It’s everywhere.
My relationship with stuff was very unhealthy. For most of my 20s if I felt vulnerable in any way I would grab my credit card and hit the shops. Thinking back, I looked possessed as I raked through clothes rails and rushed frantically from shop to shop. I tried to get it done as quickly as possible. Like a binge. I would also make neurotic lists of things I ‘wanted’ after spending hours researching online. All of the spending was outside my means and as a result it’s taken me years to start to decrease my debt. The most regretful part of all this was that when I would get home all the purchases would be cast aside and I would go back to feeling empty.
The Yamas and Niyamas reflect the Vedic idea that one must have a dharmic foundation in daily life in order to truly approach the spiritual path. Aparigraha is one of the more subtle of Patanjali’s yamas to master yet in our western society it’s one of the most important. In short, it depicts the ethical discipline of not coveting, or non-possessiveness both at a gross and mental level. We are overrun by ‘things’ in our lives. It’s unescapable. We place consciousness into these things and find places in our hearts for inanimate objects. They define us, measure our success, comfort us when we’re feeling blue. This attachment doesn’t feel healthy nor will it help us advance on a spiritual path of non attachment. It’s extremely hard to detach from possessiveness as it’s everywhere in society. It’s so built into our lives we don’t even notice. It’s a veil.
Since connecting deeper to my yoga practice I have found an innate desire to buy and have less stuff. What I have I value for the benefit it can bring me and I am going through a process of getting rid of things that do not serve me. I feel happier as a result but it’s hard to pinpoint why as I feel largely equanimious to many tangible things. My life is less cluttered both physically and mentally. And on a practical level I have money to put to better use. Now the veil is lifting, I feel more abundant than ever.
Behind the Curve 