Aparigraha
We've come to the last yama in my experiment of teaching one yama a week. We are on week 5, on to the last of the ethical guideline: aparigraha. Aparigraha literally means: nonpossession; nongrasping; nondesiring; not greedy. So many "no's!" The yamas can be tricky at first blush since they appear so negative. But the "no's" are simply there as a heathy invitation to establish boundaries in our own life.
It reminds me of something John Friend says which is that in Anusara yoga we say "yes" to life, and then we say "no" as a way of establishing clear boundaries. But the "yes" always comes first. And we do that in our physical practice by our first principle -Open to Grace- opening up to our breath, to out body, to life. Then we move to the second principle -Muscular Energy- engaging; firming the muscles to the bones, as a way of creating stability and protecting the body.
So we can look at aparigraha and the yamas as a way of creating boundaries after saying "yes" to life. In other words: may we recognize that we have so much already, so many blessings. That our lives and our experiences matter. They might only matter to us and our loved ones, but they matter. Our lives might not be famous, our lives might not be written about in a history book, our lives might seem boring and predictable but they matter, and they are ours. We can use aparigraha as a reminder to stay focused on our journey. To not compare it to others, To not want what someone else has, what someone else's life looks like.
How often in a yoga class, we look over to our right or to our left and see her/him, the perfect yogi, doing the perfect pose? And here I am sweating, struggling, in need of a pedicure, and after all these years these hamstrings are still so tight...
Why can't I have her body?
Why can't I have his practice?
Why can't I be as good as a teacher as she?
Why can't I have this, that...
Aparigraha can help us stop that train of thought, breathe, and come back to our selves.
To come back to the experience that we are having in this body at this moment. That's it. That's all.
Theme: Aparigraha
I used the virtue of courage to help us see all that we have and to help us let go of that which is in our way...
Focus: Outer Spiral (the contractive spiral which actually helps protect the back in so many poses; think of it as a "no" that we say through our bodies after saying a "yes.")
Poses: Focused today on Backbends. Had a strong practice with a nice combo of standing poses followed by some abs, some hip openers and a number of backbends. Then winding down with about 6-7 hip openers/forward bends. Yummy.
Anusara Poster Project Pose: Been going through the poster one pose a week and we finally hit the "backbends" on the Level 1 syllabi. This week I'll be focusing on them! Can't wait.
PS. Here is something I read by the artist Keri Smith who has been one of my biggest sources of inspiration for the last few years...
HOW TO FEEL MISERABLE AS AN ARTIST
(OR WHAT NOT TO DO, UNDERLINE ANY THAT CURRENTLY APPLY)
by Keri Smith
1. Constantly compare yourself to other artists.
2. Talk to your family about what you do and expect them to cheer you on.
3. Base the success of your entire career on one project.
4. Stick with what you know.
5. Undervalue your expertise
6. Let money dictate what you do.
7. Bow to societal pressures
8. Only do work that your family would love.
9. Do whatever the client/customer/gallery owner/patron/investor asks.
10. Set unachievable/overwhelming goals. To be accomplished by tomorrow.
Isn't that great?
Keri Smith inspired me to come up with my own list...
Which works so nicely with the theme of aparigraha...
HOW TO BE A MISERABLE YOGA TEACHER
By María Cristina Jiménez (inspired by Keri Smith)
1. Compare yourself to other teachers.
2. Count how many students you have all the time and base your success on how big classes were.
3. Wonder out loud why you didn't become a lawyer or a doctor and diminish the work you do.
4. Always teach exactly the same class, exactly the same way.
5. Be angry and sad when students no longer come to your class.
6. Believe that you have nothing to teach about or talk about.
7. See your students as the enemy or as someone you have to win over; instead of being of service to them.
8. Be jealous of other teacher's success and glory.
9. Second guess everything and try to do what everyone is doing (whatever that is) instead of following your heart.
10. Don't have a home practice and/or a meditation practice.
11. Expect to wake up feeling happy all the time, peaceful and full of bliss. And when you wake up in a bad mood, feel like failure.
12. Be afraid to charge what you are worth. And then resent clients when they don't pay you your fee.
13. Apologize all the time.
14. Don't support other teachers and demean other styles of yoga.
15. Wonder what you're doing with your life, when deep down you know this is what you were meant to be doing...
Maria Cristina,
Such a lovely post and an even more lovely class...I felt so emotional during your introduction to the theme and so grateful to be there in that class with you this morning...you have a way of touching my heart, deeply and effortlessly.
And I loved so much that you framed the class in terms of "courage"...I think it is so easy to forget that courage is required to make change...that love and opening, these things we think of as just sweet and gooshy, actually require a lot of courage...the courage to say, NO, I will not let myself get thrown off the path or deprived of experience for all these reasons my brain tells me are perfectly reasonable and worth denying myself for.
Thank you for being...awesome.
xo
Lia
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