In ‘Light on Yoga’, Iyengar writes: ‘Of the eight limbs of yoga, the first limb is yama, the ethical disciplines.  These transcend creed, country, age and time. The are ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), bramacharya (continence) and aparigraha (non-covetousness). These commandments are the rules of morality for society, which if not obeyed bring about chaos as a result of the evils of greed, desire and attachment. [...] 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. The life of an ordinary man is filled with an unending series of disturbances and frustrations and with his reactions to them. There is hardly any possibility of keeping his mind in equilibrium.’  Our modern civilisation has become one where much emphasis is placed on success as defined by the amassing of financial wealth, or possessions, or status, or by compliance with dictated ideals of physical appearance. As humans being brought up in such a society, we are conditioned in many ways to believe that our lives should be a certain way, we should achieve certain goals, we should look a certain way... Many problems can result from attachment to these things, such as depression when they are not achieved or when they are lost, or obsessive or compulsive behaviour in trying to achieve them – there is hardly any possibility of keeping the mind in equilibrium, as Iyengar says.  But there has been a shift over recent years. Economic downturn has revived thrift, those wartime values of 'Make Do and Mend' and 'Dig for Victory', and caused many of us to review exactly what we really need in life. I have spent the summer growing vegetables with my children in our garden and we have loved the connection with the earth and the seasons, and harvesting and eating our own produce.   I love the growth in, and actively participate in, the vintage clothing market, of way of saving money and being environmentally friendly by re-using old garments and preventing them ending up in landfill. I'll have a Cart Shed Vintage stall at the Village Vintage fair at Queens Hall, in Cuckfield, West Sussex on 27 Nov 11am-4pm. I'll have dresses and accessories from the 1930s through to the 1980s for sale and some other vintage goodies.Come along if you love vintage and are in the area. There will be lots of lovely stalls and a tea room!  Also, one of my very first yoga students at the Cart Shed, Kelly Scales, has been busy setting up bidandborrow.com, an awesome green business for lending and sharing things. Check out the website, it is going to be HUGE, and come to her 'Frocks That Rock' Party in Brighton on 1st Dec, be festive and green at the same time!  So there are ways that we can make our money go further and be kind to our planet too. I know I'm certainly looking at my Christmas shopping in a different light this year, viewed with aparigraha in mind and in heart. Through yoga I have been learning to have faith in the process. The things we need will tend to present themselves when there is a need for them (and not necessarily in the way we would hope or expect!). We should not chase them or grieve for them excessively when they cease to be there, but continue to trust in the journey of life – that we are all given exactly what we need, when we need it. Namaste, Donna x |
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