aparigraha – Page 2 – The VeganAsana

So, if you watched a lot of Sesame Street in the past, you probably get that little joke. If not, here is a fun video to watch, but it has nothing to do with this post except that it amuses me (and the protagonist and said lama are, in fact, practicing some of what I will discuss below):

In Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga, the first two limbs are yamas and niyamas. Yamas are basically our ethical code, how we should behave in interactions with others. Niyamas are necessary personal observances to maintain the path. Each of these are part of yoga that can be observed in our daily lives, on and off the mat.

Yamas: Universal Moral Code

Ahimsa — Non-harming. This can include avoiding harm to self, others, and the world around us. Harm could mean something physical, psychological, emotional, etc. Some yogis practice vegetarianism or veganism as a part of ahimsa, while others do not.

Satya —Non-lying. Satya is about maintaining an intent to not deceive. This does not always mean we will be correct in information we give, but honest mistakes are a different thing than intentionally misleading someone. Satya does not suggest that we be brutal in our interactions with others, as the principle of ahimsa is primary. Sometimes we may need to present a different truth, or present a truth in a different way to avoid violating satya while also maintaining ahimsa.

Asteya —Non-stealing. This could be about physical objects (i.e. don’t steal from Target), monetary units (don’t cheat on your taxes) or even less concrete things like time (don’t be late for all your meetings, thereby stealing the time of others). In an academic setting, always much on my mind, this also is about not stealing the ideas or words of another (plagiarism).

Bramacharya — Sexual responsibility and restraint. In the most restrictive sense, this yama could be about celibacy. But, for most of us, it’s more about treating each other with sexual respect. Don’t objectify others. Don’t guilt/push/connive others into sexual activity. Behave in such a way that all sexual thoughts and acts are mutually uplifting (thanks for this phrasing, Beth) for all involved.

Aparaigraha — Non-grasping, non-coveting. To some degree, coveting what we don’t have or what others has seems to be a natural part of our animal natures, but it’s not something we have to give into. We can cultivate a sense of contentment with what we have that reduces our greed and allows us to be truly happy for what others have, without feeling the desire to possess it ourselves.

Niyamas: Personal Observances

Sauca — Cleanliness/purity. Sauca refers to the idea that we should maintain physical and emotional cleanliness. We should maintain a clean and healthy body, both inside and out. This can be promoted by eating a healthy diet, utilizing pranayama and asana to remove toxins, engaging in external cleanliness habits, and working toward removing the “ick” of jealousy, anger, greed, pride, etc. from our minds.

Santosa — Contentment. As you can see, the yamas and niyamas are intertwined with one another. Santosa is much related to aparigraha. Can we be content with what we have and where we are? Can we accept this moment for itself and not yearn for something more or different, the past or the future. Can we find ease even in the midst of difficulty, accepting that everything passes?

Tapas — Turning up the heat. It’s easy to get passive in life and in our yoga practice – to fall into patterns and habits and fail to challenge them. Tapas relates to utilizing our energies well to push our practices a little further. This might be through more vigorous or regular asana. It could be through a daily 5 a.m. meditation. It might be a process of fasting that energizes. Establishing what is tapas will be different for each individual, as it is relative to the current pattern.

Svadhyaya — Self-study. For some people, self study comes more easily. For many, however, it is quite difficult. Svadhyaya involves turning a light on the self and engaging in analysis of one’s own patterns in thought, behavior, emotion, etc. Svadhyaya includes examining both our “positive” qualities and our limitations and challenges. Through understanding and accepting where we are, we create room for change.

Isvara pranidhana — Surrender to a higher power. Taken literally, this niyama could be said to mean “laying it all at the feet of God.” That might be a perfect way to see it for you, or maybe it isn’t. But, that’s ok. This niyama does not specify what god or what divine we should be giving up our efforts to. That leaves room for each of us (perhaps in the process of svadhyaya?) to determine what “greater” being/principle/? we see as divine to which we can devote our actions.

So, there you have a very brief summary of the yamas and niyamas of yoga. They can be practiced every day, any time, anywhere. You don’t have to “twist into a pretzel” (my extended family/friend network understanding of yoga) or worship a certain god to do these things. Looking at them, you can see the underlying tenets of behavior for pretty much all religions or moral codes, and it’s hard to find fault with any of these ideas, even if you don’t see yourself as a yogi at all. You can do yoga 24 hours a day! Sweetness!

Namaste,

Saṃskāras – yeah, baby, who doesn’t love a good pattern, a groove, a habit? We all have them, don’t we? And they are comforting, productive, efficient (sometimes). They are also stifling, wasteful, constraining (sometimes). Desire for habit vs. spontaneity is a dialectic that everyone faces. We all want some degree of constancy and regularity (even if we said “I will never do something the same way twice” that would be a habit, eh?), but we also want the unique moments of the unexpected. While we want both, often – it seems to me – we are reluctant to let go of the habits, the grooves, the Saṃskāras, to open ourselves to the possibility of the variation. We cling to the expected and the usual, managing to shut out any opportunity for growth. This happens in all parts of our life and our interactions with others. We cling to people, to objects, to events, to routines. We believe that we can’t function (or live?) without them. But, if we can practice a little aparigraha (non-attachment) in our lives, we open up to so much more.

Thinking about it in life, generally, we like for our relationships with others to stay, and to a large degree we also like them to stay the same. That is not too shocking for our happy relationships, because we love the people we are in them with, and we don’t want that to shift. But, what does this stop us from experiencing? Would change necessarily be bad? Might it be ultimately better for one or both of us? We also draw our circles of loved ones around us tightly to maintain them. Who are we keeping out that might enhance our lives? If we allow for a little change, a little variety in who we spend our time with or how we enact our relationships, it may be good for everyone concerned. As a parent, I can say that it’s easy to cling to my image of who I visualized my children becoming. But, if I can’t do that, how will I ever see or enjoy who they might really become?

In yoga, this applies as well. We can easily develop attachments to certain types of practice (“I ONLY do Bikram!”) or to teachers or to poses. We create habits of how we come into poses, get out of them, and respond to them. We attach to having music (or not or what type). We attach to how the class should be run, how the other students should react, and even the space in which the class is held. Whew! That’s a lot of clinging. When I first started practicing yoga, I had 2 “virtual” instructors that I was willing to “take” a class with. Everyone else made me antsy. And then, when I began practicing in a real studio, I also selected a couple of instructors and would only attend class with them. If I walked in and saw a sub, I immediately felt upset about it. Over time, as the desire to practice more forced me to branch out a little, I discovered that there were things that I could “get” from each instructor that I would have missed without the variation. Now, even though I still have my favorites, I am pleased to see a sub, because I know that bit of variation will do something good for me. Similarly, I used to clench up when I heard, “this is a new pose for this class.” But, now I like it, because even if the pose is too advanced or doesn’t suit my body, I’m likely to gain from the practice of it.

And as for food… same thing. I know a lot of people who have dietary restrictions or a specific eating plan (like veganism) who handle them by coming up with a menu of acceptable items and having them constantly. Thinking about veganism specifically, though it certainly applies to others as well, that’s useful at first, because it makes it easier to maintain the plan, but we pretty quickly become bored by having the same items over and over. That can lead to lapses or to giving up. Imagine how hard it would be to maintain a vegan diet if you only ate salads (I know, a lot of omnivores thing this IS a vegan diet). It would be near impossible. Even if you have a large amount of foods in your arsenal, it is good to branch out a little more now and then by reading other people’s recipes (VeganMoFo is great for this), trying new food items (Kelp! Beets!), or combining things in a way that you never have before. Even getting up in the morning and having a “dinner” item for breakfast can shake up your dietary day enough to help prevent cravings that are mostly about your tastebuds wanting to be entertained. There is a whole world of food out there that can nurture and care for our bodies – that means there is likely to be plenty of variation to keep our mouths and minds happy without sacrificing any nutritional philosophy that we are trying to observe.

None of this means that we have to give up all of our routines. After all, that is the meaning of dialectics – the two halves require one another. Routine is good and variety is good. Too much routine (or too much clinging to that routine) can be oppressive and too much variety (or too much attachment to spontaneity) can cause anxiety. But, either way, we can be more mindful of why we have that routine, where it could stand to be shaken up, where the spontaneity has become a routine, and what we stand to gain by allowing for change – by engaging in more aparigraha.

What in your life, in your practice, or in your veganism do you (or will you) do to provide the variety that you crave and the constancy that you need without clinging too much to either?

Tag Archives: aparigraha

Me and My Yama

Variety is the Shizz of Life, Yoga, Food – VeganMoFo Day 10