Yoga, Ahimsa and Social Activism

We are often unaware of how much our presence, words, and actions leave a footprint on other people, places, and spaces. We often undervalue the power that our choices and actions have over others. As B.K.S. Iyengar stated in The Tree of Yoga, ‘from the individual it goes to the community, and from the community to the society.’ The same applies to many other aspects of our lives. By making our voices heard and embracing satya (truthfulness), we can shed light on topics that are important to us but perhaps disregarded or unknown to others.

We should not shy away from difficult topics by claiming that yoga is and should remain apolitical. That is a false claim. There has always been an intersection between yoga and politics. The Bhagavad Gita itself revolves around politics, war, and yoga. We can also look back to Gandhi and the way he used yoga teachings as the basis for nonviolent resistance. As yoga practitioners, we should feel empowered to raise awareness and make our voices heard, especially on topics or behaviours that conflict with the ethical principles or yamas. I am passionate about several causes, from human rights and digital rights to sustainability and social justice. However, one is particularly close to my heart because of their inability to speak—or rather, humanity’s inability to hear their voices: animals and animal rights (or the lack thereof).

So much harm is done to animals through captivity, entertainment, and hunting. However, the most extensive and hidden—yet avoidable—harm is inflicted by the agriculture industry. Besides being cruel, animal farming, fishing, and the meat industry are among the biggest producers of greenhouse gas emissions within the agricultural sector. They are also a major cause of mass deforestation, as we have seen recently with the Amazon rainforest. A staggering 30% of all global greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. A positive side effect of the growing awareness of climate change and the environmental footprint of the animal industry is that more people are moving away from animal products and choosing a more ethical diet—albeit often not for the animals themselves as the primary reason.

Enter ahimsa.

In Yoga Mala, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois explains ahimsa as not causing injury to anyone, including animals, in any form, at any time, or for any reason, whether in word, thought, or deed. Unsurprisingly, vegetarianism and yoga have always gone hand in hand. According to B.K.S. Iyengar, a vegetarian diet is ‘a necessity’ for the practice of yoga, as it leads to minimal violence. But does it really?

Enslavement, poor living conditions, and slaughter are not the only forms of violence inflicted on animals in the agriculture industry for human benefit. Another particularly cruel aspect, especially towards female animals, is the dairy industry and the continuous production of milk. All female mammals, human or not, produce milk during pregnancy to feed their offspring once born. It is safe to say that human consumption of animal milk is neither natural nor necessary. It is stealing. Moreover, cows do not naturally produce enough milk to satisfy human demand. We have taken the role of Nature by continuously artificially inseminating them to produce more offspring and, consequently, more milk. Yet, in our hunger for dairy, there is no place for the calf, who is killed soon after birth as its purpose, in human eyes, has been fulfilled. And the cycle repeats again and again—until the cow is old, used, and abused enough to be slaughtered.

Shouldn’t the rise of feminine energy and the awakened desire to connect with our own bodies and Nature extend to all bodies, regardless of species or form?

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, over 52 billion animals are killed for food worldwide every year. ‘These billions of suffering and terrified animals create a planetary atmosphere of fear, terror, and violence, which we all live and breathe every day’ (Sharon Gannon, Yoga and Veganism). Fortunately, there has been a shift in consciousness and a wider acceptance of veganism for health, environmental, animal rights, and spiritual reasons. However, extending the concept of ahimsa to include animals and refraining from consuming any animal products is still a relatively new idea—even within the yoga community. Since we have the choice and available alternatives, isn’t it always better to be more kind rather than a little less cruel?

There is no difference between humans and other living creatures. Our bodies are just our vehicles; our souls are the same.

We may not control many things, but what we put on our plates is within our control. By causing pain in any way, we will reap the consequences of those actions in the future. If we are to survive as a species, we must ‘make the transition from a culture based on slavery, exploitation, violence, and death to a way of life based on kindness, peace, harmony, and wholeness’ (Sharon Gannon, Yoga and Veganism).

As radical as veganism may sound, yogis have always been considered radical for seeking the root causes of suffering to change the course of action. The Earth does not belong to us, and we should not use other lives for our own benefit. If we want to bring peace into our own lives, we must stop causing pain in the lives of others.

“By becoming established in ahimsa, even wild animals forget their nature of causing pain.”

It is time for humans to transcend this wilderness as well.

♡