Before handstands, before breathwork, before any of it, yoga begins with how we live. In this episode of On the Mat, Leah introduces the foundational ethics of the yoga practice: the Yamas and Niyamas, as taught in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. You'll hear the mythic origin story of the sage Patanjali, explore what it really means to live in alignment with yogic values, and dive deep into the first (and arguably most important) yama: Ahimsa, or non-violence.

Ahimsa asks us to do more than avoid harm. It calls us to become agents of peace in the way we think, act, rest, eat, speak, and move through the world. Leah explores how this principle applies not only to our relationships and the planet, but also to how we treat ourselves, on and off the mat.

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