A few weeks ago I was discussing with a fellow yogi that how every time I went to Target I felt so completely overwhelmed at all the choices, for example, when I last shopped for my kids Easter baskets.
I went on a shopping spree and returned home with a car full of Easter egg hunt supplies, as the shelves were still stocked with plenty of items to keep the little scavengers happy.
Not only did they have plastic eggs, but they had plastic eggs in the shapes of baseballs, footballs, and even Hello Kitty. There were Peeps shaped like bunnies and chicks– in pink, purple, traditional yellow, and some covered in chocolate-genius! There were peanut butter eggs, malt ball eggs, and Cadbury eggs, which have always creeped me out.
There were SO many choices, it was overwhelming. I focused on the things I knew my kids would like, and quickly snagged them- more time to browse the new outdoor entertaining aisle!
All those candy choices made me think about how we would all be a little less stressed, in so many areas of our lives, if we had fewer choices instead of more. That somehow if there was less of a candy display, then we would buy less candy, or if there were only 10 pairs of shoes to choose from we would buy fewer shoes.
We’re a nation of “more is more,” and it’s taking its toll on our finances, our relationships, and the earth. Yes, I consider myself part of that collective “WE”- I mean, who really needs four yoga mats?
For some, it may be difficult to find a balance between being content with what we already have, and feeling like we should never treat ourselves to something new. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali describes the fifth Yama, Aparigraha, as non-hoarding or non-attachment. In Sutra II.39 he states: “One who is not greedy is secure. He has time to think deeply.”
One might think that a new pair of shoes or a fifth yoga mat doesn’t interfere with “thinking deeply,” and unless you are obsessing every minute about acquiring those new shoes it probably doesn’t.
However, TKV Desikachar’s translation makes it clearer: “The more we have, the more we need to take care of it. The time and energy spent on acquiring more things, protecting them and worrying about them is time that can’t be spent on the most basic questions of life. What is the limit to what we should possess? For what purpose, for whom, and for how long?”
Those are questions you need to ask yourself, but I’ve found it becomes clear once you figure out the things you “really need.”
Imelda, how many shoe options do you have when you look in your closet? No, we don’t live like they did on “Little House on the Prairie,” where we only need farm and church shoes, but if you have 5 pairs of closed-toe, black heels, then maybe a donation to “Dress for Success” is in order.
The past few years I have tried to quit buying things I don’t “need,” and if there is something I am completely in love with, then I make sure to go home, clean out my closet, and find a few things to donate as soon as I buy it. Yoga has helped me realize that there is a huge difference between “needing” something, and “wanting” something.
After my Target escapade, my boys followed a candy trail to their baskets which contained magic tricks, drumsticks, guitar stickers, and yes, some ice cream flavored jelly beans and peanut butter eggs.
By the time we got home they had hunted for hundreds of Easter eggs, ate an obscene amount of candy, and played an intense game of after-dinner baseball- they were exhausted.
I tucked my 8-year-old in and asked him, as I do every night, what his favorite thing about the day was; he looked up from his sugar-induced crash and said, “Mommy, all of the candy and toys were great, but the best part was spending time with my family.”
I love that kid…… and we can all learn a thing or two from his 8-year-old wisdom.
