Close Menu
The Sober CuratorThe Sober Curator
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • ❤️ CONTENT
    • ⭐ BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR
    • CONTRIBUTOR DIRECTORY
    • DEAR READERS✏️
    • MEET THE SOBER CURATOR
    • 📰 PRESS 📺
    • THE SOBEES 🐝
    • CONTACT 📧
  • HAPPY EVERY HOUR
    • NA BEERS AND CIDERS 🍺
    • NON-ALCOHOLIC WINES 🍾
    • NON-ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS 🍸
    • READY TO DRINK 🥤
    • BEHIND THE BAR 🍋‍🟩
    • NA TASTING EVENTS CALENDAR 🗓️
  • HEALTH & WELLNESS
    • BREAK FREE
    • CODEPENDENCY
    • MASTERING MENTAL FITNESS 🧠💪🏼
    • MENTAL HEALTH 🧠
    • RELATIONSHIPS 🤟🏽
    • SOBER NOT SUBTLE
    • SOBER POETRY 🖋️
    • SPEAK OUT! SPEAK LOUD! 🗣️
    • SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE 🧬
    • WELLNESS AS A WAY OF LIFE
    • YOU’VE BEEN SELECTED
  • LIFESTYLE
    • #ADDTOCART 🛍️
    • ASK MRS. (W)RIGHT ⁉️
    • COMING OUT SOBER 🏳️‍🌈
    • 🏆 CONTENT
    • ✂️CURATED CRAFTS🎨
    • FASHION 👠
    • SHOP 🛒
    • SOBER SPOTLIGHT 🔦
    • SOBER CONTENT CREATION 💻
    • SOBER UNBUZZED FEED
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • #QUITLIT 📚
    • MOVIE REVIEWS 🍿
    • MUSIC 🎶
    • POPCULTURE
    • RECOVERY PODCASTLAND 🎙️
    • SOBER CURATOR PODCAST 🎧
    • SOBER EVENTS CALENDAR 🗓️
    • SOBER SPORTS
    • TV SHOW REVIEWS 📺
  • TRAVEL & EVENTS
    • SOBER EVENTS CALENDAR 🗓️
    • SOBER RETREATS CALENDAR 🗓️
    • SOBRIETY IN THE CITY
      • SOBER IN MINNEAPOLIS
      • SOBER IN NYC
      • SOBER IN SEATTLE
    • WHAT A TRIP! 🧳
  • SPIRITUAL GANGSTER
    • THE CARD DIVO 🔮
    • CLASSY PROBLEMS
    • SOBERCAST
    • SOBERSCOPES
    • SOBRIETY IN FLOW 🧘🏻‍♀️
    • THIRSTY FOR WONDER
    • SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE 🧬
    • STOICISM
  • RECOVERY RESOURCES
    • ALCOHOL & SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER RESOURCE GUIDE
    • BREAK FREE FOUNDATION
    • FAMILY RESOURCES
    • GLOSSARY OF ADDICTION AND RECOVERY TERMS
    • LGBTQ+ RECOVERY RESOURCES
    • RECOVERY STORIES
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest YouTube LinkedIn TikTok
The Sober CuratorThe Sober Curator
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • ❤️ CONTENT
    • ⭐ BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR
    • CONTRIBUTOR DIRECTORY
    • DEAR READERS✏️
    • MEET THE SOBER CURATOR
    • 📰 PRESS 📺
    • THE SOBEES 🐝
    • CONTACT 📧
  • HAPPY EVERY HOUR
    • NA BEERS AND CIDERS 🍺
    • NON-ALCOHOLIC WINES 🍾
    • NON-ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS 🍸
    • READY TO DRINK 🥤
    • BEHIND THE BAR 🍋‍🟩
    • NA TASTING EVENTS CALENDAR 🗓️
  • HEALTH & WELLNESS
    • BREAK FREE
    • CODEPENDENCY
    • MASTERING MENTAL FITNESS 🧠💪🏼
    • MENTAL HEALTH 🧠
    • RELATIONSHIPS 🤟🏽
    • SOBER NOT SUBTLE
    • SOBER POETRY 🖋️
    • SPEAK OUT! SPEAK LOUD! 🗣️
    • SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE 🧬
    • WELLNESS AS A WAY OF LIFE
    • YOU’VE BEEN SELECTED
  • LIFESTYLE
    • #ADDTOCART 🛍️
    • ASK MRS. (W)RIGHT ⁉️
    • COMING OUT SOBER 🏳️‍🌈
    • 🏆 CONTENT
    • ✂️CURATED CRAFTS🎨
    • FASHION 👠
    • SHOP 🛒
    • SOBER SPOTLIGHT 🔦
    • SOBER CONTENT CREATION 💻
    • SOBER UNBUZZED FEED
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • #QUITLIT 📚
    • MOVIE REVIEWS 🍿
    • MUSIC 🎶
    • POPCULTURE
    • RECOVERY PODCASTLAND 🎙️
    • SOBER CURATOR PODCAST 🎧
    • SOBER EVENTS CALENDAR 🗓️
    • SOBER SPORTS
    • TV SHOW REVIEWS 📺
  • TRAVEL & EVENTS
    • SOBER EVENTS CALENDAR 🗓️
    • SOBER RETREATS CALENDAR 🗓️
    • SOBRIETY IN THE CITY
      • SOBER IN MINNEAPOLIS
      • SOBER IN NYC
      • SOBER IN SEATTLE
    • WHAT A TRIP! 🧳
  • SPIRITUAL GANGSTER
    • THE CARD DIVO 🔮
    • CLASSY PROBLEMS
    • SOBERCAST
    • SOBERSCOPES
    • SOBRIETY IN FLOW 🧘🏻‍♀️
    • THIRSTY FOR WONDER
    • SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE 🧬
    • STOICISM
  • RECOVERY RESOURCES
    • ALCOHOL & SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER RESOURCE GUIDE
    • BREAK FREE FOUNDATION
    • FAMILY RESOURCES
    • GLOSSARY OF ADDICTION AND RECOVERY TERMS
    • LGBTQ+ RECOVERY RESOURCES
    • RECOVERY STORIES
The Sober CuratorThe Sober Curator
Home - Exploring Yoga Philosophy: Understanding Ahimsa and Its Role in Sobriety and Personal Growth
SPIRITUAL GANGSTER

Exploring Yoga Philosophy: Understanding Ahimsa and Its Role in Sobriety and Personal Growth

Teresa BergenBy Teresa BergenMarch 17, 20246 Mins Read
Continuing with our study of yoga philosophy, this month’s column delves into the yama, or ethical restraint, of asteya. What’s the difference between a drug addict and an alcoholic? The alcoholic will steal your wallet and run. The addict will steal your wallet and help you look for it. I’ve often pondered this old joke, which portrays the blundering drunk and the wily addict as thieves. But either way, they’re both thieves. And that’s what this month’s yoga philosophy column is about: the yogic principle of asteya, or non-stealing. Are you a thief? Back when I got sober a loooong time ago, the psychologists and counselors I talked to seemed to think many problems were unrelated. For example, my eating disorder couldn’t possibly be connected to my addiction problems, right? Wrong. Continuing research shows more and more that mental and behavioral problems often overlap and intertwine. Take stealing. Science’s current perspective seems to be that people can have shoplifting addiction or kleptomania, which sometimes correlates with substance use disorder. Researching this article, I found that in addition to teens shoplifting for thrills, it’s common for people in early recovery to steal things. Favored items include energy drinks, tooth-whitening kits, spices, and cell phone charging cables. Why? Take away substance use, and people crave a dopamine hit. The thrill of stealing petty stuff delivers. Interestingly, that buzz kill drug naltrexone takes the thrill out of drinking, drugs, and stealing. So, these things are definitely related. And if you’re sober enough to be reading this, you probably realize stealing is going to get you in trouble. So, stop it. Not only will you have better karma, but you might also stay out of jail. Okay, you’re not a thief. Or maybe this doesn’t describe you. Perhaps you were an honest drunk who never stole so much as a beer. Then asteya may sound easy. Even former juvenile delinquents might say to themselves, “Well, I’ve got that one covered. Gave up shoplifting at 15.” But there are other ways to steal, including leaning too hard on people for their time and energy. Perhaps you have a friend who’s been complaining about her relationship for years. After she spends an hour covering the same grievances you’ve heard 100 times before, she says, “I always feel so much better after talking to you.” But you don’t. You feel like you’ve been sucked dry by an energy vampire. This friend is stealing your emotional energy as well as your time. Or maybe you’re the emotional vampire! If you recognize yourself in the above description, perhaps you could be kinder to your confidantes by working through your problems in a journal, support group, or with a competent counselor. Or you could buy a pet rock to whine to so you don’t bore your cat to tears. Sometimes, we also take from each other by overusing somebody else’s skills. It’s lovely to help others out and to accept their help. But if we’re assuming that every weekend, our friend should snake our drains, clean our gutters, update our websites, hem our pants, or otherwise donate all their leisure hours to us, it’s time to learn to do these tasks ourselves or pay somebody to do them for us. Parents who work at home, self-employed people, or anybody with a flexible schedule are particular targets of time thieves. Asteya also involves not taking what is not freely offered. If we’re nagging people for favors, those favors are not being freely offered. When we steal what’s not ours, we usually operate from a place of lack or entitlement. Neither is a pretty locale. To ensure we’re not stealing, we should examine our relationships and consider whether we’re doing our fair share. Sometimes, we all face hardships and should be willing to give or take a bit more. But over time, we should strike an approximate balance. SPIRITUAL GANGSTER: Exploring Yoga Philosophy: Satya – Truth « The Sober Curator SPIRITUAL GANGSTER: Exploring Yoga Philosophy: Satya – Truth « The Sober Curator
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

Yoga is more than poses.

The word yoga means “to yoke.” In this case, we’re trying to yoke our own little souls to a cosmic consciousness. Yoga includes a whole body of philosophy, spiritual theory and ideas of how to live clear-headed, peaceful lives. This column goes beyond the physical practice of yoga for a peek into yoga philosophy and how it pertains to sobriety. We’ll start with understanding a series of ethical restraints called the yamas. These yamas improve our characters and personalities, making it easier for people to live with us. 

The first of the five yamas (look for four more in upcoming months) is called ahimsa. “Himsa” is Sanskrit for “to injure or harm,” and the prefix “a” means without. So, this yama is about harming others as little as possible. It’s often translated as nonviolence or to do no harm. 

Many people in recovery have a history of inflicting violence on others. And by consuming quantities of toxic substances, we were all violent to our bodies, minds, and lives. Take a moment (not too long, we’re not trying to wallow in self-hate here) and think back to your using days. Maybe they included bar brawls, assaults, and domestic disputes. While living in New Orleans, I had an angry phase where I’d walk around at night with a knife up each sleeve, just waiting for somebody to fuck with me. Fortunately, the knives never came out of my sleeves for a confrontation—I would have been more likely to stumble and impale myself than to win a knife fight. But I well remember that feeling of rage and looking for a place where it could land.  

Or maybe you were a peaceful drunk, who never harmed anybody. Except your liver. And the people who cared about you and spent countless hours fretting about how they could help what seemed like a lost cause. 

Now that we’re sober, the acts of violence have hopefully decreased.

Maybe we’ve developed a useful spiritual program or at least have some sober friends to talk us down when we get hot-headed. But those urges to pop somebody in the face when they mock us or cut us off on the highway or make us wait on hold for an hour will surely still arise. If we want to live happy lives, we absolutely have to learn to ride out those feelings without acting on them and without letting them fester. 

I’ve spent many years as both a sober person and a yoga teacher—identities people might think would make one highly peaceable—and have concluded that violent impulses are natural. Things trigger us. We want to attack. The trick is to acknowledge our urges and neutralize them enough not to act in ways we’ll regret, rather than going on instinct. (I’m talking about everyday life here, when people piss you off. If you’re in true physical danger, go ahead and attack.) Follow the classic advice to count to ten before acting. Table a discussion until you’re less emotional. Don’t hit “send” on that email. Know thyself and watch out for your triggers. Take preventative actions. For example, I try to quickly wash any sharp knife and put it in the drawer where it won’t tempt me. 

Once you overcome your brute urges to pummel, you can start to refine your ahimsa practice. Mathatma Gandhi, that paragon of nonviolence, had a lot to say about the nuances of ahimsa. “Ahimsa does not simply mean non-killing,” he said. “Ahimsa means not to injure any creature by thought, word or deed. True ahimsa should mean a complete freedom from ill-will and anger and hate and an overflowing love for all.” 

Uh oh. How overflowing is your love? How free are you from ill will?  

Often, it’s the people we’re closest to who most suffer from our himsa. Like your partner who does irksome things that we’ve asked them one gazillion times not to do. Are they even trainable? Or the family member or friend who tells you the same sad story until you want to scream, but never takes any steps to change.  

And then there’s us. We are often the target of our most rageful feelings. What is that little voice saying in your head? If you catch yourself thinking you’re bad, ugly, stupid and generally not good enough– well, aren’t you injuring yourself by thought?  

We are hopelessly human creatures who must start where we are. If you’re just beginning to work on ahimsa, you can think of it as a three-step process of deed, word and thought. First, you learn to stop running bad drivers off the road. Second, you refrain from giving them the finger and yelling, “Stay off the road, you moron!” And third, you keep your distance from that sucky driver while you serenely cruise on to your chosen destination. Now you’re on the road to perfecting ahimsa.  


About Teresa Bergen

Teresa Bergen had the great good fortune to quit drinking very young and has enjoyed long-term sobriety. She lives in Portland, Oregon but travels all over the world as a travel writer. She also works in the oral history field, helping to document and preserve history. 


SPIRITUAL GANGSTER: Unlocking Inner Healing: The Role of Chakras in Addiction and Recovery Journey – Crown Chakra « The Sober Curator


SPIRITUAL GANGSTER: Are you trying to become a SPIRITUAL GANGSTER? Explore and expand your sober world through meditation, astrology, and spiritual reflection and practices.

SOBERCAST WITH SIX  brings you astrology updates from our resident astrologer, tarot card reader, and Sober Curator Analisa Six.

THE CARD DIVO brings quick-hitting and intuitive horoscopes for sober people on the go. (Seriously, 1-minute once a week)

THE SOBER STOIC Sober Curator Contributor Derek Castleman is a writer, educator, scientist, data analyst, and philosopher. Struggling with drug addiction and alcoholism for over fifteen years while at the same time suffering from being bipolar, he was finally able to achieve recovery in 2018. From mental hospitals to rehab, county jail to sober living, 12 Step Programs would be his foundation, but he would eventually discover the path of Stoicism to be the key to his sobriety and sanity.

ALTAR & EGO explores topics surrounding recovery, spirituality, and mental health. We hope you will consider this section of our site as food for your sober soul. Brought to you by Sober Curator Staci DesRault.


We see The Sober Sip newsletter in your future
Resources Are Available

If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.

follow the sober curator on youtube

Subscribe to The Sober Curator on YouTube

alcohol free alcohol free lifestyle history of yoga meditate on this meditation recovery meditations sober curator spiritual gangster teresa bergen the sober curator yoga
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
Teresa Bergen
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Teresa Bergen is a Portland, Oregon-based writer who specializes in the outdoors, eco, vegan and sober travel. She’s written for many publications ranging from famous to obscure, and her previous books include Easy Portland Outdoors, Transcribing Oral History, and Historic Cemeteries of Portland, Oregon.

Related Posts

SOBER OCTOBER GIFT GUIDE

Sober October Gift Guide 2025

September 28, 2025
A Spiritual Toolkit for Recovery

Three Timeless Roadmaps for Recovery: How the 12 Steps, 10 Commandments, and the Beatitudes Lead Us Toward Being Happy, Joyous, and Free

August 27, 2025
Bodhi Bubbles NA beverage review the sober curator

Bodhi Bubbles® – Bliss in a Can (No, Really)

August 13, 2025

Comments are closed.

Top AF Sober Travel Companies USA Today
Sober City Mobile App
SOBERSCRIBE AND GET ON THE LIST!
7 events found.
  • Week of September 29
  • Previous week
  • Next week
Notice
No events scheduled for September 29, 2025.
Notice
No events scheduled for September 30, 2025.
4:00 pm
The Sober Shift: An Evening with Author Suzanne Warye
October 1 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm PDT

The Sober Shift: An Evening with Author Suzanne Warye

The Whispering Shelf with Orangily and Hollie Nicholson Indianapolis
$30.00
All Day
Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for She Recovers Foundation with We Love Lucid
October 2 - October 9

Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for She Recovers Foundation with We Love Lucid

$2500
Casablanca to Marrakesh
October 2 - October 12

Casablanca to Marrakesh

$3195
All Day
Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for She Recovers Foundation with We Love Lucid
October 2 - October 9

Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for She Recovers Foundation with We Love Lucid

$2500
Casablanca to Marrakesh
October 2 - October 12

Casablanca to Marrakesh

$3195
10:00 am
Teetotal Tastes: The North Side/Allegheny West
October 3 @ 10:30 am - 12:30 pm PDT

Teetotal Tastes: The North Side/Allegheny West

Babb, Inc - formerly the Snyder mansion 850 Ridge Ave, Pittsburgh
Free
5:00 pm
First Friday’s: Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Tasting Mingle at Collective by Crew
October 3 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm PDT

First Friday’s: Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Tasting Mingle at Collective by Crew

Collective By Crew 306 Manchester Avenue, Media
Free
Sober October Soirée with Food, Friends & Free Drinks
October 3 @ 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm PDT

Sober October Soirée with Food, Friends & Free Drinks

Burden of Proof 1012 Mission Street #Ste. B South, Pasadena
Free
+ 3 More
All Day
Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for She Recovers Foundation with We Love Lucid
October 2 - October 9

Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for She Recovers Foundation with We Love Lucid

$2500
Casablanca to Marrakesh
October 2 - October 12

Casablanca to Marrakesh

$3195
6:00 am
P.E.A.S.E. Academy Annual Pancake Breakfast
October 4 @ 6:00 am - 10:00 am PDT

P.E.A.S.E. Academy Annual Pancake Breakfast

P.E.A.S.E. Academy 1211 SE 6th St, Minneapolis
$7.00
12:00 pm
SF Sober October Fest
October 4 @ 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm PDT

SF Sober October Fest

Eye and Hand Society 3425 Balboa Street, San Francisco
Free
+ 2 More
All Day
Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for She Recovers Foundation with We Love Lucid
October 2 - October 9

Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for She Recovers Foundation with We Love Lucid

$2500
Casablanca to Marrakesh
October 2 - October 12

Casablanca to Marrakesh

$3195

Week of Events

Mon 29

Tue 30

Wed 1

Thu 2

Fri 3

Sat 4

Sun 5

October 2 - October 9

Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for She Recovers Foundation with We Love Lucid

Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for She Recovers Foundation with We Love Lucid

October 2 - October 9

Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for She Recovers Foundation with We Love Lucid

CAMINO DE SANTIAGO FUNDRAISER FOR SHE RECOVERS FOUNDATION October 2nd - 9th 2025 Join us in Galicia, Northern Spain for the ultimate sober team hiking adventure as we tackle the

$2500
October 2 - October 12

Casablanca to Marrakesh

Casablanca to Marrakesh

October 2 - October 12

Casablanca to Marrakesh

About this trip We cannot think of a more suited itinerary for HOOKED.    All your senses will be engaged on this Luxury 11 day / 10 night adventure in

$3195
October 2 - October 9

Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for She Recovers Foundation with We Love Lucid

October 2 - October 12

Casablanca to Marrakesh

October 2 - October 9

Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for She Recovers Foundation with We Love Lucid

October 2 - October 12

Casablanca to Marrakesh

October 2 - October 9

Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for She Recovers Foundation with We Love Lucid

October 2 - October 12

Casablanca to Marrakesh

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

The Sober Shift: An Evening with Author Suzanne Warye

October 1 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm PDT

The Sober Shift: An Evening with Author Suzanne Warye

The Sober Shift: An Evening with Author Suzanne Warye In THE SOBER SHIFT: A Modern-Day Guide to Living an Abundant Sober Life (HarperOne; 09/30/2025), wellness writer and creator of The

$30.00
10:30 am - 12:30 pm

Teetotal Tastes: The North Side/Allegheny West

October 3 @ 10:30 am - 12:30 pm PDT

Teetotal Tastes: The North Side/Allegheny West

Teetotal Tastes: The North Side/Allegheny West Fri, Oct 03 Babb, Inc - formerly the Snyder mansion Join Teetotal Initiative community for Teetotal Tastes: The North Side/Allegheny West, a flavorful adventure

Free
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

First Friday’s: Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Tasting Mingle at Collective by Crew

October 3 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm PDT

First Friday’s: Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Tasting Mingle at Collective by Crew

First Friday's: Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Tasting Mingle at Collective by Crew Come join us for a fun evening of tasting delicious non-alcoholic cocktails and mingling with others at Collective by Crew

Free
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Sober October Soirée with Food, Friends & Free Drinks

October 3 @ 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm PDT

Sober October Soirée with Food, Friends & Free Drinks

Sober October Soirée with Food, Friends & Free Drinks What do you call a non-alcoholic open bar? Really just an excuse to party with you. Kick off Sober October with

Free
+ 3 More
6:00 am - 10:00 am

P.E.A.S.E. Academy Annual Pancake Breakfast

October 4 @ 6:00 am - 10:00 am PDT

P.E.A.S.E. Academy Annual Pancake Breakfast

P.E.A.S.E. Academy Annual Pancake Breakfast Saturday, October 4th ♦ 8AM - 12PM America's Pioneer Recovery High School invites you to their 16th Annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser! P.E.A.S.E. Academy (Peers Enjoying

$7.00
12:00 pm - 4:00 pm

SF Sober October Fest

October 4 @ 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm PDT

SF Sober October Fest

SF Sober October Fest Come vibe with us at the first SF Sober October Fest, hosted by Ocean Beach Café @ Eye & Hand Society! 🍹 A New Kind of

Free
2:00 pm - 7:30 pm

DopeyCon SIX – Celebrating 10 years of Dopey

October 4 @ 2:00 pm - 7:30 pm PDT

DopeyCon SIX – Celebrating 10 years of Dopey

DopeyCon SIX - Celebrating 10 years of Dopey DOPEYCON is a must-see evening of entertainment and conversation celebrating 10 YEARS of DOPEY, the podcast about drugs, addiction and dumb shit.

See website
+ 2 More
View Calendar
The Sober Curator
Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok YouTube Pinterest
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • LINKS DISCLAIMER
  • EDITORIAL GUIDELINES
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • REFUND POLICY
  • DON’T SELL MY INFO
  • DATA SUBJECT REQUEST FORM
  • CONTACT US
© 2025 The Sober Curator - Benefits of a Alcohol Free Lifestyle

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.