Yoga sutra 2.34
vitarkā-hiṁsā-ādayaḥ-kṛta-kārita-anumoditāḥ-lobha-krodha-moha-pūrvakāḥ mṛdu-madhya-adhimātrāḥ duḥkha-ajñāna-ananta-phalāḥ iti pratipakṣa-bhāvanam
Negative impulses such as aggressiveness that we preform ourselves or provoke or tolerate or condone, are rooted in greed, rage and delusion. They are mild, moderate or powerful. Their outcomes are suffering and ignorance. We should cultivate the opposite mental attitude.
Conflicting feelings and negative impulses such as violence lead you away from the practice of the yama-s and niyama-s. Such negative thoughts become action not only when you directly engage in the same, but also when you let them happen.
With the above in mind, yoga offers a solution to dealing wiht such awful situations. Instead of tolerating that which you do not approve of, you should go in the opposite mental direction and be the change that you want to see in the world.
Damian Cadman-Jones is an authorised teacher of Prana Vashya Yoga™
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