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This our third post in this series about the how the non-physical tradition of yoga can intersect with green living. The fourth through sixth yamas (restraints): Brahmacharya (divine conduct), kshama (patience), and Dhriti (steadfastness) do have indirect green application, but less than the first three, so let's skip ahead to number seven, daya, or compassion.
Right up there at the top of the green-yoga connection with ahimsa is daya.
Be Compassion Towards All of Life
Compassion is being kind to people, animals, plants, and all of existence. You sympathize with others' needs and distress, in particular those people who are weak, impoverished or suffering. At the level or personal relationship to the world you attempt to avoid callous and insensitive thought, word, and action.
The reason you do this is because you see the divine, the spiritual, the wondrous in all things. At the deepest levels both metaphorically, metaphysically and literally you recognize and internalize the interconnectedness of all life.
Once you have internalized this sort of compassion--something which is an ongoing process; the world never ceases to offer opportunity to cultivate a deeper sense of compassion--you begin to view the world and your actions within it differently. Much like when you begin internalizing ahimsa, you begin to soften a bit, becoming more open.
Compassion Leads Directly to Wanting to Reducing Eco-Impact
In practical terms it naturally leads to trying to reduce your impact on the environment, making life easier for all those (human, non-human, and even non-animal) around you. This is an ongoing process with different answers for each and every instance. There is no hard-and-fast rule.
It leads you to trying stop cruelty against other forms of life. Though if you've chosen to focus on stopping whaling for instance, you may well determine that you cannot go as far as physically harassing whalers, as the crew of Sea Shepherd's ships do, but may instead simply place yourself between them and their prey.
It goes so far as being kind to those people who oppose you, belittle you, and are thoroughly unkind to you. When responding you don't respond with anger or hatred, even when doing so forcefully and decisively. You can do the latter and still hold compassion in your heart.
All of this naturally leads you naturally to trying to live a simpler, more frugal, greener life. The more you internalize compassion, the more you minimize your ecological impact, the easier it becomes, the more joyful it becomes.
Read more about Yoga:
Green Your Mind With Yoga: Ahimsa
Green Your Mind with Yoga: Asteya
Silence Isn't Golden, It's Green
If Consumerism Is Destroying the Planet, How Can I Opt Out
