The Ways We Steal From Our Own Rest and Growth

Asteya: Respecting Time, Energy and Source

Most of us understand stealing as taking something that belongs to another person. But Yoga asks us to look more deeply.

What about the time we continually take away from our own rest? What about the attention we give to distraction instead of what genuinely nourishes us? What about the promises we make to ourselves and repeatedly place at the bottom of the list?

We can steal from ourselves through overwork, overcommitment, constant distraction, social media and the continual neglect of our own needs.

Asteya means non-stealing. It calls us into a deeper relationship with respect, for another person’s time, for shared spaces, for the sources of our knowledge and for the practices that support our own growth.

Reclaim Time for What Nourishes You

This journal begins the enquiry into the subtle ways we may take time, energy and attention from ourselves and others. Inside Buddhi Light, we unpack Asteya more deeply through our Light on Philosophy series.

Using podcast teachings, video lectures and reflective practices, we bring the philosophy into daily life. You are invited to examine the patterns that continually place your own growth and nourishment at the bottom of the list, while creating a more conscious relationship with your time, attention, knowledge and energy.

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Respecting Another Person’s Time and Energy

Asteya may ask: Do I steal another person’s time by being habitually late? Do I enter shared spaces without considering the experience of those already there? Do I expect another person to continually give their attention, care or energy without considering what I am offering in return?

In a Yoga space, arriving on time is not only about personal discipline. It protects the experience of others. Entering after a practice has begun can disturb the quiet, the teacher and the students who have already settled inward.

Asteya asks us to recognise that our choices do not occur in isolation.

The Ways We Steal From Ourselves

Perhaps the most subtle expression of Asteya is the way we take from our own wellbeing. We may continually give away the time we had intended to use for rest. We may sacrifice our practice whenever someone else needs something. We may postpone what matters to us because our attention has become scattered across too many commitments.

Asteya is not asking us to feel guilty for missing a practice or having a full week. It asks us to notice the pattern and consciously choose what we use our time and attention for. Because we know that whatever you give your attention to will grow.

Is caring for yourself always the first thing to disappear? Are you continually taking time away from the very practices that help you become more present, patient, and steady?

When we begin to feel inwardly fulfilled, we have less need to grasp at what belongs to someone else. We also become less willing to abandon what genuinely supports us.

Reflection as Practice

Look beyond material possessions. Consider how you use time, attention, knowledge and energy, both your own and that of others.

Journal Prompts for Asteya

• Where could I be more respectful of another person’s time, energy or attention?
• How might I stop stealing from my own growth, rest or wisdom?

Explore This Teaching More Deeply

Inside Buddhi Light, our Light on Philosophy series brings the deeper teachings of Yoga into daily life through podcast teachings, video lectures and reflective practices. It is not simply philosophy to learn, but wisdom to observe, question, practice and gradually embody.

 EXPLORE BUDDHI LIGHT