Aparigraha: Non-Hoarding

Aparigraha: Non-Hoarding

by Breezy Jackson

This month, we focus on the fifth and final Yama: aparigraha or non-hoarding. The concept of aparigraha extends beyond the procurement of and attachment to objects. It can also apply to food, relationships, and ideas about yourself and the world around you.  The essentail practice of aparigraha is about answering the question - what is enough? 

Desire is a perfectly human quality.  We might desire certain physical or intellectual qualities, a relationship, food or material objects.  Though desire in and of itself is neither inherently positive or negative, when out of balance it can lead to suffering. Untempered desire leads to more desire to control what cannot be controlled.  Practitioners of aparigraha recognize the transient nature of the world, and instead of trying to control what cannot be controlled, they open their hearts and hands to possibility. Where some might see emptiness or ending, these practitioners see space and new beginning. Instead of living in nostalgia of better times or waiting for the better life ahead, they greet each moment with wonder and gratitude, watch it pass, and greet the next moment. In addition, those that observe aparigraha know that every being is inherently worthy of love and respect, and they do not require outside reassurance of their intrinsic nature. Finally they adhere to this simple wisdom: happiness is not having what you want, happiness is wanting what you have.

This month consider the following exercise relating to aparigraha. What attachments and cravings do you notice in your life? Watch arise without judgment, and then fade away. 

Brahmacharya: Non-Excess

Brahmacharya: Non-Excess

by Laura DeFreitas

The Yamas & the Niyamas are the foundational principles of all Yogic thought. Yoga is a philosophy of existence that extends beyond the physical postures that have facilitated its rise in mainstream repute. Yama is the first limb of Patanjali’s Eight Fold Path of Yoga. The Sanskrit word Yama literally translates as “restraints.” In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali details five universal Yamas: non-violence (ahmisa), truthfulness (satya), non-stealing (asteya), non-excess (brahmacharya) and non-possessiveness (aparigraha). Over the course of the last three months Mountain Yoga has explored three of the five Yamas. This brings us to the fourth jewel, brahmacharya. Brahma is the Sanskrit word for Creative Force or God. Charya means, “to follow.” Though brahmacharya is classically interpreted to mean celibacy or abstinence, it has been secularized for today’s modern practitioner and is often understood as moderation. Yet the practice of non-excess can also be seen in an expansive light that invites us to welcome the sacredness of all life through a careful attendance to each moment as holy, and this dear ones, includes our sexuality.

We live in a culture of excess. We overdo food, work, sex, entertainment, material possessions and exercise. Not to call anyone lazy but some of us even overdo relaxatio. Why do we continually move beyond the place of contentment into excess? Yogic thought tells us that it is because our mind has an emotional investment in certain foods or activities. As we begin to become more aware of the ways in which we indulge in excess, it is important to discern the difference between what the body truly needs and the story the mind is telling us. In her book “The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice,” Deborah Adele shares:
“We are on this world, in part, to feel enjoyment and pleasure. If we are in pleasure and not addiction, we are practicing brahmacharya. If we are feeding our mental stories and have moved past bodily comfort, we are in addiction and out of harmony with this guideline….Non-excess is not about non-enjoyment. The questions before us are: Are you eating the food, or is the food eating you? Are you doing the activity, or is the activity doing you?”

A discussion of brahmacharya wouldn’t be complete without some mention of its implications on sexual energy. Someone once shared a definition of brahmacharya that stuck with me, though the person’s name did not. This person said that in practicing the first three Yamas – non-violence, truthfulness and non-stealing - within our sexual relations we, by default, practice brahmacharya. This definition is particularly relevant when considered within the framework of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. The Yoga Sutras are a series of 196 terse aphorisms that define the method and ultimate aims of Yoga. Sutra means thread. The Yoga Sutra is a carefully woven and masterful tapestry in which no word is superfluous and each thread relies upon the previous. The order in which the Yamas appear in the Yoga Sutra therefore holds significance just as kleshas (afflictions) appear in geniuses order; ignorance (adviya) being the field in which all other root obstructions grow. I digress but I hope you will humor me and give this idea some consideration.

If we find ourselves living in the throws of addiction in any facet of our life, a period of fasting or celibacy can be very useful in returning to a place of balance. These practices are powerful tools that pull in the reins, cultivate contentment and help us to regain our center. We have all, at some point or another, moved beyond the line of bodily satisfaction and discovered lethargy. That’s the thing about overindulgence; it smothers our life force like too many logs on a fire. Practicing non-excess preserves the life force within us so we may live with clarity and purity.

Brahmacharya beckons us to acknowledge the sanctity of all life and the interconnectedness of all beings. It invites us to open to the magic and fullness of each and every moment. When every task, no matter how mundane or familiar, becomes an opportunity to be amazed an avenue for gratitude is created. With an attitude of gratitude, there is no need for excess. At times, I struggle with a nagging sense of dullness that leaves me feeling sad and afraid. Deborah Adele suggests that this is a result of maintaining too fast a pace for too long. I concur. In my world this pace eventually results in living life on autopilot. She also states that we wear our busyness like a badge and go to bed with a sense of accomplishment because we checked a lot of things off our task list. “The ego likes to feel important, and it doesn’t feel very important when I am resting.” Deborah has me pegged. The desire to get comfortable in the uncomfortable place of stillness was one of the promises that first drew me to Yoga. Though I have learned to sit in silence, honor my limits and make time for the spaciousness of Mother Nature, I am still a recovering Type-A Personality. As I write these words, I can’t help but be amused and honored by how the process of Yoga continues to stealthily grant me opportunities (i.e. writing about non-excess) for self-inquiry and growth.
Brahmacharya reminds us that we are embodied to serve the world with our passion and that that vitality is best cultivated through moderation, not excess. In the words of Howard Thurman, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Asteya: Non-Stealing

Asteya: Non-Stealing

by Jennifer Fuller

Asteya “Non-Stealing” the third Jewel of Patanjali’s Yama’s invites us to live in integrity and reciprocity.  Well, it is not as simple as thou shall not steal thy neighbor’s snow blower. It is far more complex, and requires deep introspection with in each of us to fully unearth the true abundance, that lies beneath this ethical precept. Asteya encourages students of yoga to diminish their desire to rob energy, money, beauty, abundance, wealth, and confidence from others, and instead turn inwards evaluating there own internal resources. Students are encouraged to receive from others, but only that which is freely given. The goal as a student of this long-standing tradition is to surround oneself with people that are supportive of our betterment, and this results is a treasure chest of absolute abundance, comparable to no wealth on earth! In essence, the word Asteya is rooted in integrity.

“Desire or want is the root cause of stealing” Swami Sivananada

It is only by our own nature that we look outside of ourselves in search of happiness. In this search we end up in a game of comparison, envy, jealousy, all of which are a forms of stealing. An individual is not only stealing from the other person whom they have focused on, but they are stealing from themselves. We ultimately lose sight of all of the blessings, and abundance that we have in our own lives by comparing ourselves to other people. As a human being, it is so easy to get caught up in the external high light reel of another’s life, but the problem arises when we truly do not understand the individual’s situation or circumstances. Our actions become harmful, such as slanderous words, harmful statements, or just feelings of inferiority or superiority. Instead of embarking on a mental journey of equality with each individual we encounter.

To practice Asteya we must as yoga practioner’s, students and teachers alike, shed our layers, and remember we are united in community, and we are all rich in our own divinity, which connects us all from a deep source. We are here to support each other, build each other up, and lift each other when we are down. 

A key ingredient in acquiring the ability to claim "integrity" in thought, word, practice, and deed: humility.

Deborah Adele states in her book the Yamas and Niyamas, ‘That stealing from others we are comparing ourselves, which sends energy into others lives in unhealthy ways. If we find ourselves lacking, we feel cheated or slighted (less than), if we find ourselves superior we feel arrogant (better than)”. We may act out these scenarios in an attempt to one up each other, or put each other down through snide comments, talking behind someone’s back, speaking frequently and highly of yourself without giving back or listening to the other person.

As humans we are raised to take ownership of things; my car, my house, my kids, my forest, my friends. But, through the study of Asteya we begin to digest the concept that everything here on earth is not our possession, and by staking claim or ownership, or property rights to people, places, or material possessions we are stealing from the earth itself. These things; cars, houses, friends, lakes, mountains, rivers, friends, and children they are mere gifts. We begin to see that they are beautiful blessings that have been bestowed into our lives filling them full of abundance. We do not own them, we are simple stewards to them, and when we begin to shift our perspective we begin to see the abundance that is truly encompassing our everyday lives. Then we can begin to give back, and share this abundance with the world around us.

Stealing from yourself can also occur; this happens when we put our selves down, part take in negative self talk, stop believing in ourselves, lose motivation, self sabotage, experience low self esteem, place to high of standards on ourselves, criticize ourselves, judge ourselves, lack will power, lack self control, or part take in any other form of self abuse. Overcoming this part of Asteya can be the most difficult! This is why it is most critical to form a community, for all of us join together in support of one another, to encourage each other and uplift one another.

Aadil Palhivala writes that the "stealing" refers to the "stealing that grows from believing we cannot create what we need."

This week practice a simple self-evaluation on Asteya: First evaluate how you might be stealing from others, where you might be comparing yourself to others, or placing yourself either above someone, or below them. Begin to ask yourself why? Take a few minutes to journal your reflections. Now can you shift and become a forklift for those around you? Can you begin to lift up and give back to all those you come into contact with, so that everyone whom you encounter this month feels uplifted when they are around you?

Remember you have everything you need, and the universe has your back! You are always supported and always loved!

Satya: Truthfulness

Satya: Truthfulness

by Scott Nanamura

The second Yama of Patanjal's eight-fold path is Satya.  Satya loosely translates into English as "truth" or "reality".  It is a term of power due to its purity and meaning and has become the emblem of many peaceful social movements.  The philosophical meaning of the word "Satya" is "unchangeable", "that which has no distortion", "that which is beyond distinctions of time, space, and person", "that which pervades the universe in all its constancy."  Human life progresses through different stages, from childhood to adolescence, from adolescence to youth, and youth to old age.  It is through these changes that people progress in the form world.  That is why human life or its receptacle, the body, is not Satya.  Another notion of truth implies a higher order, a higher principle or a higher knowledge.  Satya is what one becomes aware of upon becoming Bodhisattva (enlightened or awakened person).  

Ahimsa: Non-Violence

Ahimsa: Non-Violence

by Amrito Cross

This month’s theme is Ahimsa: non-violence, non-harming, non-judging – and the positive aspect: compassion.  I’m choosing to focus on non-judging because it leads to compassion;  and because judging is what comes before deliberate harm or violence.  Before we can deliberately cause harm to another, we have to have already judged them as separate, less-than or wrong.  In judging (even positively) we are not fully present for the experience in this moment. 

In a culture in which we are trained to only trust and value our analytical, judging, left brain, how can we stop judging?  Practice!  And before we go there, let’s be clear: we need those left brain functions for our survival and for things like balancing check books and knowing to stop at a red light, but we don’t have to have the analytical mind in charge all the time. 

Here’s a simple technique to practice letting go of judgments.  Choose a tree and gaze at it.  If there are none near you right now, you can use one from the picture above.  As you gaze, notice all the labels that come up (tall, short, green, dark, light, healthy, unhealthy, etc.) and let them go.  Continue to gaze, to release the labels (judgments) and simply be present with the tree.  Notice what happens within you and to your relationship with the tree.  When I do this, I find myself feeling more relaxed, expansive and loving.  I feel a loving connection with the tree.  The more I practice this with trees, the more I find it’s possible with everything and everyone.   What do you experience with this tree-gazing practice?