Asteya = Non Stealing
Asteya is one of the yogic "laws" of behaviour. It means non-stealing and trying to live your life with an awareness of not taking what is not yours to take. It is more subtle than just the notion of stealing someone else's property -- it encompasses the psychological source of that desire to steal -- in essence, a feeling of entitlement and selfishness -- and invites you to be aware of this within your self as you go through your day.

At the most base level, stealing someone's wallet, means you feel more self -entitled to that wallet than the owner and so you are willing to take it for yourself . The secondary effect of stealing the wallet is the inconvenience and worry that you cause the person who lost the wallet -- introducing the notion of selfish disregard for the harm you caused by the act of stealing.

Non-stealing does not apply to just material things. If you keep people waiting, you are stealing their time -- demonstrating your devaluation of other people's time. If you date someone for a long time that you are not that interested in, if you lead a person on, if you stay in the relationship because it is convenient to you, you are stealing and wasting months or years of the other persons life and are inconsiderate of the pain you will cause them.

There are smaller and more subtle ways to think about non-stealing -- in yoga class, a student who is not prepared and who is ego driven, may think they are better at yoga than they really are and they try to "steal" a pose. How can you steal a pose? You steal a pose if you have not done the work to own that pose. Again, the source of this is the sense of entitlement -- that the pose should be easy without having put in the effort. (Sadly, this can result in real injury).

Some students want more attention from both the teacher and the other students -- they disrupt the class, they come in late, they act out to attract attention -- stealing away peace of mind and concentration from the other students -- in effect, stealing the class away from others.

Everywhere, there are students who think they know more than their teachers. A teacher has a PhD and has been immersed in a field for 20 years and a student thinks the knowledge is all his... "stealing" a sense of importance versus the deep knowledge and experience of a university teacher.

Being a non- vegetarian is stealing. That fish or chicken or cow had a life to which it was entitled to live without interference. If you kill the animal to eat it, you are stealing it's life. If you force a chicken to live in a factory cage so it can produce eggs for you, then you are stealing it's quality of life. If you use an animal for testing cosmetics or laundry detergent, you are stealing it's life. These animals are sentient beings and their lives are not yours to take and it is selfish arrogance to think otherwise.

Non- stealing is like non-action. It does not mean not stealing. It means being aware of not taking what is not yours to take and choosing not to do it. It means being awake to self-importance, selfishness, and the sense of entitlement that manifests as stealing behavior.

Free Yoga DVD
Hurry and get a free 20 minute morning practice DVD from Yoga Journal (+$3 shipping) ! www.yogajournal.com/dvdsampler
Yoga Journal also has a free weekly yoga class on podcast
you can check it out here : http://www.yogajournal.com/podcast/
If you look around, you'll see they also have Yoga Journal TV.

I know a lot of people think yoga is too expensive (I paid $9 for a yoga magazine today -- ridiculous !!!) -- but there are ways to cut costs and I have written about it in past posts... Rodney Yee's classes (I looove Rodney) on podcast for a monthly subscription, Yoga For The People.... etc etc... so scroll around my past postings.

It looks like the next wave will be yoga television programs . I know Rodney Yee has a TV show in the works and it seems Yoga Journal is starting something with their Yoga Journal TV.

Hmmm... I always wanted my own studio.. maybe I should forget about that and go straight to TV !!

Money and Finances ....
not my favorite subject by a long shot, but there are some ways on the internet that make learning about it more fun.... this Investopedia website not only has tutorials, financial news and more, it also gives you access to simulated financial "games" -- where you can invest pretend money and see in real time if you picked the right stocks. Try it out... you might be the next Wall Street Wizard -- hopefully, a yogic one.

http://www.investopedia.com/

Perfect Action -Bidding for Good
You can go online to buy your Holiday gifts and benefit many various charities at the same time ! Click on the link below and scroll around ... you can buy everything from tickets to a Broadway show to a Calvin Klein cashmere coat to a luxury trip to Jamaica or Hawaii.... and the money you bid goes to help others. All merchandise/travel is donated by companies for on-line auction and you can take advantage of it and do good at the same time, which makes it a perfect action (very yogic) .
http://www.cmarket.com/auction/BiddingForGood.action

Kirtan with Kamaniya and Tommy Be

Chanting from the Heart and Soul
Friday, Nov. 21 • 8.00 p.m. at Integral Yoga in Greenwich Village $15 (children under 12 are admitted free)
.... the chanting Goddess is back at IYI !!

Thanksgiving for animals too
Try having a vegan or vegetarian Thanksgiving celebration meal. There are lots of vegan recipes on the web. Just click on the link below for a whole festive meal plan with delicious recipes.

Millions of turkeys are slaughtered for Thanksgiving Day. Why continue this sad tradition ? Make your gathering a happier way of celebrating and eating this year -- make the vegetarian meal your new annual tradition.

http://www.mercyforanimals.org/thanksgiving_recipes.asp

World Society for the Protection of Animals
There is unspeakable cruelty towards animals in this world and this is an international society that works to prevent cruelty, create new animal protection laws and educate people. Animals are tortured to the death for human entertainment : bear baiting, bull fights, pit bull fights...
You can become a member of the Animal Rescue Team for a contribution of just $14/month. You can help.

https://www.worldsocietyprotectionofanimals.org/bear/?e27=1007&e28=4042&e29=105000012

May all sentient beings be free of suffering
May all sentient beings know and experience
what is good and beautiful in Life.

Teaching Schedule
Looks like I am teaching a Hatha II/III at Integral Yoga
on this Wednesday (tomorrow) Nov 5th at 6.15PM.
If you want to work on your headstand, this is the class !!

Quinoa
Vegetarians are so clever at finding ways to add protein to their meals. Quinoa is a grain from South America that is packed with much more protein than other grains -- and I can vouch that it is light and delicious ! It's easily available at supermarkets or your health food store. Use quinoa instead of rice. The New York Times gives a recipe on cooking quinoa. Just click on the link.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/03/health/nutrition/03recipehealth.html?em