Practicing Asteya: Cultivating Generosity and Contentment



In the eightfold path of yoga, Asteya—the practice of non-stealing—invites us to live from a place of abundance rather than lack. While it may seem obvious not to take what isn’t ours, Asteya goes deeper: it asks us not to steal time, energy, joy, or opportunities from others—or from ourselves. It’s about trusting that what we have, and who we are, is enough.

When we embrace Asteya, we open ourselves to gratitude, generosity, and a deeper sense of freedom in body, mind, and spirit.

3 Yoga Poses to Practice Asteya

  1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
  2. Stand tall and steady, rooting your feet into the ground.
  3. Invite the mindset of “enoughness” into your posture.
  4. Notice how standing in your own presence is a practice of not grasping outward.
  5. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
  6. Ground firmly and extend energy equally through both arms.
  7. Embody strength without overreaching, honoring your body’s limits today.
  8. Reflect on balance: offering your full self without taking from others.
  9. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)
  10. Fold slowly, without forcing or pushing to “take” more flexibility than your body offers.
  11. Practice patience and presence.
  12. Breathe into acceptance rather than striving.


Journal Prompt

Where in my life am I grasping for more than I need? How might I shift toward gratitude for what I already have?

Meditation Practice: Breathing into Enoughness

  1. Sit comfortably and close your eyes.
  2. Inhale and silently repeat: I have enough.
  3. Exhale and silently repeat: I am enough.
  4. Continue for 5–10 minutes, letting these words settle into your heart.

Off-the-Mat Practice

  1. Generosity Swap: Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, offer something today—your time, attention, a smile, or words of encouragement.
  2. Notice how giving freely shifts your energy away from scarcity and toward abundance.

Living Asteya is about remembering that nothing outside of us will ever complete us. When we trust that we already have what we need, we create more space to share with others and move through life with a generous heart.

Namaste,

Resa

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