4 Ways to Practice Aparigraha with your Belongings

APARIGRAHA (NON-GRASPING) YOGA PHILOSOPHY CHALLENGE

 

 

Aparigraha is the niyama (yogic restraint) that means non-grasping or non-attachment. TKV Desikachar describes this as “taking only what is necessary.”

But how many of us can say that we have only what is necessary? If that were true, we would have far fewer possessions. It brings to mind the old adage,

“When you have more than you need, build a bigger table, not a higher fence.”

In other words, share with others.

Those partaking in the Yoga Philosophy Challenge gave away a personal belonging every day for a week.

 

Here are some other ways we can practice aparigraha with our belongings:

 

1. Be mindful with your purchasing

There is so much STUFF already in this world—rather than supporting the manufacturing of more, consider if you can buy certain things used. Clothing is a great example, as most towns have vintage boutiques and secondhand shops where you can buy stylish clothing that isn’t straight from a factory.  When you consider the humanitarian issues of cheap fast-fashion brands, there’s even more incentive to look into more mindful options.

 

 

2. Give away the clothes you don’t wear

When you have a week’s worth of dirty clothes ready to be washed, do you look at your still-full closet and say, “I have nothing to wear”? If so, then why are you holding on to all of those clothes in the closet? I always find myself wearing my favorite outfits on repeat, and forgetting about everything else I own. If I go through my closet and can’t remember the last time I wore something, it goes in the donation bin.

 

3. Check in with your belongings

In proper Marie Kondo fashion, it’s useful to go through your possessions every now and then and ask yourself why you’re holding on to it. Is it functional? Does it make you happy? Or are you simply holding onto it like a security blanket, for the hypothetical future “just in case”? If it’s the last reason, it’s probably time to let it go.

 

4. Donate your old electronics

Electronics are a good place to start practicing non-attachment. With cell phone companies putting out new versions of their products every year, and customers jumping at the chance to buy them, we have a surplus of old phones still in great working condition. Rather than posting your old electronics on eBay to re-sell, consider an act of charity instead by donating them.

 

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Asana and Aparigraha

 

The root chakra deals with issues of attachment. Even the fact that our possessions are called our “belongings”—the things that belong to us—hints at why we become so attached: material goods give us a sense of stability and belonging. Activating the root chakra allows us to find that sense of belonging within ourselves, without the need of external goods.

Hip stabilizing poses like prone backbends (cobra, with internal rotation of the thighs, pressing the pubic bone into the ground) and adductor strengthening (ardha matsyendrasana) can help us find that stability.

Here’s something I realized about supply/demand from practicing this challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Want to be a part of the Yoga Philosophy Challenge? Each week we go through one yama and niyama, challenging ourselves to weave those principles into our lives in specific ways.

At the end of each week, I’ll provide a little recap of what we experienced as a group here. To be ahead of the curve, sign up to join the weekly challenge here!

 

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