Asteya which translates to non-stealing.
And let's start with the story.
A few years ago,
There was a friend of mine who was passed over for a promotion.
She was qualified,
She was hard-working and she was well-liked.
But instead of confronting her disappointment directly,
She began to withdraw.
And then something strange happened.
She started gossiping about the colleague who got the promotion.
She'd take extra long breaks.
She even started to borrow office supplies for her home.
Nothing major,
Just those little things that weren't hers.
And when I had a conversation with her,
When we talked,
She said,
I just feel like I'm constantly being robbed of recognition,
Of time,
Of fairness and I'm just taking a little back.
And that's when I thought about Asteya,
Non-stealing.
Not in the literal sense,
But in how we deal with envy,
How we deal with entitlement,
How we even deal with scarcity in our daily lives.
So what is Asteya?
Asteya is one of the Yamas and it translates to non-stealing.
But in the yogic philosophy,
Asteya is more than just don't take what isn't yours.
In yogic philosophy,
Asteya is about integrity.
It's about contentment.
It's about abundance.
It asks the question,
What am I taking that I don't need?
And what am I denying others because of my own insecurity,
Because of my own desire?
So in our modern lives,
How does Asteya show up?
When we think about non-stealing,
We think,
Yeah,
I'm not a thief.
I don't steal.
But Asteya invites us to look deeper.
How does stealing show up in everyday life?
Firstly,
There's time theft,
Robbing time.
When you're scrolling social media at work,
When you're paid to do something else,
When you're showing up late to meetings and making others wait,
When you're repeatedly cancelling plans at the last minute,
We are stealing time,
Our time and the time of others when we devalue it.
Then there's attention theft,
Dominating a conversation,
Not letting others speak,
Oversharing on social media simply to gain validation.
What we are doing here is,
We are taking more than our share of the spotlight,
More than our share of the energy.
Then there's idea theft,
Taking credit even subtly for someone else's ideas,
Using content online without attributing the source.
Because creativity is sacred,
Use it but give credit where it's due.
Then there's emotional stealing,
Expecting others to constantly support you without reciprocation from your side,
Holding grudges,
Denying forgiveness when the other person is trying.
So withholding love,
Withholding attention,
Withholding empathy can also be a form of stealing.
Then we have scarcity mentality,
When we are hoarding resources,
Whether it's food,
Whether it's opportunities,
And also whether it's affection.
When we act out of fear,
Fear that there won't be enough for me.
Asteya encourages us to trust in the abundance of life.
But why do we steal?
And many of us,
We don't steal out of malice,
But we do it out of fear,
We do it out of insecurity,
We do it out of desire.
We steal time because we feel overworked,
We steal attention because we feel unseen,
We steal emotionally because we don't know how to ask for what we need.
But Asteya,
The principle of non-stealing,
It teaches that what you take out of fear,
You never really receive it in all its fullness.
So getting practical,
How do we practice Asteya?
How do we practice non-stealing in our daily life?
Five ways.
Firstly,
Give more than you take.
You can start a meeting by asking what others need,
What others want,
By offering help before it is requested.
Generosity is the antidote to stealing.
Secondly,
Audit your time.
Try to notice where you're stealing time,
From work,
From relationships or even from yourself.
Can you give that time back?
Can you give it back by being more present or by setting better,
Stronger boundaries?
Thirdly,
Acknowledge contributions.
At home,
At work,
Highlight others' ideas and input.
Give praise,
Give it freely.
Fourthly,
Shift from scarcity to abundance.
Instead of hoarding,
Instead of withholding,
Practice believing that there's enough.
There's enough love.
There's enough success.
There's enough opportunity and there is enough time.
And finally,
Be grateful.
Living in gratitude,
It neutralizes that desire to steal.
When we are thankful,
We stop grasping.
We are grateful for what we already have.
So,
Asteya.
Asteya isn't just about what we take.
It is also about what we refuse to give.
What we refuse to give when the world needs it.
Our time,
Our presence,
Our compassion and our integrity.
So,
Two questions that you can ask yourself today.
In your life,
In the different areas of your life,
Where are you taking more than you need?
Where are you taking more than you need?
And secondly,
Where can you give more than you have?
Where can you give more than you have?
And remember that practicing Asteya,
Practicing non-stealing,
It's not about perfection.
It's about awareness,
Being aware.
Because with awareness,
Change doesn't just become possible.
Change is inevitable.
Thank you for listening.
Namaste.
