| The recent financial climate in the country has brought | | | | or internal practices and can be translated as |
| a need to conserve in many families, mine included. As | | | | contentment. The Niyamas are said to guide our |
| a long time yoga practitioner, I have been applying the | | | | actions so they benefit all of life. This practice is one of |
| practice of Aparigraha (non-greed). This is one of the | | | | expansion and helps make us feel full. It is a good for |
| Yamas or personal practices recommended in The | | | | balancing Aparigraha (non-greed).Now, the usual |
| Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a foundational text of Yoga. | | | | practices of gratitude and giving thanks for what you |
| The Five Yamas are considered external disciplines as | | | | do have are fine examples of the practice of Santosa. |
| they relate to how we 'yoke' to the world. Aparigraha | | | | However, I have to tell you, this can be a stretch when |
| can also be translated as "not taking more than you | | | | you have lost everything, including your home, all its |
| need". It is it a good practice and well worth modeling | | | | contents, a husband, a job, most of your community, |
| for our children, families and loved ones. I'd like to say | | | | your credit and pretty much everything else. This has |
| that I had a profound spiritual compulsion to start | | | | colored much of my experience this year. You get |
| practicing Aparigraha in order to become a better | | | | tired of telling the kids we have no money for shoes |
| teacher, yogi and world citizen; but that would violate | | | | or Christmas presents and they can't play soccer or |
| 'Satya' - another Yama that translates as truthfulness. | | | | have a birthday party. You grow weary of standing on |
| It was my profound inability to practice Aparigraha in | | | | welfare and food stamp lines and visiting the labor |
| the first place that most certainly got me into my | | | | department and divorce courts. Oh sure, you become |
| current financial crisis. The yoga tradition has a magical | | | | grateful have food to eat and for the churches who |
| way of giving the practitioner exactly what she needs. | | | | run "Adopt-a-Family" at Christmas. You feel blessed to |
| Faced with financial hardship, it is easy to become | | | | have nurses who secretly slip food baskets through |
| afraid and start contracting. When we are afraid, | | | | the back door of the school, so as not to embarrass |
| nagging thoughts of "there is not enough" seep into our | | | | you and for kind neighbors who buy your kids shoes. |
| consciousness, then into our actions. We start | | | | And you're eternally grateful that you live in a country |
| protecting what we have and look for ways to get | | | | that provides Health Care, job programs and basic civil |
| more. We may envy other people's abundance and | | | | rights unknown to so many world citizens. Yet, fear |
| secretly wish it was ours. Fear brings contraction and | | | | kept clouding my perception and I didn't exactly feel full |
| contraction instantly stagnates flow. | | | | or expansive. I've been on those welfare lines recently |
| Non-Greed and Contentment: A better approach is to | | | | and have looked deeply into the eyes of the others |
| practice Aparigraha (non greed) in combination with | | | | standing there with me. Many seemed depleted and |
| another of Pantajali's recommended practices called | | | | empty and definitely not content. I think they many of |
| Santosa. Santosa belongs to the group of 5 Niyamas | | | | them are afraid too. |