My relationships with friends and family are not the same. When I began this experiment, I told my daughter and husband about it on the way to dinner. I told them about the yamas and then about Aprigraha. I asked them both to guess what I coveted. They both answered in unison “Aging”. I was […]
My beginning goal was to practice the mantra, asanas and journal everyday of the experiment process. I completed 80% of that goal. I did find that on days that I did not practice my experiment elements, that I was a little harsher on myself. I did have a stretch of three days without the practice […]
Denver’s Axis Yoga teacher training asks students to apply one of the yama’s – or yogic principles – to their lives. This student examines how her attachments to not only material items, but also to people and emotions, effect her. She finds that letting go of physical possessions is one thing, but letting go of […]
I fought this experiment every inch of the way, whining like a child who doesn’t want to eat her vegetables even though it is good for her. I started thinking about aparigraha and to be quite honest I was a little smug because I had started practicing this yama a few years ago without even […]
Like I said, I was pretty smug with myself. I mean I was living with really simple means; I slept on an air mattress and had a folding camping chair as luxury items. I ate on the floor or in my chair and the outside world only came to me via cell phone or internet, […]
I was doing well with most of my attachments but I had not even thought about my attachment to people. I was and still am very attached to people. I am a jealous person and that tends to lead me to hate and anger. Looking back at all of my past relationships, I sheepishly realized […]
Attachment to people has also made me a prideful person and perhaps fearful in some respects. I concern myself with their well being and don’t want to let them down. I make sure I don’t disappoint them by showing up for them even if it disrupts my own life or isn’t in my best interest. […]
As part of Denver’s Axis Yoga teacher training program, students apply a yogic principle to their daily lives. This student chose to take the approach of examining grasping, greed, and outcome-driven actions within her individual life. Working for an organization whose goals rely on grasping and greed, this student found extreme challenge in reconciling her work […]
When Derik said that the Yamas were listed in order of precendence, I knew I had to start at the end. My job, my life, and my sloppy self-reflection skills all demanded that I take it easy on this one. So, I went straight to the end: aparigraha. The three versions of the sutras I […]
On a more detailed level, the place I work in particular inspires grasping, greedy, and outcome-driven behavior. As a FOR PROFIT fundraiser that solicits funds for nonprofit and political groups (almost all left-wing progressive groups), it uses telmarketer tactics to exploit donors’ and callers’ genuine concern and passion for the issues, turning them into money. The […]