Very long day today. Â Started the day at 11am with turban practice for my troupe in order to be ready for our show next weekend. Â Had my regular two classes, then I went out to lunch/early supper with some troupe-mates since we had to be at dress rehearsal at 6pm. Â Got home around 8pm if I recall. Â This time of year dance-wise is nice because we know what we are doing, but there is still a certain level of stress and anxiety about getting it right. Â One week and this will all be over! Also, today was my last day teaching on the weekend until September. Â Wohoo! Â Hello weekends!
Yoga: Â Nope.
Pranayama: Â Nope.
Aparigraha: Â My car is full of clothing donations to take to the SOAP program, plus a few boxes of misc stuff to drop at value village. Â Purge baby, purge!!!!
Today, (Sunday) we will shift our focus to the final yama; Aparigraha.
Practicing greedlessness sometimes means practicing restraint. Do you need all of the STUFF? In the next three days, do a little inventory of the unnecessary things in your life.
- Negative or harming thoughts and self-imposed obstacles— Get rid of them.
- Over abundance of non-perishable food items, clothes, books— Donate them
- Old habits, grievances, and grudges— Release them.
Use this time to purge the excess, as well as recognizing when you are craving more than you actually Need.
Ask yourself “Is this craving fueled by fear, jealousy, cultural expectations, mindlessness or ________?†Know that you are already enough. The mantra is simply: “ I am enoughâ€
Notice how the yamas have woven together basic moral principles, that when mindfully practiced, can create a harmonic system of checks and balances. When in doubt, run the dilemma through the filter of the 5 yamas. It is bound to get caught in one of them and reveal the solution!