans--or anyone--doing yoga, agrees, adding,
"I would say that if warriors have to be deployed, regardless of how you feel about it, a peaceful centered warrior is the best warrior to have on your side.
Zipes has seen firsthand the healing effects of yoga for so many current and former troops. It reduces their PTSD symptoms, stress and injuries. It helps them deal during, and after deployment, with mental and physical issues I can't possibly imagine.
And, he adds, "Regardless of your view about war (most common answer: "War is bad"), if you are a real yogi you should care about people, even if they fought in wars. As a teacher, you have something positive to offer these people."
Whatever you believe about war, yogis, how can any of us call ourselves teachers of a universal spirituality...and then try to prevent any single human being from seeking their ultimate peace? That's not just uninformed, it's arrogant and separatist--which is the root cause of so many wars and conflicts everywhere.
You want to "be the change?" Start with acting in accordance with the unity and welcoming all seekers of the light that yoga truly represents.
Follow Sadie Nardini on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SadieNardini
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This is definitely one of the best blog postings I’ve ever read here. As a veteran, I sincerely appreciate your support to those of us interested in yoga, especially those trying to heal from the trauma of war.
You have a great attitude—and a great sense of humor based on some of your other posts—that is much more effective—not to mention appealing—than any “yogier than thou” approach.
It’s nice to see something written by someone who can see the complexities of this world. It’s always struck me as sadly ironic that people who enjoy being able to read, think, and lively freely have so much contempt for the men and women who made that freedom possible. Of course, the freedom to dislike me is exactly why I serve.
Donald
For yogis who prize peace above everything it is hard to accept that wars have a place in this world. However, we can argue at the same time that some wars are justified. For example, World War II. Can we imagine sitting idly by and letting Hitler annilate Jews, gypsies, mentally retarded, physically handicapped? Of course not.
When it comes to wars, only history can judge whether or not they are justified. In the mean time, it seems judgmental of those who say that we should not honor veterans. They did their work. We should honor them.
I would definitely ask those teachers w to justify it using the idea of ahimsa. Letting people suffer who have post-traumatic stress disorder for example, rather than teaching them yoga, which is an excellent form of therapy, and can help people cope, seems to me to be inherently cruel and harmful, but in a really passive-aggressive, cowardly way. As yoga teachers, we need to remember that we are here to help people who need it, and someone who has risked his or her life for our freedom is someone I find to be very deserving of any help I can give.
Thanks again for your important message. One perspective to consider if you write on that topic again is that warriors do what they do on behalf of society as a whole. Thus, all of society should bear responsibility for what they send warriors off to do. In our society, we blame the warrior - which allows people to claim that they are the peaceful ones while putting the warriors in the "bad person" box. They tend to forget about our collective karma...
In tribal societies, warriors are welcomed home with elaborate rituals in which the society takes the responsibility off their shoulders and places it on society as a whole. We don't do this in our country, which causes quite a few warriors to bear this responsilibility alone...leading to alcoholism, PTSD, etc. As reknowned therapist Edward Tick (author of War And The Soul) states; PTSD is not a psychological condition, it is a malady of the soul. This soul disease then pays forward in violence, broken homes and self destructive behavior - only ensuring that the wheel of violence keeps turning.
Through yoga and more mindful living, we can heal a society which sends warriors off to unjust wars, locks up millions of persons for nonviolent offenses, leaves 46 million people without health insurance, and continues to deplete our planet's resources. I'm with you - let's get people connected to themselves and their actions/decisions so we can make some real and lasting changes...one person at a time!
You're so welcome. It's one of the hardest concepts to talk about in yoga, this one of violence/non-violence and how it relates to our world, ourselves and our yoga.
I hope I've brought up some hard, but ultimately powerful truths that can take us one step closer to what I perceive one yoga ideal to be: a broadened understanding of what balance really means.
Be well,
Sadie
I just dealt with this very issue a couple of days ago. One of my cyberfriends was struggling with the Bhagavad Gita. She was deeply confused about the acceptance of war that is at the heart of the story.
In my response, I pointed out that the Bhagavad Gita has been used as a justification for war and, paradoxically a justification for Ghandi's pacifism:
1) You can decide that it is Arjuna's duty to fight this completely justified war. Think of his opponents as like the Nazis--they just need to be stopped or they will enslave us all. It's not obvious in all commentaries, but some make it clear that Arjuna's opponents are really bad people. They are dishonest, violent, abusive, immoral, materialistic, and power-hungary. If you see this war as saving society from evil, then everything else falls into place. As you know, many people who are otherwise non-violent believe violence is justified in self-defense and/or defense of others, or to free slaves or oppressed women for example. Most (but not all) pacifists are pacifists only until someone threatens to harm their family or friends. It's not a very big step from there to accepting defending a city, a state, or a country.
(continued in part two below)
If in the name of ahimsa, some have claimed that one should not till the land as it will kill innumerable bugs etc. This type of interpretation of ahimsa based on non-violence or pacifism is nothing short hypocrisy because those same pacifists breathe and with every respiration they kill tens of thousands of microbes. Should they not hold their breath in order uphold their theory of ahimsa?
Here my whole point is that to preserve life there will be destruction. War also falls in this category. War can be for a just cause, in which case that war is not against ahimsa theory.
Lastly, the best way to change the world for the better is to change the minds of those whom you do not agree with. In that case, if one does not believe in a particular war or in the idea of people being part of the armed forces, then the best maneuver is to convince them otherwise. Then the battle is won.
Yoga should be offered to all - openly and freely. If people agree with our views then wonderful and if they do not then what better way to bring them over to our side than through yoga.
Thanks again for this thought provoking article.
Satyam
www.renyoga.com
You make a good point...when it comes to Himsa, or harming, how far do we have to go to be 'spiritual'? Or is it, as I believe, the intent behind the action as the source of karma?
I think the most important thing for us as seekers on our personal paths is to be able to have open and meaningful dialogue with our peers about places we see that could be improved, to help us each transform, broaden our perspective and strive for growth.
It's my intention to do that with all my writing, and I'm glad you've resonated with that.
Have a wonderful day!
Sadie
Very nice article Sadie. I am a yoga teacher and I have offered and will again offer free yoga to vets. I myself am not a veteran; I am a vegan; and most of all I am an aspirant.
We have to remember that all the teachings of yoga demand our rational understanding and application. To merely cite the teaching but misuse it is not yoga at all.
While there are many facets of the article I'd like to address, I will keep my comment focused on the point of ahimsa, since that is a major aspect of your essay.
Ahimsa means not inflicting harm by thought, word or actions. But one should not confuse this with pacifism or non-violence.
In ahimsa theory, we are able to engage in destruction for the sake of our own existence, but that destruction should be as limited as possible. It is not against the spirit of ahimsa to chop a paddy plant in order to get rice. Life subsists off of other life - our following of ahimsa is to follow this ideal as gently and as rationally as possible.
(end of part 1 - to be concluded in part 2)
Satyam
Thanks for reading, and sharing your thoughts. It means a lot to me!
Namaste,
Sadie
2) You can see war as a a metaphor for struggle. The Bhagavad Gita was Ghandi's bible! The ultimate pacifist simply decided that war was an ordinary human activity back then, like going to the office for the elite classes. It's what they did, so that was the obvious metaphor to use at that time, but it's no longer acceptable in any circumstance. like you say. Ghandi and others avoid even the just war scenario by simply converting into their own life struggle, even a rigorously pacifist agenda like Ghandi's. This point of view also removes your difficulties of justifying violence. The Gita helped Ghandi give himself completely to his dharma, which was to free India though non-violent means."
Bob Weisenberg
http://YogaDemystified.com
What a fabulous idea to offer yoga classes to past and present war vets! They need all the help they can get because the support currently available for those returning is woefully inadequate.
I am really surprised by the reactions you received to your request though. They don't make sense. Isn't that anti-yoga in some way? Because with all I've learned about yoga over the years, I got the impression that it was about expansion and openness - not myopia, priggishness and ignorance.
I sincerely hope that other yoga teachers whose minds are open would come forward to give Paul Zipes fab project a boost.
Cheers.
Thanks for your comment!
I also hope to give Paul more teachers for his vets to choose from. I'm with you--I get continually surprised by the judgment and hypocrisy that pops up here and there in our spiritual practice.
I'm also glad for it, because it gives us a chance to open a dialogue about how we really want to be, as people, as a community, and as yogis. Thank you for being a part of that discussion today!
Namaste,
Sadie