Incorporate asteya (non-stealing) into your yoga practice with an asana, mantra, and mudra to help bring into focus the subtle and not-so-subtleways the yama plays out in your life.
Asteya translates to “non-stealing” and reminds us that we have all that we need; that we should act from a place of abundance instead ofscarcity. To incorporate asteya into your own life and practice, start with the pose, mudra (hand-and-finger gesture), and mantra (a sacred utterance repeated continuously) below. Do this practice on its own, add more poses with the accompanying 10-minute video sequence, or link all of the yamas and niyamas together, one pose as a time, forming a sequence.
Asteya Yoga Practice
Hold the pose, with its mudra, for 3–5 breaths, mindfully chanting, aloud or internally, its accompanying mantra.
Asana: Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III Pose)
Warrior III reminds us to seek balance in all aspects of life. From Crescent Lunge, place your hands at your heart and shift your weight forward. Lift your back leg until it parallels the earth, initiating movement from the inner thigh to maintain level hips.
Mudra: Hasta (Hand) Mudra
Add a heart-opening element with Hasta (hand) Mudra, a gesture of both offering and receiving. Reach your arms out and radiate your upturned palms, releasing the fear of not having enough.
Mantra: Om shrim lakshmiyei namaha
Summon the power of Lakshmi, the goddess of light and abundance, by chanting Om shrim lakshmiyei namaha, an invocation of her name and what she stands for. If you feel you have all you need, you won’t need to take it from someone else.
Watch the video
To tie it all together or to deepen your work around asteya, try this heart-opening 10-minute practice with Coral Brown.
Make it a sequence
If you are doing these yama and niyama practices as a sequence, repeat Warrior I (Ahimsa), Crescent Lunge (Satya), and Warrior III (Asteya) on the left side.
YOGA JOURNAL, SEPT 2015