The true meaning of APARIGRAHA ( letting go)
This week has been troublesome. My father has COPD and was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday for breathing issues. He could not catch his breath which is life, and all I could think about was he was losing his. I wanted him to try harder because I know when the breath is held too long that what nourishes us can turn toxic. The hospital room was full of chaos that Wednesday evening before a nurse took my dad’s hand while he was grasping and began to pray for breath. There was a calm that came over the room, and at that moment there was peace. The nature of aparigraha is impermanence – everything changes. Falling back to the breath and watch the rise and fall of each inhalation and exhalation, we can feel the truth of the transience of all things. My dad’s fear was gone as he returned to his breath. Dad told me later he felt he had only a few breaths left that night. In my heart, I knew he was right.
APARIGRAHA means nonpossessiveness and can also be interrupted as nonattachment, nongreedy, clinging, better said “letting go.” Our journey in this life should be light while caring and enjoying thoroughly.
Why is aparigraha so hard to practice? Still unable to shake the worry and stress, so I then decided to dive deep into trying to understand better what practicing Aparigraha meant. Is it just letting go, detaching yourself? Or is there more to it. I wonder how many suitcases of expectations, plans, resentments, and unforgiven moments I carry around with me on a daily basis. “Aparigraha is taking what we need: taking what serves us and letting go when the time is right. Aparigraha allows us to become more present by letting go of expectations.” I remembered this quote from a yoga tape I once watched, and I wrote it down for moments like these. I sat for a long time in silence, contemplating these two sentences. I dropped into a place of mental stillness that had been evading me for days. My faith in God and art of the practice is finding space to think clearly enough to discern what needs to be held closely and what needs to be let go. “Aparigraha isn’t about letting go of all things – it’s about letting go of the right things at the right time.” Practicing trust will keep us in check and keep us open to life’s unfolding.

Throughout our lives: families, teachers, friends and rivals are constantly sticking labels on us, saying what we can and cannot become or do. At times this is good; such as building confidence and encouraging us, however, there are times that people put negative labels on us such as loser, crazy, fat, nerd, weak, and incapable.
You cannot stop the negative comments, prevent the negative labels, but you can choose to stop putting yourself down.
Walt Disney was told that he wasn’t creative, Lucille Ball was told that she didn’t have any acting skills; the basic denominator in the success of these people is they chose to remove the negative labels.
My experience was when I labeled myself ” you can’t write”” In high school, my creative writing teacher informed me that I would never be quite as good as the rest, so I decided I wasn’t going to live with that label. Through diligence and constant practice to learn how to write has helped.
I hear students labeling themselves and other students in yoga all the time- “inflexible,” “weak” or “incapable.” Yoga doesn’t discriminate and you comparing yourself is robbing you of satisfaction. When these negative labels come up is to think first – it’s ok. Wrong labels can keep you from your practice; don’t go the next 20 years allowing one negative label hold you back. Once you let go of what defines you, then there will be freedom and awareness about the changes happening “WITHIN” your body. Make sure that you’re wearing the right labels, and always do your best and let yoga do the rest!! Have a great week, Connie

We can see this all around us in nature: the leaves are falling, the air is changing and we are harvesting an entirely new crop of fruits and vegetables.

It is important that we change with the seasons — just as nature does — by adapting our daily habits,food choices and yoga practice…Ironically, it is only through change that was can stay grounded during this shifting season.