When I did my Yama-work (mind detox, see yesterday’s blog) the first time, it became very clear that I couldn’t support violence in any form. I tried to find out how I did that unconsciously in anyway, as a voter, a consumer, a citizen. Did I support violence indirectly? I saw many areas that I never reflected upon before. I saw that I had a choice to do things differently in ordinary daily choices. The easiest thing to start my mind detox with was to stop all killing, including marine animals, as I had already stopped killing , or given the order to kill, poultry and cattle.
I started my Yama, my mind detox, as a part of the Ashtanga Yoga studies, and I still detox…daily. It’s a process that doesn’t stop, it just becomes a good habit, quicker every day. Like the habit of figuring out how to sell more, work better or celebrate an event, I allowed this to occupy my mind and implement it in everything else I did too. From getting rid of the obvious habits like animal food, I did a full year of not buying anything that I didn’t really need (more about this mind detox in upcoming blog). I stopped supporting violence by watching violent movies, and reading violent books and news.
It felt great! Much better than I could ever have imagined, not only did my conscious and mind health improve but I felt more energy and healthier in my body too. It gave me Prana on all levels! This was over 15 years ago, and it still feels so good to avoid all violence, and know that I don’t participate in the slaughter of 400 million animals a day. Wow! How many liters of blood would that be shed every day? It feels so fantastically, beautifully right not to be involved in the ordering of that blood shedding. It feels soooo good 🙂 I don’t have words for how GOOD it feels to not look away either, and here is probably where the largest health achievement lays. A bonus is my improved digestion, my enhanced energy, peace, vitality; in both my body and mind health. And the health of my loved ones. Now we know from several studies that vegan food makes us less aggressive, makes us produce less stress hormones and more ‘happy hormones’, decreases inflammation, and leads to a peaceful mind and better sleep.

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