This morning I find myself in a difficult situation, wanting to hold onto something and someone who was never mine to have. This peculiar, yet common, feeling got me thinking as I see many of my loved ones struggling with similar emotions. Through the study of Aparigraha or Non Possessiveness, as described in Patanjalis Eight Limbs of Yoga, we are taught that becoming dependant on a thought pattern or a certain behaviour presents a huge obstacle in the natural flow of energy. We tend to repeat the less flattering patterns of our past, thus, complicating the current situation as well as clouding our judgement when looking forward.
Closely linked with Svadyaya or Self Study, we must become aware of our patterns to be able to break them, we must actively decide that this behaviour is not worth the time and energy that it demands. Looking at yourself, your inner self, can be very challenging, however; the rewards are endless. With an honest heart we must face the awkward teenage angst, the need for approval, the need for external appreciation/stimulus or whatever barriers our minds may have built. We must see clearly our place in the situation, how much energy is wasted by our own active choice, how much time do we waste analysing other peoples behaviour instead of changing our own?
Our pride and pre-adolescent programming often stops us from being happy, we think we DESERVE this and that, we think THIS or THAT will make us happy. Constantly trying, at an alarming rate, to acquire more possessions and achieve more than our fellow humans to be better, stronger and that will surely make us happy! No? What we need is to breathe, calmly inhaling and exhaling through the nose, stimulating the Parasympathetic Nervous System and calming our mind. Bringing the breath down into our lungs, feeling the cells of our bodies rejoice as we rejuvenate the incredible systems of the human body.
Like a droplet of water makes ringlets on the surface, our behaviour, energy and our patterns create our ringlets on this plane and possibly the next. We cannot affect the outer rings, the outer rings are not under our control, but the center of the chain reaction is YOU. Be honest with yourself, take a deep breath and let go of the things that you don’t need, it may not be the easiest thing to do but it may well be the best change you've ever made.
Let go and breathe, accept the things that you cannot change and try to change the things that you can. Namaste