on taking only what is yours
asteya
non-stealing
written by diane, moondog yoga instructorI have an aloe plant that I'm very attached to. She's been with me for 30 years, or more, and we've been through a lot together. Being an aloe, she makes lots and lots of new baby aloes every year. I take them all and find pots for them or give them away. I have a lot of aloes. Too many? How many aloes does one need? My sister and my husband think I have too many. They encourage me to get rid of some. How can I do that? Compost, get rid of, throw away a living thing? My sister says that if I don't get rid of some, I will be overtaken by aloes. Might even need a bigger house to house all the aloes. And, while they don't require a lot of care, they need the basics -- water, sunlight, space. If I keep them all, at some point I would be spending more and more of my time taking care of aloes!
the feeling of needing to keep things beyond your capacity to care for them is a form of stealing -- stealing time, resources, energy -- from yourself!
The feeling of needing to keep things beyond your capacity to care for them is a form of stealing -- stealing time, resources, energy -- from yourself! It comes from a scarcity mindset -- fear of not having enough. Looking at life through that lens can cause us to misappropriate things that are not ours, that we don't need, just to have them. Instead, we can see that we have just what we need. We don't need to eat beyond the feeling of being full, we don't need to acquire things beyond our capacity to house them or care for them.
If you are overwhelmed by having too much or focus on acquiring things that are not yours, you limit your capacity to be generous, to give to others. As with the other yamas, ahimsa is at the heart of asteya.
the yamas & niyamas
each week this summer, june and diane are exploring a different yama or niyama, the ethical heart of yoga practice, beyond the poses. catch up on previous posts or follow along each week right here on the blog.
we would love to hear how asteya is showing up for you -- on the mat, or in the quieter moments in between.
light your lamp & you light the world --
june and the moondog team