All You Need is..

“Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.” ― Mother Teresa

We spend a great deal of time sending our energy in a hundred different directions and towards things that are not truly important. Yoga teaches us to slow down and listen, to recognize what is important, and to let go of that which does not serve us. We become attuned to the intricacies of our bodies and then we extend that awareness to our lives. The practices of Brahmacharya and Aparigraha, the last two of the five Yamas, or universal vows described in the Yoga Sutra, guide us toward this understanding. 

Brahmacharya, the 4th of the 5  is translated as the merging of energy with the divine, or engaging with your connection to your spiritual self. It is a practice in which we experience our interconnectedness with all of life by using our energy purposefully and mindfully.  When we use our energy in this way, we become fully present, anchored in the moment, putting our energy into those things that are happening now.  The practice of Brahmacharya teaches us to keep our energy in balance.  In our practice we frequently see imbalances in our bodies. We are stronger on one side or more flexible on another. We can balance steadily on one leg but wobble on the other.  Brahmacharya teaches us to channel our energy to the parts of our bodies that need it most. Sending it to our core to provide strength in a balance pose for example, or to our low back and hamstrings during a forward fold.  Off of the mat, it is a practice of directing our energy to the parts of our life and the people in our life who need it most.  We learn to be aware of our energy; of what we put it towards, of how we use it, and to whom we offer it.  

Aparigraha, the 5th of the 5 Yamas, means non-possessiveness, non-attachment, or non-grasping. Aparigraha is a practice of releasing and letting go. Letting go of that which does not serve us. Letting go of envy, jealousy, possessiveness, and judgement.  Our  ego grasps at things and insists on making them its own. Poses in our physical practice are no different.  Its easy to desire the flexibility or strength of another in the room, and to then force our bodies into poses that we are not ready for, bringing us full-circle and back to the practice of Ahimsa, or non-harming.  We harm ourselves, and in turn others, when we allow greed and envy into our practice or into our lives. Whether on our mat or in our life, each of us is enough.  Aparigraha is a practice of gratefulness. Gratefulness for all that we have without attachment to desires for that which we do not have. 

Be grateful for what can you do, rather than mourn what you cannot.  Wherever you are in each pose, whatever event befalls you in your life, remember that it is enough and it is perfect. Harmony is found as soon as we let go of those things which are not useful to us. We find that we lack nothing because we are attached to nothing. And with non-attachment, comes the whole world.

"By the observance of aparigraha, the yogi makes his life as simple as possible and trains his mind not to feel the loss or the lack of anything. Then everything he really needs will come to him by itself at the proper time." ~BKS Iyengar