“Knoedler & Company,” Oil on Mahogany Panel, 24 by 30 inches © Jenness Cortez Perlmutter

Ahimsa is the highest precept of yoga science. It is the first of the yamas and niyamas–constructive observances and disciplines codified in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Ahimsa means non-violence or non-harming, and it is the guiding yogic principle underlying every successful relationship–within and without, subtle and gross, with yourself and with others.

In practical terms, ahimsa is the same wisdom as the Golden Rule, which instructs human beings to “Do unto others as you wish to have done unto you,” or as Jesus the Christ teaches: “Love thy […]