Aparigraha

Become Aware of Abundance in your Life, Finding FulFillment in the Present Moment

I teach students in my yoga and creativity classes that the concept of Aparigraha is the key to living an abundant and creative life. When we let go, creative energy and inspiration have room to flow. Think of it like floating—if you grasp violently at the water, you will sink, but if you relax and let go, your body will become buoyant, rising and falling with the waves.

Instead of grasping for the ability to do more, I work on celebrating what I am able to do each day, and know that every day will be different. The things that we grasp for and hold onto don’t belong to us anyway. The only thing that we have is our breath and heartbeat to anchor us to the present moment. And the present moment is full of possibility because it’s not scarred by the past or weighed down by worries of the future. It just is. In the present moment we can become aware of our absolute wholeness and be fulfilled by the abundance in our life.

Try redefining success. Look at the smallest accomplishments as cause for celebration. One of my good friends helped me celebrate writing a sentence when I first starting my writing practice again, and then a paragraph. Each of these was milestones. Then, redefine how you look at failure, looking instead at each time you ‘fail’ as a success too. When things don’t go perfect, it just means you are piecing the puzzle of your life back together and it’s hard work. Each failure moves you forward on your healing path, builds resiliency, and teaches you new ways to approach your life. We need to fail in order to succeed.

As I write this post, I have my timer set—in a few minutes, I’ll make a note of where I am, close the screen and step away. I’ll treat myself to a dark, quiet area, where I can put a microwavable heat pack on my eyes and rest in a restorative yoga pose such as reclined bound angle, which is amazing for helping headaches. In doing this, I give back to myself, fill my well, and find fulfillment in just being human. In these moments, I am content with the rising and falling of my stomach and the thrumming of my heartbeat. Instead of focusing on everything that is going wrong, bring your awareness to the hundreds of things that are still going right with your body in every moment.