Favorite Saturday Morning Start

This morning I started my Saturday morning with my favorite start to the day. As Danny and Lauren slept, I got up as the sun just began to rise and I headed off to yoga. After yoga I got a coffee at my favorite local coffee shop next door and was home in time to kiss Lauren and Danny awake. Whenever I get myself to get out of bed early it always pays off...

While in class, my instructor read this excerpt. I thought I'd share it here.


Aparigraha means "nongrasping," and it can be a tough sell in this consumer culture of ours. But freedom from wanting more and more is just that: freedom.


"Aparigraha is the decision to not hoard or accumulate goods through greed but rather to develop an attitude of stewardship toward the material world, Before you bring anything into your home, ask yourself: Do I need this for my role in life? As a parent? As a spiritual seeker? Or am I just accumulating stuff out of my own fear and greed?" If you don't consider these questions, your possessions can take over. "Once you get so much stuff, you have to take care of and defend it, You start to get attached to it and identify with it. It's easy to start thinking you are your stuff, but the truth is that stuff comes and goes."

The idea is: Just let it go. "If our homes are filled with old junk that doesn't apply to us anymore, there's no room for new energy to come in, that holds true for the nonmaterial ideas and attitudes you cling to as well. "If you are hanging on to old beliefs about yourself or your relationships, or clinging to a career that no longer feeds you, there's no latitude to move in a different direction."
"Acknowledge abundance and practice gratitude. You don't need more and more if you are grateful and feeling fulfilled with what you have in the moment."