Daily Yogi’s Guide to Asteya (Non-Stealing)

Table of contents

Daily Yogi branch of Yamas lower limb of yoga - Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, Aparigraha
Yamas – Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, Aparigraha

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)

What does Asteya mean? What is the translation of Asteya?

Asteya (Ah-STAY-yuh) translates to English as Non-Stealing or Non-Grasping.

What is Asteya?

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.

How do I practice Asteya?

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)

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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!

Salamba Sarvangasana - supported shoulder stand pose - yoga pose girl sunny day yoga on the beach
Salamba Sarvangasana – Supported Shoulder Stand

Meditation Practices

Here are some of my favorite meditations I feel embody the spirit of Asteya!

Generosity Guided Meditation.

Guided Meditation on Balance in Our Lives.

Please note this section is currently under construction – please check back soon for more!

Asteya Quotes

  • close-up yellow butterfly on pink flower with pink flowers and green garden in background - Asteya Quote: Practicing Asteya (non-stealing) all wealth comes. - Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
    Practicing Asteya (non-stealing) all wealth comes. – Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
  • mountain brown rocky trail road lined by green pine trees and moss - Asteya Quote: Practicing Asteya (non-stealing) brings all life's treasures. - Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
    Practicing Asteya (non-stealing) brings all life’s treasures. – Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
  • close-up red flower paintbrush wildflower with green leaves in background - asteya non-stealing generosity giving Quote: Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege. - John D. Rockefeller Jr.
    Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege. – John D. Rockefeller Jr.
  • orange butterfly with red and orange flowers with green leaves and gray rocks - asteya non-stealing generosity giving Quote: No one has ever become poor by giving. - Anne Frank
    No one has ever become poor by giving. – Anne Frank
  • pink beach sunset with crashing waves - asteya non-stealing Quote: 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
    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
  • orange and red cone flowers close up with green leaves coming through pavement - asteya non-stealing generosity giving Quote: We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. - Winston Churchill
    We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. – Winston Churchill
  • close up pink and purple tropical flower on dark purple green leaves - asteya non-stealing generosity giving Quote: I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver. - Maya Angelou
    I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver. – Maya Angelou
  • sunlit bright green pine trees in snowy mountain field with bright blue cloudless sky - asteya non-stealing generosity giving Quote: As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way. - Mary Anne Radmacher
    As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way. – Mary Anne Radmacher
  • close up small white thin petaled flower on bright green succulent leaves - asteya non-stealing generosity giving Quote: We only have what we give. - Isabel Allende
    We only have what we give. – Isabel Allende
  • close up pale straw grain and bright green grass with blue sky and white clouds - asteya non-stealing generosity giving Quote: Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. - Robert Louis Stevenson
    Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. – Robert Louis Stevenson
  • dark gray blue sky with sunlight bursting through opening in the clouds - asteya non-stealing altruism Quote: 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.
    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.
  • blue cloudy sky over rocky mountain cliff with snow-covered dark rocks bare aspens and pine trees - asteya non-stealing giving Quote: I think many of my students have followed the advice I gave years ago, to give more than you take. - B.K.S. Iyengar
    I think many of my students have followed the advice I gave years ago, to give more than you take. – B.K.S. Iyengar
  • close-up purple blue hyacinth flower with fuzzy background of green grass and leaves and brown rocks - asteya non-stealing generosity Quote: Generosity is the best investment. - Diane Von Furstenberg
    Generosity is the best investment. – Diane Von Furstenberg
  • close-up of bright green leaves with background of dark green leaves - asteya non-stealing balance Quote: Work, love and play are the great balance wheels of man’s being. - Orison Swett Marden
    Work, love and play are the great balance wheels of man’s being. – Orison Swett Marden
  • close up cool perspective purple flowers - asteya non-stealing generosity Quote - 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
    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
  • epic snow covered colorado alpine mountain valley under bright blue sky - asteya non-stealing balance Quote: Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create. - Jana Kingsford
    Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create. – Jana Kingsford
  • cool perspective purple flowers with green leaves in background - asteya non-stealing generosity Quote: Generosity is the most natural outward expression of an inner attitude of compassion and loving-kindness. - 14th Dalai Lama
    Generosity is the most natural outward expression of an inner attitude of compassion and loving-kindness. – 14th Dalai Lama
  • cool perspective bright green plant leaves - asteya non-stealing generosity Quote: The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving. - Albert Einstein
    The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving. – Albert Einstein
  • indoor garden conservatory with stone walls filled with white and yellow roses and bright green plants under white tapestries and cast iron hanging lanterns - asteya non-stealing balance Quote: To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors. - Tia Walker
    To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors. – Tia Walker
  • cool perspective looking up at flower pod and right green plant leaves - asteya non-stealing generosity Quote: 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
    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
  • cool perspective guardrail and road along sunlit alpine lake under partly cloudy sky - asteya non-stealing balance Quote: 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
    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
  • epic snow covered colorado alpine mountain valley and lake under bright blue cloudy sky - asteya non-stealing generosity giving Quote: 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
    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
  • cool shot of alpine mountain valley with snowy pine trees under cloudy blue sky - asteya non-stealing giving balance Quote: 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
    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
  • alpine valley with darkened green pine trees in snowy epic mountain valley under clear purple blue twilight sky - asteya non-stealing giving balance Quote: People who care about each other enjoy doing things for one another. They don't consider it servitude. - Ann Landers
    People who care about each other enjoy doing things for one another. They don’t consider it servitude. – Ann Landers
  • alpine valley with darkened green pine trees in snowy epic mountain valley under cloudy blue purple sky with moon and evening star shining through the clouds - asteya non-stealing giving generosity Quote: 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
    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
  • cool shot of people standing inside big ben clock - asteya non-stealing giving balance time Quote: 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 original work - https://unsplash.com/photos/IXpuRZvhCT0
    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
  • waves crashing on beach cool perspective pink and orange sunset on rocky beach inlet under the sunset - asteya non-stealing giving generosity Quote: The law of prosperity is generosity. If you want more, give more. - Bob Proctor
    The law of prosperity is generosity. If you want more, give more. – Bob Proctor
  • cool perspective close-up purple alpine flowers and green leaves - asteya non-stealing giving balance Quote: If you don’t like what you are reaping, you had better change what you have been sowing. - Jim Rohn
    If you don’t like what you are reaping, you had better change what you have been sowing. – Jim Rohn
  • close-up cool perspective of colorful van goh flower painting projection from immersive exhibition - asteya non-stealing giving generosity Quote: 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
    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
  • garden with green leafy tree among green grass and shrubs under blue sky - asteya non-stealing giving balance Quote: Justice is balance in human affairs. Balance is wider than justice, since it includes justice and more than justice. - Orlando Jay Smith
    Justice is balance in human affairs. Balance is wider than justice, since it includes justice and more than justice. – Orlando Jay Smith

Today’s Practice

Ready for more? Join the community with Today’s Positive Practice