Asteya, the yogic principle of non-stealing, goes beyond taking things—it’s about time, energy, and ideas. I learned this the hard way saying “yes” to every request until burnout loomed. Here’s how to live Asteya off the mat.

1. Don’t Steal Time | Chronically late, like the Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland? You’re stealing. Late to class, you disrupt others’ grounding. Late to work, you burden coworkers. Late on bills, you withhold income from providers. Respect others’ vacations or days off—ask, Can this wait? Be on time, Respect Boundaries, and other’s time.

2. Guard Your Energy | I said “yes” to every teaching gig for a year, stretching my skills but draining me. Dropping a Friday night class that exhausted me opened better opportunities. Don’t overextend yourself or push others to do so. Saying no is a complete sentence.

3. Honor Others’ Ideas | Taking someone’s idea without credit is theft. When I use “toaster setting” for block height, I credit Cindy Mahoney. For “Slow down to speed up,” I thank Mark Wallace. Acknowledging others’ contributions builds trust and respect. Giving credit enhances your own relevance.

4. Use Resources Wisely | Bigger isn’t better. At a Jackson Hole dinner, my linebacker-sized meal was delicious but wasteful. We’ve Costco’d life—do I need six pairs of black flip-flops or the big bucket of popcorn? Take less, use less. Do with less and achieve more in the end.

5. Accept Yourself |Stop stealing from yourself with negative self-talk. I can’t bind—my arms are short, my spine’s twisted. But I’m close, and I’ve stopped comparing myself to pretzel-yogis. Your only competition is yourself yesterday.

Like all of Yoga, practicing Asteya is a lifelong quest towards Samadhi or enlightenment. Fail, recognize patterns, build a course to navigate to success and then start again. Which of these concepts stuck with you as what you can work on this week?