How to heal yourself from everyday violence

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Once upon a time, a fierce samurai went to a Zen master with a question about the nature of heaven and hell. The Zen master was not impressed by the samurai’s aggression.

“You are too stupid to understand such things. Go away," said the Zen master. Enraged, the samurai drew his katāna to strike the master.

The master calmly said, “This is hell." Realising that his rage and violence created his own suffering, the samurai lowered his sword and bowed. “And this is heaven," added the master. This is a story that captures the innate potential of human beings to be violent as well as to grow through awareness and realise their highest potential.

We live in a world that is increasingly torn by war. Albert Einstein once said that the most important decision we will ever make in our lives is whether we believe in a friendly or a hostile universe. If our perception of the world is of it being a hostile place, our response to life and beings around us will carry seeds of violence that will ultimately impact our own health and well-being.

So, how does one nurture a way of being that is anchored in a sense of friendliness and compassion towards ourselves and the world? “The nature of himsa (violence) is a part of our nature. This is why, in Patanjali’s Yoga Sūtras, the practice of yoga is articulated as that of ahimsa (non-violence)," says Saraswathi Vasudevan, co-founder of YogaVahini Foundation in Chennai and a student of yoga acharya T.K.V. Desikachar.

All living beings have a natural urge for self-preservation. When we perceive a threat, this deep-seated urge springs forth. Trauma healing methods such as somatic experiencing are based on fight, flight or freeze energies that arise during such