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1st Limb of Yoga – Yamas (Interpersonal Ethics) #3: Asteya
The first 2 of the 8 Limbs of Yoga are the Yamas and Niyamas. There are 5 Yamas and 5 Niyamas, and we will take a full day to practice each of the five.
Many of the translations from Sanskrit to English for the Yamas (YAH-muhs), or Interpersonal Ethics, are things you should NOT do. I consider many of the Yamas to be different embodiments of The Golden Rule – “do unto others as you would want done to you.” Of course we aim to not do the negative thing, but on the flip side we also should try to embody the positive opposite. Let’s take a closer look at the third of five Yamas – Asteya.
All about Asteya (Non-Stealing)
Asteya (Ah-STAY-yuh) translates to English as Non-Stealing or Non-Grasping.
Asteya (Ah-STAY-yuh) translates to English as Non-Stealing, and is another universal moral and reflection of the golden rule in the Yamas. Asteya of course means literally not stealing possessions, but it also means not stealing or being selfish with the time, energy, and ideas of others. The positive opposite behavior of non-stealing that we want to encourage is generosity. There is a balance between giving and receiving.. one should not allow oneself to be taken advantage of, along with not taking advantage of others.
Asteya of course means literally not stealing possessions, but it also means not stealing or being selfish with the time, energy, and ideas of others. The positive opposite behavior of stealing that we want to encourage is generosity. There is a balance between giving and receiving.. one should not allow oneself to be taken advantage of, along with not taking advantage of others. My favorite Asteya practice is a random act of generosity – volunteering or supporting a charitable cause!
How to practice Asteya (Non-Stealing)
How to practice Asteya (Non-Stealing)
- Volunteer
It can be big or small. If you can, make a donation to a food bank, or charity to help those in need, since many people are out of work and struggling to feed their families. If you are short on cash, ask someone you care about who is having a tough time if you can help with household chores, or yard work, or anything else to make their lives easier and take something off their plate.
- Donate to Charity
It can be big or small. If you can, make a donation to a food bank, or charity to help those in need. Go through the pantry, or old clothes, or the garage, and donate to someone you care about or a charitable organization. Make a cash donation to a nonprofit organization or cause that is meaningful to you. Whatever feels like the right way for you to practice being generous and sharing with others.
- Practice active non-stealing.
Find areas where you have been giving more than taking. Give back to those who take care of you the most, and try to implement more balance in your life.
Asana Practices
Here are some Asanas (poses) and Asana series I feel embody the spirit of Asteya! Click the images to learn to how perform the pose or more about the Asana style!
Please note this section is currently under construction – please check back soon for more!
Meditation Practices
Here are some of my favorite meditations I feel embody the spirit of Asteya!
Guided Meditation on Balance in Our Lives.
Please note this section is currently under construction – please check back soon for more!
Asteya Quotes
Practicing Asteya (non-stealing) all wealth comes. – Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 
Practicing Asteya (non-stealing) brings all life’s treasures. – Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 
Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege. – John D. Rockefeller Jr. 
No one has ever become poor by giving. – Anne Frank 
It’s not about the balance, it’s about designing a work-home-family life that makes you feel good. A life you don’t need a vacation from. – Jacqueline Fisch, Unfussy Mom 
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. – Winston Churchill 
I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver. – Maya Angelou 
As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way. – Mary Anne Radmacher 
We only have what we give. – Isabel Allende 
Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. – Robert Louis Stevenson 
Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness – Martin Luther King, Jr. 
I think many of my students have followed the advice I gave years ago, to give more than you take. – B.K.S. Iyengar 
Generosity is the best investment. – Diane Von Furstenberg 
Work, love and play are the great balance wheels of man’s being. – Orison Swett Marden 
Generosity is an activity that loosens us up. By offering whatever we can – a dollar, a flower, a word of encouragement – we are training in letting go. – Pema Chodron 
Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create. – Jana Kingsford 
Generosity is the most natural outward expression of an inner attitude of compassion and loving-kindness. – 14th Dalai Lama 
The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving. – Albert Einstein 
To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors. – Tia Walker 
It takes generosity to discover the whole through others. If you realize you are only a violin, you can open yourself up to the world by playing your role in the concert. – Jacques-Yves Cousteau 
We need to introduce a little balance into your life. Part of this balance means not missing out on some of the marvels of life around you, the fun, some excitement, or other challenges in life. – Catherine Pulsifer 
Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give. – Eleanor Roosevelt 
It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it. – Albert Einstein 
People who care about each other enjoy doing things for one another. They don’t consider it servitude. – Ann Landers 
We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers. – Seneca 
Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back. – Harvey MacKay 
The law of prosperity is generosity. If you want more, give more. – Bob Proctor 
If you don’t like what you are reaping, you had better change what you have been sowing. – Jim Rohn 
That’s what I consider true generosity: You give your all, and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing. – Simone de Beauvoir 
Justice is balance in human affairs. Balance is wider than justice, since it includes justice and more than justice. – Orlando Jay Smith
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