The Yamas : Aparigraha

Dear Soul Community,

While the great sage Pantajali did caution us not to become attached to material goods, I think the reality of Aparigraha goes deeper than our concepts of greed or over-indulgence. Aparigraha means not reaching from all sides or not craving for all things. In other words, the concept represents freedom from greed, releasing attachment to things or letting go of possessiveness. This used to frustrate me so deeply because I didn’t understand how to release attachment to the only reality I knew. My spiritually immature self was like… “So, you want me to diiiiie, Panatajali!?” Dramatic? Yes, but this problem felt so real because it is. I realize now the issue was with the “reality” or level of reality I was caught up in. I had to go deeper.

Attachment to the world outside of ourselves points to an inability or fear of doing our internal healing work. Seeking a new experience of joy, peace, or pleasure from a world that’s already been created only deepens our suffering because we are searching in the wrong place. Outside distractions create temporary fixes and short-term comfort at an enormous price, ultimately, no one can afford. But what do we do when the “fix” becomes broken, and we feel the pain of our unhealed wounds once again? Many of us lean into the material world and all its attachments and distractions, we also refer to this as addiction. Addiction is not always the dramatic images we see of people addicted to substances or unhealthy behaviors. Addiction comes in subtler forms. The root of addiction is reaching from all sides for that which we are supposed to receive from a higher and unlimited source. We succumb to addiction when we look for unconditional love in all the wrong places and suffer for not finding it. 

What are the right places? We’re not sages living on mountain tops in isolation. How do we detach from the only world we know? Well, I don’t think we do.  We can’t. The human brain does not process negative information, anyone with kids in their lives knows that what you tell a person not to do is exactly what they will do. My point is instead of focusing on letting go of the world what would happen if we focused deeper into the world? Focused on what we’re actually seeking in all this other stuff? What would happen if we followed the roots of joy and peace to their infinite source of lifegiving energy? How do we do that? That’s the adventure of living. There are no quick fixes. I invite us (me included) to ponder and explore what pure joy and unconditional love feels like, so when we find it, we’ll recognize it.

This means we get to have marvelous adventures! Do yoga, Reiki, eat a cookie, sit on a bench, run a marathon… or not! We get to pick our adventure, but to find the true source of what we are really seeking we must do these things mindfully. Mindfullness is about being present through your experience. Instead of doing multiple things at once I choose an experience to savor. I focus on the beauty of that experience. When I acknowledge beauty through all my senses I am empowered, my mind clears, and I feel my energy expanding. 

Beauty is the gateway to higher realities. Beauty is a vibration that we experience as restorative, healing, and empowering. Don’t take my word for it. Go stare at something you consider beautiful, make note of how you feel before and after. Eat while focusing on the beauty of the taste, smell, appearance, and texture of the food. Listen to music while focusing on the beauty of the sound. Brush your teeth while focusing on the beauty of a clean mouth, have fun with it! The more we introduce beauty into these small practices, we strengthen our ability to access the energy that beauty radiates at will. 

Focus on beauty in the mundane, breathe it in and allow it to nourish and empower you. It’s free.

Be sweet, beautiful soul. 

Erica T. Dennis