SHARON RHINEY

314Yoga

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When used purposefully and mindfully, meditation can be a deeply powerful tool for nonviolent action.

Meditation uses the mind to transcend limitations placed against equality and social progress. Far from allowing anyone to opt out of taking action or standing up and amplifying the voices of the unheard, meditation is an effective instrument for tapping into social consciousness. When used purposefully and mindfully, meditation can be a deeply powerful tool for nonviolent action.

The many personal benefits of a meditation practice have been scientifically researched, documented, and confirmed. There is no single coherent practice any more than there is a single coherent yoga practice. Most religions and belief systems include some type of meditation. It is a form of response rather than reaction, especially in the heat of injustice or unrest. When used well, the results are greater understanding, connection, empathy and clarity. When used to optimal effect, the results are changes in consciousness, laws, and greater compassion within society.

It isn’t absolutely imperative that an activist attain their own peace first before committing to a cause, however a meditator may be able to make a clearer decision to do what is most needed in the heat of a moment, even without the luxury of time. For an ongoing commitment that aligns within a movement, constant self-reflection is necessary.

Thousands of years ago in present-day India, legendary leader and archer Arjuna took up arms to fulfill his duty as a warrior and to preserve the laws of the universe. Every mindful thought and action he took while facing his enemies is meticulously documented in the seminal work The Bhagavad Gita. His was the story of dharma, the greater purpose one plays in the universal laws of flow and order. It is each person’s gift they can offer the world.

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For activists and allies caught in their own state of unrest, struggle or denial, meditation is a tool for addressing personal biases, issues, materialism, x-phobias and x-isms.

After studying many religions and practices, Nonviolent Communication creator Marshall Rosenberg offered two questions one could ask themselves before taking any action: “What is alive in us all?” and “What will make life more wonderful for all?” Although a Baptist minister, Martin Luther King was deeply influenced by Thoreau, Emerson, Thich Nhat Hanh and of course Gandhi — all social activists with both meditation and yoga practices. King’s philosophy could well be a summary of the Gita: “True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.”

Following a great unrest, allies may find themselves struggling against underlying feelings. To their dismay, they may even agree with the perpetrators, excuse behaviors, or downplay racism for their own comfort and not for the overall cause. Sometimes allies within a movement will attack or oppress others, or even blame the oppressed for their own situation. For activists and allies caught in their own state of unrest, struggle or denial, meditation is a tool for addressing personal biases, issues, materialism, x-phobias and x-isms. It can offer a view into personal and purposeful dharma. Meditation can transcend linear thought, rote education, and unquestioned beliefs rooted in fear, ignorance, prejudice or tradition.

Social activists who meditate do indeed hold these truths to be self-evident that all are created equal. American philosopher, political activist and intellectual Cornel West says, “Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.” Yoga on the mat is yoga off the mat.