Home ยป Yoga Teacher Training Recap | Selflessness -Just Say No to Gifts

Yoga Teacher Training Recap | Selflessness -Just Say No to Gifts

no-to-gifts

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What a Difference One Day of Class Can Make!

Now I know the title may make some of you cringe at the thought of saying no to gifts but hear me out.  Selflessness can be a good thing.  Day 5 of my YTT class was kind of life changing.  I can’t say that I made any drastic changes on Saturday but I can say that for the first time since I’ve been practicing yoga, I really connected with other parts of the practice of yoga.  What I mean by that is we started going over different principles of yoga like reviewing The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali which includes the Yamas and the Niyamas.  I am so intrigued.

 

Yamas (One of the 8 limbs of yoga)

The Yamas are basically moral vows on the art of living right.  They are:

  • Ahimsa – non-harming/non-violence/kindness
  • Satya – truthfulness
  • Asteya – non-stealing
  • Brahmacharya – celibacy/moderation
  • Aparigraha – non-greed/free of obligations
Niyamas (Also one of the 8 limbs of yoga)

The Niyamas are interpersonal observances.  They are:

  • Saucha – cleanliness/purity
  • Santosha – contentment
  • Tapas – disciplined
  • Svadhyaya – self-study
  • Iswara-Pradnidhana – surrender

yoga-sutras-of-patanjali

 

I literally learned so much that it’s hard to explain it all in one post.  At some point, I will go back and explain each one in greater detail.  What I can say is that the main vow that stood out almost immediately to me was Aparigraha.  The direct translation is non-greed but it can be interpreted as questioning why and how we receive gifts.  All my life I have struggled with keeping a mental scale in my head to determine how I act in most relationships.  This scale makes me constantly do things for others out of obligation.

One way that I can correct this is to be less greedy.  It’s okay to say no when someone offers you something.  According to Patanjali, accepting gifts can bind us and make us lose our neutrality.  If we are strong enough to remain free ob obligation, then it’s okay.  I already know that this is a challenge for me and I am unable to accept a gift without feeling like I need to repay the person in some way.

By clearing the mind of desires and obligations, we can see the cause and effect relationship because we are detached from it.  Out the gate, I plan to work on this immediately.

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