Margaret Gamboa Yoga » Philosophy

When Less is More

Margaret — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:39:58 +0000

Many of us have gone through the process of simplifying our lives, whether it be cleaning at the start of spring or moving to a new apartment, city or in my case, a new home. I recently transitioned from living abroad to living back home with family in southern California. While I donated many of my clothes and furniture before I left, I managed to store the rest of my belongings at my parent’s house. When I arrived back in California, I was shocked to see how much I had packed away compared to how much I actually used the past year traveling. I realized that I have been holding on to too much and can live with so much less.

We all know that this pursuit of the simple life is nothing new. From hippies to Quakers, many associate simplicity with spiritual growth. Today, it’s not only the granola types who are practicing this, but ordinary people who are modifying their everyday behavior trying to be conscious about what they eat, drive and buy.

No doubt, yoga is a practice that encourages simple living. Our asana practice can help make us be happier with less. In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, one of the ten principles is aparigraha, or greedlessness. This idea means not just taking only what you need, but not having a lot of unnecessary things or wanting things that other people have around you. Basically, this means keeping only what you need and wanting only what you need. Yogi’s believe that aparigraha leads to contentment or santosha, and being satisfied with what you have and not wanting more. For me, each day is both a challenge and an opportunity for me to practice living simply.

If you are interested in reading about “voluntary simplicity”…

The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhr

Circle of Simplicity: Return to the Good Life by Cecile Andrews

Choosing Simplicity: Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World by Linda Breen Pierce

Or check out Seeds of Simplicity

The Eight-Limb Path of Yoga

Margaret — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 18:01:28 +0000

In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the eightfold path is called ashtanga,which literally means “eight limbs” (ashta=eight, anga=limb). According to the Yoga Sutra, our pain and suffering is created by the misperception that we are separate from nature. The realization that we are not separate may be experienced without effort; however, most of us need guidance. Patanjali’s Eight Limbed Path provides us with the framework we need. These eight steps basically act as guidelines on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life.

Yama

The first limb, yama, or moral restraints, deals with one’s ethical standards and sense of integrity, focusing on our behavior and how we conduct ourselves in life.

The five Yamas are:

Ahimsa: nonviolence

Satya: truthfulness

Asteya: nonstealing

Brahmacharya: moderation

Aparigraha: nonhoarding

Niyama

Niyama, the second limb, has to do with self-discipline and spiritual observances. Regularly attending temple or church services, saying grace before meals, developing your own personal meditation practices, or making a habit of taking contemplative walks alone are all examples of niyamas in practice.

The five niyamas are:

Sauca: cleanliness, purity

Samtosa: contentment

Tapas: heat, zeal, austerity

Svadhyaya: self-study

Isvara pranidhana: devotion to a higher power

Asana – Postures

Pranayama – Mindful Breathing

Pratyahara – Turning Inward

Dharana – Concentration

Dhyana – Meditation

Samadhi – Union of the Self with Object of Meditation

The Nature of Impermanence

Margaret — Mon, 17 May 2010 23:50:56 +0000

As Buddha said, impermanence is the nature of the human condition. This is a truth we know in our minds but tend to resist in our hearts. Change happens all around us, all the time, yet we long for the predictable, the consistent. We want the reassurance that comes from things remaining the same. Yoga philosophy offers an alternative to these tendencies. It is to embrace the powerful truth: the power of living in the unchanging, eternal present.

We can even look to our yoga mat to watch the attachment pattern play itself out. We often find ourselves attached to a never-ending process of “improvement” in our asanas. They do improve quickly at first—in the beginning, we are on a honeymoon of discovery; we grow by leaps and bounds in ability and understanding. After a couple of decades, however, our poses change much less. Oftentimes, we can no longer practice certain poses because of age or injury, yet we feel agitated because we assume that the poses of our youth should be the poses of our middle and old age.

What gives life its juice is the ability to mourn anything fully and simultaneously know it doesn’t ultimately matter. In other words, we can live to the fullest when we recognize that our suffering is based not on the fact of impermanence but rather on our reaction to that impermanence.

Source: Yoga Journal