Episode Transcript
[00:00:11] Speaker A: Hello, my friend.
[00:00:13] Speaker B: Welcome back to another episode of deep in your practice.
[00:00:16] Speaker A: I am your host, Lauren Leduc. And today we're going to talk about deepening your practice through voting. So, yes, we're getting off of the.
[00:00:26] Speaker B: Yoga mat and into the voting booth.
[00:00:30] Speaker A: So most of us modern yogis don't.
[00:00:33] Speaker B: Have a distraction free life. We don't live in caves. We're not only devoting our lives to a monk like practice, we have families, we have jobs.
[00:00:47] Speaker A: We are members of a larger society, right?
[00:00:51] Speaker B: So it becomes our duty to engage civically. So we'll talk about how yoga and civic engagement, especially voting, intersect today.
[00:01:03] Speaker A: Yoga isn't just about the physical practice on the mat. It has a deep and rich history.
[00:01:10] Speaker B: And philosophical backbone as well. Yoga is a way of life, and.
[00:01:16] Speaker A: In my opinion, it encourages to be active participants in the world. So I'll start with few philosophical principles within the yoga sutras that, in my opinion, voting really aligns with. So we'll start with the first two limbs of the eight limbed path in Patanjali's yoga sutras.
[00:01:38] Speaker B: I'll have a future episode going into a lot more depth on this, but.
[00:01:43] Speaker A: These are kind of the Ten Commandments, if you will, of yoga.
[00:01:47] Speaker B: And the Yamas are ethical disciplines, and.
[00:01:51] Speaker A: Niyamas are personal observances.
[00:01:54] Speaker B: In essence, they are ethical principles.
[00:01:57] Speaker A: They are values to embody, and we.
[00:02:00] Speaker B: Can embody these through the act of voting.
[00:02:04] Speaker A: So one of the yamas, or disciplines that's really important is called ahimsa. And ahimsa means non harm.
[00:02:14] Speaker B: So when we vote, we can practice.
[00:02:18] Speaker A: Ahimsa by choosing policies and choosing people who represent us that help reduce harm and promote well being for all living beings. And these sound really easy on the surface, but we have to dive into what is harmful. I don't know if you've ever seen.
[00:02:38] Speaker B: The show the good place, but one.
[00:02:41] Speaker A: Of the topics they explore in this.
[00:02:43] Speaker B: Comedy is that it's pretty much impossible.
[00:02:46] Speaker A: To not cause harm in this modern world. So we have to look at things with a lot of discernment and figure out, really, like, what are these overarching policies that reduce harm. So there aren't a lot, really, that can get rid of it entirely, at least not yet. So how do we reduce harm and encourage a sense of well being, especially in a way that is attainable and realistic and has long lens attached to it? So we're not always looking for, like, fast, easy, short term gain. We're looking at the long run. We're looking at the future for our.
[00:03:23] Speaker B: Children and grandchildren, children, and so on. So how do we choose policies and.
[00:03:29] Speaker A: Representatives that reduce harm? Another ethical discipline, or Yama, is called Satya. And Satya means truthfulness. So how do we support truth? How do we support integrity, not only within ourselves, but within our society? How do we make choices? How do we use the power of our vote to promote truth? Today, as I'm posing these questions, they're not to tell you what to think, but they're meant to help you go inward, maybe to encourage you to do your research so that you can feel aligned and in integrity with your innermost ethics. What is the world that you wish.
[00:04:15] Speaker B: To see truly, and how do we get there?
[00:04:17] Speaker A: The last principle from Yama's and Niyama.
[00:04:20] Speaker B: That I'll talk about is a niyamah.
[00:04:22] Speaker A: Or personal observance, called Swadiya.
[00:04:26] Speaker B: This hearkens back to what I just.
[00:04:27] Speaker A: Said a moment ago. But this is all about self study.
[00:04:31] Speaker B: It's about self reflection, and particularly in.
[00:04:34] Speaker A: This instance, reflecting on your. How your individual choices, like voting, shape our collective reality. So are we trying to serve only our interests, or are we looking out for the whole? Are we choosing purely from emotions? Or are we able to look at the facts and then take those facts and sort them out with our inner compass?
[00:04:59] Speaker B: The next yogic concept in relation to.
[00:05:02] Speaker A: Voting I'd like to introduce is karma.
[00:05:05] Speaker B: Yoga, which is a whole arm of yoga outlined in the bhagavad gita. And it's the yoga of action.
[00:05:12] Speaker A: It's not only the yoga of action, it's selfless action and right action. So there are a few principles within.
[00:05:20] Speaker B: That that we can examine when it.
[00:05:23] Speaker A: Comes to this question of voting.
[00:05:25] Speaker B: Right.
[00:05:26] Speaker A: So one aspect of karma yoga is to be of service to others.
[00:05:30] Speaker B: So karma yoga is the path of selfless action.
[00:05:34] Speaker A: And voting is a wonderful way to be of service to others and contribute.
[00:05:39] Speaker B: To the greater good.
[00:05:40] Speaker A: There are many decisions and actions that.
[00:05:42] Speaker B: We take in life, and the Bhagavad.
[00:05:45] Speaker A: Gita would sort them into karma or dharma. Right.
[00:05:49] Speaker B: And when we're practicing karma yoga, the actions that we take are aligned with.
[00:05:54] Speaker A: Universal law, which are like ethical principles, and they're aligned with our individual dharma.
[00:05:59] Speaker B: Too, or our svadharma.
[00:06:01] Speaker A: And when we align ourselves in this.
[00:06:03] Speaker B: Way, it liberates us from really, like.
[00:06:06] Speaker A: The constraints that selfishness brings.
[00:06:09] Speaker B: So, again, voting is a way to.
[00:06:11] Speaker A: Contribute to the greater good and to.
[00:06:13] Speaker B: Think really beyond ourselves. And speaking of that, we have this.
[00:06:17] Speaker A: Collective responsibility that's part of dharma.
[00:06:20] Speaker B: It's a form of action that considers.
[00:06:24] Speaker A: The needs of the community and the whole world, not just our personal interests. And another really important part of karma.
[00:06:31] Speaker B: Yoga is kind of non attaching from the results, which is really hard. So Karma yoga asks us to act.
[00:06:38] Speaker A: In right action and selfless action without.
[00:06:42] Speaker B: Regard to the fruit of our results, which is, yeah, super hard, I think. Especially when we really, really, really want.
[00:06:51] Speaker A: Something to happen, it feels so important. But sometimes our person doesn't always win. Our policy doesn't always win.
[00:07:00] Speaker B: But we still have to engage in.
[00:07:03] Speaker A: The process for the benefit of all. And if things don't turn out the way that we want them to turn out, it is not an invitation to be in denial of reality. It's not an invitation to be defeated or to give up. It's an invitation to continue acting in.
[00:07:20] Speaker B: The spirit of karma yoga, in the spirit of selfless action, to hold our.
[00:07:26] Speaker A: Truths, to hold our values, to hold.
[00:07:29] Speaker B: Our ethics preciously, and to continue acting in that way. So we don't give up.
[00:07:34] Speaker A: We keep going. We face reality for what it is, and we keep going.
[00:07:38] Speaker B: Another concept that connects yoga and voting.
[00:07:41] Speaker A: To me is union.
[00:07:43] Speaker B: I talk about in episode one what yoga means.
[00:07:46] Speaker A: And the direct translation of the actual word yoga is yug, or to yog, which also translates to Yun. You hear people talk about how we're all one.
[00:07:55] Speaker B: And, yes, we are all one. We're all connected.
[00:07:58] Speaker A: Like, yes, we are all unique beings, but we are all an interconnected part.
[00:08:02] Speaker B: Of this world, a part of the.
[00:08:04] Speaker A: Earth, part of the universe. And the choices that we make as individuals do not happen within a vacuum. They affect everyone and everything in small ways and in large. And our voting can be a reflection of this unity. It acknowledges this interdependence and this idea that our actions absolutely affect others from a global perspective. Our local actions, like voting, whether it's in a national election or local or both, it influences our community, of course, and our country, but also policy that affects the entire world. So can we hold the world in Metta? Can we hold the world in loving kindness?
[00:08:49] Speaker B: Can we love not only our neighbor.
[00:08:52] Speaker A: But our neighbor across the world as we love ourselves? This is what yoga asks of us.
[00:08:58] Speaker B: I spoke early, earlier of Dharma. And Dharma is not just about universal.
[00:09:04] Speaker A: Law, but it's about living your purpose. And this connects to voting as well. Everyone has a unique purpose, and part.
[00:09:12] Speaker B: Of that is contributing to the society that we live in.
[00:09:16] Speaker A: In your own unique way, we might.
[00:09:18] Speaker B: Not be able to be the ones in charge, for instance.
[00:09:22] Speaker A: We might not have all of the answers for everything, but when we're in our dharma. We're really aligned with what our purpose is, what we are good at, and it's able to influence the whole in.
[00:09:34] Speaker B: Its own special, unique way. And it's really important that everyone finds.
[00:09:40] Speaker A: This and does their part.
[00:09:41] Speaker B: There's also this concept of social dharma, of this collective dharma.
[00:09:47] Speaker A: And by all participating in this together, hopefully we can create a more just and peaceful society.
[00:09:55] Speaker B: I really do believe most people in their hearts want to feel free. They want justice, they want love, they want peace.
[00:10:03] Speaker A: Despite animal instincts.
[00:10:05] Speaker B: Be sight, despite how can we, as yogis, really go inward and find that and then align our actions with it? And then we can't really control, you know, what other people can do, but.
[00:10:15] Speaker A: We can be influential by being in our purpose. Other people do notice, and it does.
[00:10:20] Speaker B: Have a positive effect. There are a couple of obstacles, I.
[00:10:23] Speaker A: Think, to voting, and these show up in the philosophy as well. And one would absolutely be apathy.
[00:10:30] Speaker B: Feeling like it's a lost cause, feeling like maybe your vote or your voice doesn't matter.
This is vesha or aversion, which is.
[00:10:41] Speaker A: Talked about in the yoga sutras.
[00:10:42] Speaker B: It's this feeling of I don't matter.
[00:10:45] Speaker A: Nothing matters, I won't have an effect on this world. This is not a yogic stance. In fact, we want to be in our own power.
[00:10:52] Speaker B: And I'll talk about that in a little bit. So, a couple of yogic tips to engage civically.
[00:10:58] Speaker A: One would be use your mindfulness in voting. Reflect and do your research before casting your vote.
[00:11:05] Speaker B: Make sure that you are upholding policies.
[00:11:08] Speaker A: And candidates through a yogic lens.
[00:11:11] Speaker B: Hold them to a very high standard, because that is what yoga asks of us.
[00:11:16] Speaker A: And again, we do have to hold some form of non attachment to the results. Not in the way that it slides.
[00:11:23] Speaker B: Into apathy, not at all, but just being radically accepting of reality so that we can take our next steps mindfully, with truth, and with the best information that we have. So, friends, I do encourage you to view voting as an extension of your yoga practice. It is one that embodies the principles of yoga, both on the mat and off. And please check voter registration deadlines in.
[00:11:52] Speaker A: Your state and make sure you're still on the polls. So check your voter registration, even if you've registered a long time ago.
[00:11:59] Speaker B: I live in Missouri and the deadline is October 9, and I'll put a.
[00:12:04] Speaker A: Link in the show notes where you.
[00:12:05] Speaker B: Can click and very easily register to.
[00:12:08] Speaker A: Vote if you're a citizen of the United States.
[00:12:10] Speaker B: And I encourage you to do your.
[00:12:12] Speaker A: Research on the candidates, not just the presidential candidates, but the ones down ticket and all of the different issues that.
[00:12:19] Speaker B: Come up to vote on. This is your chance to align with your integrity, to align with your ethics and values the very best you can.
[00:12:27] Speaker A: To reduce harm, and to practice your.
[00:12:30] Speaker B: Yoga off of the mat.
[00:12:31] Speaker A: And if you're a student of true.
[00:12:33] Speaker B: Love yoga, we have a yoga challenge going on through the entire month of October, and you get little stickers for.
[00:12:42] Speaker A: Coming to class, but you get bonus.
[00:12:44] Speaker B: Stickers for registering to vote or voting.
[00:12:47] Speaker A: Early if you just show us like a screenshot or proof of it.
[00:12:51] Speaker B: And we're happy to give you some.
[00:12:52] Speaker A: Extra little stars for engaging in this way. So everyone, thank you so much for listening. I hope that this encourages you to participate in civic life, to use voting as a tool for service, compassion, and positive change.
[00:13:09] Speaker B: Om Shanti and peace.
[00:13:11] Speaker A: Until next time.
