#i hope netflix had some sort of downfall until then

[ladystardustinblackjeans]

I feel like in 10 to 20 years there is going to be a "genre" of cult classics that consists of abandoned first seasons of netflix shows with great world building, amazing relatively unknown young actors and hints of or actual queer representation. And I'm gonna be in the comments of the youtube essay about it, remembering them all with the same feeling i have about firefly.

[celestialrry]

unrequited

part 2!

1.1k 

summary: Harry doesn't understand why you’re ignoring him.

warnings: alcohol consumption, bitchy Harry, and angst

Having a large heart would lead to you inevitable downfall. You were sure of it. It  ruined all your past relationships, you had opened up too soon, making it way easier for them to manipulate you and then make you feel as though you had failed in some way. This happened a few times, so much so that your heart only held a place for him. 

Harry was your best friend and had been since what felt like forever. Only a few months ago did you realize that the way you loved Harry was unlike anyone else you had ever loved before. He was just so perfect how could you not fall in love with him? He came over whenever you were down with takeout and candy, he would call you at least twice a week, no matter the circumstances, the two of you would cancel plans to see each other, he would hold you and kiss everywhere on your face except for your lips, he would text you often with a picture or post of some sort followed by a “This made me think of you. xx”. It was heaven. Until it wasn't.

Articles had been coming out about Harry with some model you never learned the name of, but Harry had told you earlier that the two of them were friends. Later that week, after all the articles and posts and commotion, he had called you to rant. 

“It jus’ sucks, y’know? Every girl m’friends with, m’dating, apparently,” He sighed, phone up to his ear as he laid down on his couch. “I jus’ wanna thank you, for being friends with me all these years you know? Means a lot.”

“Of course Harry.” 

It was then you realized Harry only loved you and would continue to love you platonically. You didn’t want to be the girl he had been friends with and stayed friends with for years, who fell in love with him. It wasn't like the world didn't know who you were, years ago Harry had talked about you in an interview after you were pictured together, calling you his “best friend”. Over time when you two would go out and get papped, no one thought any more of the two of you being friends, there were no blatant signs of affection. No kisses, no hand holding, and no longing stares (on his side, at least). So they kept the story the two of you were friends, nothing more.

If you told Harry you were in love with him and he hopefully felt the same way, it would never work out. The media would have a field day, pushing the narrative that Harry could never just be friends with a woman, because the ones he did have always ended up dating him or fucking him. Which was not true at all.

So you stayed quiet, and distanced yourself in hope that the feelings you had would go away and you could go back to being friends. Of course, this wasn't fair to you or Harry, and after a few weeks of short texts and missed calls he decided that was it.

You had been moping in your flat in London, binging this new show on Netflix and drinking a few glasses of wine when suddenly a knock on your door interrupted the daze you were in. Quickly you stood up and wiped your mouth, stumbling a bit to the door. You swung it open and your eyes met familiar sage ones. 

“Harry?” 

He responded with your name, then looked behind your shoulder as if to see if anyone was there. “Can I come in?” 

You nodded, still flustered and surprised he was actually here with you. “Wha-why are you here? Is everything okay?” You asked as you closed the door behind him and followed Harry to your living room where he eyed the wine bottle and glass. 

“Are y’drunk?” He deadpanned. 

“Maybe a little tipsy but I'm fully functioning.” You responded, cowering under his glare. “Want a glass?” 

“No.”

Damn.

“So, you're here because...” You trailed off. It wasn't like you didn't want to see him, but Harry seemed awfully upset and didn't even offer you a hug when you opened the door. 

“Why have you been ignorin’ m’calls?” He entered your name at the end, enforcing his anger. 

“It was like 2 calls Harry. I’ve been busy, I can’t answer you all the time, sorry.” You apologized sarcastically and rolled your eyes. As you looked back to him you realized that maybe wasn’t the best idea. 

“And I can’t reach out to you all the time but I do! I call y’every week, even when m’on tour and doin’ press n’all. What have y’been doing that's got y’so busy? Drinking wine n’watching a show about chess? I work harder than you ever have, and if I have time for you, you have time for me.” He glowered, after gesturing to the T.V. and the wine on the coffee table. 

Your eyes widened at his words and so did his. That’s when he knew he fucked up.

“Leave.” You were infuriated by Harry yelling at you.

“M’sorry?” He asked, the furrow between his brow deepening. 

You frowned and pointed to the door. “Leave. You can not fly all the way to London and come into my flat and yell at me,” You brought your hand back to your body, pointing to your body. “Do you know how fucked up that is? I see you in person for the first time in what, 3 months, and this is what I get? You telling me I don't work as hard as you, and insulting me? Leave.”

It was rare you two fought. It was more rare that you weren't at least tearing up by the end of the conversation and it was even more rare that you left, or made him leave. Harry’s brows were now furrowed in guilt. He stepped closer to you, his hand out, wanting to grab your arm, you waist, your cheek, your shoulder, anything to make you let him stay. But you stepped backwards and shook your head, pointing to the door. 

“M’sorry pet, please-” He begged.

The wine wasn't doing you any favors, and instead fueled the fire Harry had ignited in your chest. 

“Don’t call me that, actually, don't call me until you know what the fuck caused you come over here and yell at me, and when you're ready to actually apologize, because I know you’re only saying sorry now just because you felt bad. So, leave. Now.” With that said, you left Harry in your living room while you rushed past him to the door, opening it. He knew not to say anything else, he knew you needed time, and he knew you hated him right now, but Harry would be lying if he said it didn't take everything out of him to walk past you and out into your flat building’s hallway. You shut the door as soon as he had walked out past you, his brown curls bowed in remorse. 

You needed some more wine. 

I want to do a part 2 so if this gets like 5 notes I will lol <3

[daring-elm]

Icarus

Damaged Wing(s)

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Characters: Logan Sanders; Roman Sanders; Remus Sanders (mentioned)

Genre: Angst, then Lighter Angst with Vague Fluff

Warnings: Fire; Injury; Pain; Hopelessness; Medication; Vaguely Unsympathetic Remus (he did something f*cked-up as a kid)

Word Count: 1047

An experiment goes wrong and Logan's wings are broken, but Roman knows what it's like to be flightless.

@badthingshappenbingo​

- - -

Logan watched in terror as fire erupted from the flask, setting the air around him aflame. Black smoke wafted around him, clouding his vision and stinging in his throat. Logan couldn’t breathe. He dropped to the ground, digging through his mind for the protocols that had been hammered into his memory, his wings held over him like a shield from the fervent air. He pulled his shirt over his nose in hopes that it would ease his breathing. Tears pooled in Logan’s eyes and ran down his cheeks—they couldn’t begin to wash out the smoke; there was so, so much—Logan gasped for air and coughed out a cloud of ash. 

Where was the exit; he couldn’t find the exit; it had to be here somewhere—

 Fire crackled around him as he crawled towards the door. Logan batted away debris with his wings, wincing when something sharp and searing hot dug under his feathers. He clenched his teeth and kept moving. So close, so close, don’t give up—

Something snapped. Logan looked up just in time to see the burning tile crashing down—reflexively, he pulled up his wings, a last chance to soften the blow. The tile hit. Bone broke with a sickening snap, but Logan couldn’t feel the pain—all he saw was a last blaze of light before everything went dark.

- - -

Logan tensed, then relaxed his shoulders. His wings shifted with him—he winced, forcing a deep breath. Even two weeks after the accident, he was lacking sensation in most of his left wing. Whatever wasn’t numb just hurt.

He was meant to take pain medication, of course—the doctor had been adamant on the matter—but Logan hadn’t done so in days. As pathetic as it sounded, even to himself, he preferred the pain to feeling nothing at all.

His eyes swept over his bookshelf. After a week of throwing a figurative Netflix-fuelled pity party, Logan had gotten sick of staring at screens and began rereading the hyperbolic library he had amassed over the years. Reading was a strenuous task, with pain and discomfort distracting him and various medications sapping his energy, but it took his mind off the massive burn wound spanning his entire back.

At least he was mobile enough to get around the house unassisted. Having to rely on someone to cook for him, clean for him, even help him get to the bathroom was humiliating, and though he knew his friends didn’t mind, Logan despised having to rely on their charity.

Logan’s eyes caught on his book of Greek mythology—it was some sort of sadistic irony, was it not, that the tale of Icarus had always resonated with him. Having to craft his own wings of wax and feathers, back when humans couldn’t grow their own, flying too high, too fast, until he could never fly again. Ambition was his downfall—what a parallel, Logan thought bitterly. After all, he only wanted to help. Help, innovate, push discovery to places it had never been—but his laboratory was destroyed, his research lost and his wings hopelessly broken. It was all useless.

Downstairs, the door unlocked and Logan jumped (he wasn’t quite used to his friends each having a key of their own), then smoothed down the few feathers he had left to ruffle.

“Your prince charming has arrived!” Roman called from the entrance. Logan could almost see the ridiculous spin he always did in his mind’s eye and had to fight back a smile. “I brought groceries!” Something heavy met the kitchen table with a thunk.

Logan sighed and slowly stood up, careful not to jostle his wings too much. “I’m coming,” he called back, then gritted his teeth and slowly made his way down the stairs.

Roman’s beaming smile rapidly faded as Logan fought his way through his constant cloud of pain, taking one step at a time at a truly pathetic pace. His wing fluttered anxiously. “You haven’t been—”

“I haven’t.” Logan plopped down on the nearest chair, releasing a hissing breath.

“Well, why not?” Roman threw his hands in the air. “Trying to fight through it won’t make it easier—just because you feel sorry for yourself doesn’t mean you have to go on some—some masochistic pain trip—”

“No,” Logan interrupted, “you don’t know what it’s like not to feel—”

“I don’t know what it’s like?” Roman’s feathers bristled, a furious expression on his face, and Logan was suddenly painfully aware of the gap where his left wing should have been. “I don’t have anything to feel or not feel anymore, so stop playing the hero and take your fucking painkillers.” His voice had gone unusually cold—Roman only seemed to notice after he’d spoken, his eyes briefly widening in shock before he turned around and began shoving food into cabinets.

Roman had lost his wing when he was young—his twin was born without one of his, and, in some kind of jealous rage, broke Roman’s while he was playing. By the time their parents got him to a doctor, it had been past saving. Roman insisted that it didn’t bother him; that he didn’t hold a grudge—but he had admitted (during a sleepover, late at night when honesty wasn’t quite as difficult) that he missed it; he had dreams of flying and woke up from them gasping for breath, his missing limb aching as if it was still on his back.

Logan’s stomach sunk. “I’m sorry,” he stammered. “I didn’t mean—”

“Then take your pills,” Roman interrupted, the bite no longer quite as present in his voice. His feathers settled.

“Right.” Logan moved to stand up, then stopped halfway through the motion when the bandage caught on his chair and sent another wave of pain down his spine. He winced. “They’re in the drawer in front of you.”

Roman hummed, setting down the loaf of bread he had been holding as he retrieved the tiny orange bottle. He gave Logan a questioning look, then threw it before he could be told not to.

Barely catching it in his arms, Logan glared at Roman in fond annoyance. “...Thank you.”

Roman bowed deeply. “My pleasure.” His wing flapped happily. “Now, once that’s had a chance to kick in—I could use some help with cooking. Care to join me?”

Finally, Logan allowed himself a small smile. “Gladly.”

[heartforheart532]

Final Season 8 thoughts

As always, you can discuss with me certain things that you might not agree with in this list, remind yourself this is MY opinion, be respectful even if you disagree. I respect everyone’s feelings and opinions and understand completely why you are upset. 

While watching the season I have been thinking about the production of the show and want to make a separate post about why I firmly belive it’s not just the voltron crew (read lauren, joaquim, supervisors, writers team etc) (I’ll leave out the VA’s and the animators of the show because I feel like most of it is out of their hands. I’ll go in on why I think that too.) netflix and dreamworks are ALL guilty of Voltron’s downfall and the controversy surrounding around it. I’ll post that later today, just something I need to get off my chest.

First of let me start of with things that I enjoyed:

- The animation this season is something I found just fucking amazing, it all just looked very cool and detailed and I love it when it looks so goddamn beautiful. (I may have had multiple breakdowns about Shiro because he is one gorgeous man anD HOW DARE THEY MAKE HIM THAT FUCKING BEAUTIFUL. Same with Keith. And Lance. Basically everyone.)

- One of my favorite episodes had to be episode number 7, it starts off with Kinkade making a vlog but throughout the episode the camera follows the crew everywhere by whoever seems to pass by, like the space mice, bebe, and it gave me kind of the feeling that we were actually there, you know? It felt sort of like a first person view at times and I found that really cool.

- I knew there were theories going around that Zethrid was still alive but we had no idea if Ezor survived. I was just pleasantly surprised that they both survived the explosion and eventually just decided to help the paladins. I was really happy about that.

- Klance, now I know that this is a painful blow, it is to me too but they still had beautiful scenes together that showed indeed how much they’ve grown and how far they have come. It was nice to finally see their bond at that stage, although I, and many others of course, would’ve left to see a different out come at the end of the season. 

- The team in general, listen these characters have wormed themselves into my heart and they’re not coming out of it anytime soon. I relate to a few of them and just feel... connected. There’s nothing that can be done for me to not love this team as much as I do and I am really, really going to miss these characters. A lot. I already do.

- Lotor. ESPECIALLY TINY LOTOR HE WAS SO FUCKING CUTE- and Honerva said it herself.... LOTOR DESERVED BETTER.

- THE ORIGINAL PALADINS. I found our Paladins meeting and reuniting with the paladins of Old so fucking cool. I loved that Allura reunited with her father that way as well. I really liked that plotpoint, props to them for coming up with that.

- Shiro’s happines, NOW HANG ON ONE TICK. Before you come at me in the comments, this one is going to be in the section of what I didn’t like about the final season too, because I am feeling kinda yay and nay about it. For now let me keep it at the fact that I am just glad, relieved and so fucking happy that HE is happy and even got married. It’s what he deserves and I hope the rest of the paladins have something beautiful like that in their future too.

Okay, with that said. Let’s get to the things I didn’t like:

- Allurance. Now, this has nothing to do with my prefered ship not being canon. I was actually warming up to the idea until a certain scene with Allura happened where she was manipulated by ‘Lance’ and ‘Lotor’. That scene just showed me her feelings for Lotor really weren’t completely gone and Honerva felt like that she could manipulate her with his presence. And it worked for a short while, but she still resisted because she had grown feelings for Lance as well, so Honerva just used Lance against her as well. It just bothered me a whole fucking lot. Also kids, please. Don’t ever confess your love on the first date no matter what. (I love you, Lance ;))

- Allura’s death. Okay listen, we’ve all had a feeling but really hoped it wouldn’t be like that and for the longest time I was actually convinced that they wouldn’t. Until I saw a Season 8 video by Fictional Crystals and she was talking about how it was hinted at FROM THE VERY BEGINNING and throughout the series that Allura would have to sacrifice herself. And when I saw that, I got really scared. But it did happen and I just fucking cried and just- Why. Why LAUREN. WHY JOAQUIM. WHY.

- Pacing, The pacing of this season was alright. Alright as in, one second an episode would be calm and everything’s good thEN THE NEXT. BOOM. ROBOT. BOOM ACTION. And sometimes I struggled to keep up because I glance at my phone one second and before I know it everyone was yelling in my ears. Also Allurance’s pacing. Because... no, take a relationship easy guys.

- Klance. Yeah you know- We’ll always have the fandom doing amazing things and I do feel like season 8 give artists/writers a nice “best friends to lovers’’ trope to continue on. Just- it could’ve been fucking canon why.(actually I might have a feeling WHY, it’ll be explained in my post about the show’s downfall later on today.)

- Shiro’s happiness. Listen, I don’t mind that the fact that there is an lgbt kiss at the end of the season. Really, I don’t. These things are (OBVIOUSLY) very welcomed. What I DO have a problem with is that it was with someone we knew nothing about, we never saw Shiro’s and his relationship. We don’t even know his name unless his name is actually Happiness and that’s who he found because if so I will shake some writers up becAUSE WHAT THE F- Besides that, I agree with the fact that instead they could’ve just let Adam live and have him get married to Shiro.

- Honerva’s ending. It was kinda... anticlimatic to me? 

I might add some stuff more later on but this is all I have so far, I’m kinda struggling thinking about more right now.

Anyways, feel free to let me know your thoughts or whatever, the only thing I ask is be respectful of mine and each others opinions! It doesn’t cost anything to be polite.

It’s been an honor flying with you all! 

[aidansinclair01]

A1 ePortfolio (Intro To Bus Comm)

Week 2

It was a little bit difficult to adjust to a new routine and schedule. There was a little bit of travel involved however it wasn’t as much as some others in the class. Everyone within the class is there to learn so it is a good environment to be in as well as the fact that we all share a common interest, being sport. I intend to approach the year in a very similar way to the way I approached year 12. I want to take a relaxed approach so I do not work myself up over the assessments as the first semester of the first year looks like it could get quite hectic at points. I’m looking forward to meeting some new people with similar interests to myself as well as the talks from people within the industry and the pathways they took to get where they are.

  Week 5

For this assignment I worked with Peter, Troy and Arthur. As a group, I felt that we worked really well and efficiently. Everyone did what they needed to so that we finished on time with ease. Our actual presentation was pretty well done considering the circumstances of it having to be presented online through Webex. For the teamwork survey everything was rated highly as I felt comfortable sharing ideas with the team because they were always very willing to take feedback on board and give feedback out when required. Personally, I’m pretty nervous whenever it comes to presenting so I think that can always be worked on, but all in all, for one of my first assessments, I feel as if I did my job and was pleased that everyone else did theirs to a high standard. I think we could’ve put some more work into the aesthetics of the presentation so that it was nicer to look at. However, for us, it wasn’t really a priority until right at the end. So, if anything, we could have attempted to finish sooner so that we could edit the layout and look of the presentation.

 Academic Source - Judd, B & Butcher, T 2016, ‘Beyond equality: the place of Aboriginal culture in the Australian game of football’, Australian Aboriginal Studies, no. 1, pp. 68-84, viewed 17 March 2020, EBSCO database. https://search-informit-com-au.ezproxy.holmesglen.edu.au/fullText;dn=220966850376591;res=IELAPA

 The academic source was compulsory so I thought I should put a lot of effort into choosing the right one. It took me a little while to find the right one, but I think this source was extremely relevant to the topic considering it actually mentioned the athlete from our chosen issue, Adam Goodes.

 Week 7

In comparison to my final years of high school, there isn’t a huge change in the ways that I have chosen to study. Considering the Coronavirus pandemic, it was difficult to get motivated at times throughout the semester. Being stuck at home and learning online has meant that there are some difficult distractions at times and has made it harder to concentrate in comparison to just learning in class. With the cancellation of sport, it’s probably been a good thing in terms of helping me focus on my study, especially over weekends. I’m realising that some of these new skills such as referencing are going to be very helpful in the future. It’s something that I learnt very briefly at school but knowing how to properly do it to a high standard will assist me in swaying from citing or paraphrasing without crediting the original source. I have pretty much fully settled into the new style of learning and am realising how much work I’m going to need to put in to succeed in the course and in the future opportunities that I am provided with.

I aimed to use this table to guide my days to make sure that I remained on track. Of course, there were a few days where this went out the window and I had a bit of a ‘lazy day’ but in terms of my general time management, this helped significantly, even if it was just to guide me. I thought exercise was going to be very important for me this year, especially on a regular basis and to take a productive break from studying rather than sitting on my bed, watching Netflix. The running helped to clear my mind and not only has helped me feel better, physically, but especially mentally, allowing me to get back to my work and focus.

Week 9

The feedback I received came from Ryan. My downfall was the lack of artifacts which I already knew going into having it marked as I hadn’t put a lot of time into my ePortfolio at that point. My focus now will turn to the artifacts because my feedback reads that the actual content within the ePortfolio was quite good. It will need some re-reading and editing to make sure it’s the best it can possibly be, but the artifacts are key at this current point in time. At this current point in time, I have just worked out the basics of Tumblr through having to use if for my ‘Introduction to Public Relations’ subject for the Weekly Market Analysis Assignment.

Week 11

Up to this point in time, my assessment marks aren’t what I was hoping them to be. A lot of this is based on referencing and my difficulty in grasping it early on. However, in more recent assignments that I have handed in (the essay type assignments), I have felt more confident and I am intrigued to see if I did well on those or not as I can definitely see a big improvement between those essays and the first few assignments that I completed, especially in terms of my referencing and my citations. As the semester is coming to a close, the stress levels are beginning to rise again with many assignments and tasks due in not a long period of time. I usually like to work hard on an assignment and then give myself a bit of a break, however this is challenging me as the assessments are one after another. I don’t think I will “enjoy” the challenge as much but it will definitely be beneficial for me in the long run whether that’s working through stress and pressure or organising my time management a little bit better.

These comments from Simone on the report submitted by myself and Riley kind of put into perspective the level of work expected for assessments, particularly for the academic articles. We tried our best to try and follow the guidelines but seemed to slip off track a little bit. This highlighted the importance of remembering to return to the assessment guide and rubric to make sure that the task was followed closely. Our referencing was particularly loose which really hurt our marks and the “academic” side of the academic report. To this point I haven’t received marks for my other reports so I’m not sure how much I’ve improved, but I have put a lot more time into my referencing to try and get as many marks as possible on my referencing with the hope that my other content is good enough to get a solid mark overall.

Week 13

Knowledge

Over the semester, for me personally, it has been about adapting to the differing climate on the back of the Coronavirus. Despite this, I’ve enjoyed the semester while learning plenty of useful information. Referencing has been a big thing that I’ve learnt, especially the significance of it in ensuring that you don’t get pulled up for plagiarism or copyright. 

Skills

My skills have grown quite significantly this year so far. The way I am writing is more succinct and I’m making a conscious effort to not ‘beat around the bush’ but rather express my point in a clearer fashion then what I was perhaps doing in high school. As mentioned, the main skill I’ve learnt is referencing and its importance. But I’ve also learnt a lot about the history of sport, the media industry and ways to engage an audience through public relations campaigns and strategies.

Attitudes/Behaviours

My attitudes towards the subject as a whole have sort of changed in a sense. I’ve realised that the course, over the entirety of the 3 years, will be a lot more of a grind than what I may have originally thought. The class has bonded really well and I feel like I’m a part of it. This helps with going back because I’m generally not very talkative so this tightly knitted group is very nice to have. My focus now turns to the exams which I am a little nervous for but I know that there will be plenty of time to study and ask questions if I need.

[meditationklaus]

A Modern Guide to Yoga Philosophy: Yamas & Niyamas

Consider this: After I die, what do I hope people will say and feel about me?

I suspect your answer may be similar to mine at first: “She/he was a great person and lived a meaningful life.” For me, that means that I was honest, kind, and humble through my mistakes.

Take a moment, perhaps closing your eyes and sitting tall, to consider what it means to you to be remembered as a great (yes, great, not good) person by the people that matter in your life. What words, values, and feelings arise?

Unfortunately, life doesn’t come with a handbook. Patanjali, an ancient Indian thinker, proposed the yamas and niyamas in “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.” These 10 ethical principles could be considered the yogi’s handbook to a life well lived.

A Brief Intro to the Yoga Sutras

Throughout the ages, throughout the world, humans have developed basic guidelines and rules that we pretty much all can agree upon—like not murdering each other and not taking what is not ours. The yamas and niyamas are the version of these guidelines developed in India in the framework of yoga.

Most people nowadays start of yoga by going to a class filled with poses. However, traditionally, if you were in India during the early days of yoga, you would seek a guru. They would refuse to teach you any yoga poses (asanas), breathing practices (pranayama) or meditation techniques until you have demonstrated that you live your life in accordance with the yamas and niyamas, which are (loosely translated):

Yamas

Ahimsa – Nonviolence (not harming)

Satya –  Truthfulness

Asteya –  Non-stealing

Brahmacharya – Moderation (conservation of energy)

Aparigraha –  Non-possessiveness

Niyamas

Saucha –  Cleanliness

Santosha – Contentment

Tapas – Passionate self-discipline

Svadhyaya – Self-study

Ishvara Pranidhana – Surrendering

Let’s explore each one individually and discuss how to apply them to life practically in the modern day.

The Yamas

1. Ahimsa: Non-violence (not harming)

Ahimsa is often interpreted as nonviolence towards all living things. Of course, this means that we don’t murder or physically harm other humans, and it also means that we try not to emotionally hurt others, avoiding activities like gossip.

Ahimsa can also be translated as compassion and kindness towards yourself and all others. Sometimes, it is easier to be kind to others than ourselves. Perhaps you have had a thought like this “I am so stupid for falling for that again” or “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Consider this: Would I say this to a loved one?! Is that being kind to myself? We can shift our minds by simply by catching those sort of thoughts as they happen and asking yourself, “is this true?”

We can also choose to not hurt ourselves by being mindful of what we eat and how we treat our bodies. Many yogis are also vegetarian, environmental advocates, and social equality advocates as a part of non-harming. In what ways do you personally choose to promote nonviolence?

The physical yoga practice is another great opportunity to practice not harming yourself. Have you ever forced your body into shapes that just didn’t feel right to you?  Do you take breaks when you need? I believe—despite whatever a teacher is telling you to do—that you are the world’s leading expert in your own body and must adapt or stop when something doesn’t feel right.

Yoga class is not monkey see, monkey do; a good yoga class is full of mindful options and choices.

Living in nonviolence is the foundation for the rest of these principles. It is the most important, and can be challenging in its subtleties. For example, it is harmful to judge ourselves and others when not measuring up to an ethical standard. Although a yogi opposes harmful acts and wrongdoing, a yogi tries not to waste energy judging or hating the wrongdoer.

Recently, while reading the news, I have caught myself thinking (and judging): ”I could never do that.” Then, I reminded myself that we are all imperfect humans and have the capacity to do anything, even the most horrific acts.

Maya Angelou explains this quote as a path to compassion: “The brute, the bigot, and the batterer are all children of God…and I’m supposed to treat them accordingly. It’s hard and I blow it all the time.”

Consider this: How can I be more humble and compassionate when I am tempted to judge myself and others?

2. Satya: Truthfulness

This is the practice of trying to be truthful (and congruent) in our speech, thoughts, and actions. Both being true to others and ourselves is vital in satya. This is simple to explain, but not easy to do.

Consider this: How can I be more truthful in my everyday life?

3. Asteya: Non-Stealing

Naturally, we know that we should not take things that are not ours. But, what else can you steal that is a bit less concrete? Time and energy.

One big way we steal is by being late, which can be considered stealing people’s time. Of course, we can’t always control this, but when it is a pattern in our life, we know we need to make changes. For example, if you are often late to yoga class, interrupting the class to come in, then you know that you can leave 10 minutes earlier next time.

Another way we can steal is by taking energy from others. This often shows up by talking way more than listening, or complaining more than giving thanks. Asteya can also be translated as avoiding a mindset of greediness and hoarding. I’m not saying we all need to be minimalists, but consumerism adds up when we’re buying clothes to only wear them once or twice.

Consider this: How can I cut down the amount of resources I use in the world? Am I giving as much as I am getting?

4. Brahmacharya: Moderation (Conservation of Energy)

Traditionally, yoga was taught as a monastic practice to young boys who have devoted their lives to spirituality. As yogis that live in the modern world, as householders with jobs, kids, and the stresses of busy lives, we must adapt these ethical principles to be practical for us.

This means, we don’t have to be celibate monks or nuns to live this principle. We can, however, live in moderation—conserving our energy (including, but not limited to, our sexual energy).

Let’s consider for a moment the sexual energy interpretation of brahmacharya. Imagine gathering up all the energy (time, money, and thoughts) that you have ever exerted on the pursuit, maintenance, and breaking up of romantic relationships from—let’s say—7th grade to today. That includes your 7th grade crush, high school heartbreak, online dating swiping, texting, analyzing with friends, and maybe some therapy.

Imagine you could have all that energy back. What books would you have read—heck, written—with that energy?! Surely, we all can redirect our energy better in this department.

Recently, conserving my energy has meant turning off all screens at 9 p.m. to wind down to sleep well. When I Netflix or scroll at night, I am not redirecting or conserving my energy properly. (Well, I do this as many nights as possible. Remember what Oscar Wilde said: “Everything in moderation, including moderation.)

I propose that neither Netflix nor sex are bad ways to spend your energy. Perhaps, being a yogi in the modern day just means that we do these things mindfully and in moderation.

Consider this: In what ways could I conserve my energy?

5. Aparigraha: Non-Possessiveness

Aparigraha is often translated as being non-possessive. It can also be viewed as not being jealous of what others have or do. Living the principle of aparigraha means you are self-reliant and have an attitude of gratitude for who you are and what you have.

We are neurologically programed for survival as humans to strive for more. However, in our modern world of excess, we can override some of that consciously. We can do that simply by noticing our thoughts and natural propensity for attachments without judgement.

Consider this: How can I be more grateful instead of jealous?

The Niyamas

6. Santosha: Contentment

Contentment, to me, also involves a sense of gratitude for the moment and the way things are. A feeling of contentment is like a muscle that needs to be strengthened and stretched through repetitions like journaling, prayer, or affirmations.

Building your contentment muscle doesn’t mean you are also complacent—not striving for ambitious goals. The challenge is finding a balance of being content with where you are in your journey while passionately working towards your vision.

If you are in school or in a job that is not ideal, although it is hard, can you enjoy the learning journey while working passionately (see #8: Tapas) toward your next destination?

Consider this: How can I create a habit and mindset of contentment, even when life gets busy and challenging?

7. Saucha: Cleanliness

They say that cleanliness is next to godliness. At a basic level, this means showering, wearing clean clothes, and keeping a clean and organized house (and a clean car— that’s my downfall). We could also interpret this as cleanliness of thoughts. (Oh my, do we all have some housekeeping to do!)

Consider this: Do I have a cleanliness downfall that I could work on?

8. Tapas: Passionate Self-Discipline

The word “tapas” in Sanskrit implies fire. It is often interpreted as having self-discipline, but I like the interpretation of having a “burning passion.” This is that burning desire to express our creativity, help others, and to meaningfully contribute in the world.

Following your path (or dharma) is not always easy; a lot of times it takes tireless work. Tapas is the fuel to keep doing the work. Often, this means resilience amidst failure.

When considering tapas, I often think back to santosha (contentment). A grandparent figure once told me, “be content but never satisfied.” Most rewarding things in life require hard work.

Consider this: How can I find more balance between contentment and a burning passion to improve?

9. Svadhyaya: Self-Study

Traditionally, svadhyaya is studying spiritual texts. I extend this broader to activities like reading any self-improvement or yoga book, listening to podcasts that make you reflect, journaling, and really, anything that helps you reflect on life.

Just by reading this article and reflecting on how to best integrate these ethical principles, you are practicing svadhyaya.

Consider this: What type of self-study is most fulfilling to me?

10. Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrendering

This can be translated as surrendering to a higher power or, even, simply to that which you cannot control in life. I think the Serenity prayer best sums up the feeling of this yogic principle:

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” -Reinhold Niebuhr

Perhaps, you simply have to be humble and realize that you cannot control everything. This seems to be the hardest and the most important for a happy, fulfilling life. To me, ishvara pranadhana is an attitude of being in flow—accepting the challenges that arise in our lives with strength and resilience.

Consider this: How can I let go and be in flow more in my daily life?

I hope this article has helped you reflect on how these values play a real role in your everyday life: nonviolence, truthfulness, non-stealing, moderation, non-possessiveness, contentment, and cleanliness, self-discipline, self-study, and surrendering.

Image credit: Kate Swarm

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