Yama Challenge #1~Ahisma ~Non Violence (Post 1)

My dear Yogi friends....
I thought I would share my personal challenges with you, this first Yama challenge is 30 days to understanding and practicing Ahisma~ Non Violence.
Each time I have stood up and decided to challenge myself to study a Yama or Niyama I tend to be drawn to the same ones. This time I thought maybe I should start with the first one. Seeing that this one is non-violence I thought I probably don't really need to practice this one as much as others because I am a very non violent person. The non-violence of Ahisma goes so much deeper that I thought. I need this challenge and practice in my life so much more than I realized.

The book The Yama & Niyamas by Deborah Adele has so much valuable information when studying this subject, most of what I am quoting here comes from this resource.
"To create a life and a world free of violence is first and foremost to find our own courage~ Courage is found by facing our fears." Ok, this very first statement tells me I absolutely need work in this area! I have never in my own life faced so many fears and struggled with them as much as I have this past six or seven months.
Another statement I found really resonated with me and my own life " Worry is another way violence gets masked as caring. Worry is a lack of faith in another and cannot exist simultaneously with love. Either we have faith in the other person to do their best, or we don't. Worry says 'I don't trust you to do your life right.'" CARRY LOVE over WORRY and use this to trust your loved ones...... this is part of my challenge with ahimsa. "Thinking that we know what is better for others becomes a subtle way we do violence."
This gives me lots to think about this month. Love lies at the core of non-violence. This love has to start with self love. Loving all parts of ourselves and forgiving ourselves is a big part of this acceptance and the end to treating ourselves with violence.

I am posting Ramdesh Kaur's guided mediation for forgiveness here as a part of a way to start this process of forgiving others and ourselves
In light and love,
Namaste