Yamas and Niyamas - Week 3 - Asteya

Asteya means non-stealing, non-misappropriation, desirelessness and non-covetousness.  Not having any desire to have something that is not yours by untruthful ways of obtaining it.

Patanjali's Yoga Sutra II.37 says: asteyapratisthayam sarvaratnopasthanam
When abstention from stealing is firmly established, precious jewels come.

Mr. Iyengar writes in Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,that upon the man who does not take what does not belong to him, all riches are showered. Being without desire, he effortlessly attracts what is precious, materially and figuratively, including the gem of all jewels, virtue.

Asteya does not just mean the literal sense of not stealing from others, it is also not taking more then you need or require. Often when we feel there is not enough of something to go around there is a sense of greed and we want to hoard it. When we sit back and look at what we would truly need to survive and prosper we would realize it is very little and that there is an abundance to go around for everyone.

I will end with a quote I often read to myself.  I'm sorry I don't know where I found it but it says:

Live Simply....

So others can simply live.

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson

http://www.plnyoga.vpweb.com/