Asteya

October 4, 2012 — Lena West, New York City, Triberr, TribeUpNYC

Honoring what belongs to others is a yama, or social restraint, set out by Patanjali in the yoga sutras. To practice asteya is to understand that being satisfied with what I have is essential to my contribution to society. It also requires that I honor the time, accomplishments, and possesions of others. The yamas are simple and straightforward, designed for endless practice.   They provide an ethical framework for living in this world while seeking enlightenment. Asteya has the effect of priming the pump by a mindset of coveting absolutely nothing. It is to be satisfied.  It is to respect everyone’s boundaries and belongings.  The most precious belonging anyone has is time.

Lena West

At the TribeUpNY on the equinox we enjoyed the presence and the teachings of Ms. Lena West, social marketing historian/wizard/teacher cum laude.  She made the excellent point that time is not money, as the trite saying would have us believe.  She ably demonstrated that time wasted can never be found.  Money can be leveraged.   If one cares to increase the value and the impact of time it must be leveraged as well.  Her point is that influence is real, is valuable, and is gained by leveraging ( focusing) time. It was not her intention to come off yogic.  Her message was 100 % asteya.  Do what you do well. Don’t try to digest the entirety of the world at all times.  Make and respect boundaries that create value.  When you focus on your own well, take care of it and set limits on it, flow happens.  When your focus travels to distractions of any kind you loose the value of the time that is only given once.  I think Lena Patanjali West is brilliant. Here is her presentation from TribeUp: