Ahimsa is the root of yoga practice

Practicing ahimsa is the root of the spiritual practice of yoga. All of our actions create an impression in our psyche and the universe. Making the conscious choice for loving and positive action is the first step of practicing ahimsa.We love summer time, it is warm and welcoming, we eat a lot of vegetables, fruits and juice a lot... and we do battle with the ants in our small apartment! I see myself singing mantras all the time when we have to kill them around the kitchen. And we feel really uncomfortable with this situation, as yogis we try our best to follow ahimsa. Ahimsa is the first of the  Yamas discussed in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. It’s a sanskrit word meaning to not cause harm or violence to yourself, to others, and animals in thoughts or action.What a blessing, last week my sister told me to use peppermint oil, a natural remedy that works well getting rid of the ants without killing the them!So, I added some drops of peppermint oil to the water spray and sprayed around the kitchen and areas they were hanging out. I also had added some drops to the detergent dishes. Yeah, the room smelled a bit peppermint-y.  But it was actually quite pleasant!It worked awesome!!  I didn’t see any ants until a few days later when I spotted just a couple around.  So far, I’m VERY HAPPY with this new method and I’m willing to repeat it every few days if that’s what works.There is an array of pest control methods that won’t cause any harm to animals, but will keep them far from you and your home. Do some research and look into alternative pest control methods.Love, Radha