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RESOURCES WORKSHOPS CLASSES TEACHER TRAINING NEWSLETTER STORE about kelly about this site	Exploring Aparigraha Strategies for helping students cultivate non-attachment in their yoga practice.  Aparigraha is the fifth yama described in the Yoga Sutras, and it is often translated as "non-hoarding".  Like with the other yamas, it is easy - and somewhat distracting - to focus on the behavior and not the intention. The practice of aparigraha is not about giving up all your possessions. It is about giving up the belief that your happiness depends on your ability to hold on to what you think you "own".  What you think you own is not just your material belongings, but your time, your relationships, your memories, and your beliefs. When you have freedom from this belief, it is almost irrelevant what you actually own or possess. So, aparigraha can also be translated as "non-attachment", which more accurately captures the intention to let go of the fear and clinging associated with trying to protect what we own, or protect ourselves against loss. This yama, more than any others, has a profound effect on our momentary suffering and happiness. All suffering is caused by a resistance to real or imagined loss. When we cling, we suffer. A Practice for Aparigraha How can you cultivate aparigraha in a yoga class? Ask your students to let go of something in their practice that they feel attached to: their ego (doing poses well or better than others); their security (doing the same poses in the same order every practice); their rules (only doing sun salutations in one way, or only doing this pose after that pose, etc.)  This is a practice of letting go, not clinging, not fearing loss and change.    Opening the Class: Introduce the concept of aparigraha, non-hoarding, and non-attachment. Explain that the point of the class will be for the students to liberate themselves from the need to control the practice. You might ask students to think about what they "hold on to" in their yoga practice - Do they need the practice to be the same each week? Do they "hoard" poses, thinking of poses as something to achieve and then hold on to? What happens when they "lose" a pose? Do they suffer when they are more stiff than usual, or find a pose more challenging than usual? Do they seek the teacher's attention, or the admiration of other students? Do they feel like a failure if they miss a practice? As you reflect on the relationship of aparigraha to your own yoga practice, you may think of many more ways to introduce this concept to students and relate it to their yoga practice. A good breathing practice for letting go is to focus on a strong, powerful, complete exhalation. Let the inhalation be non-grasping. Notice how letting go makes room for exactly what you need in the moment. This is a nice, non-intellectual way to cultivate aparigraha. It gets right to the most basic way we try to hold on to what we have. During the Practice: Remind students to practice non-attachment through patient practice.  Introduce poses that challenge students' flexibility, and ask students to meet the pose with a soft attitude. Can they practice the pose without trying to "collect" or "own" it by reaching for some arbitrary goal (like touching the toes in a forward bend)? Introduce poses that challenge students' balance or strength, and ask students to practice with curiosity, not ambition. Can they practice the pose without trying to "collect" or "own" it by trying to stay in it longer than is comfortable? Closing the Practice: Use a guided meditation to ask students what they hoard, cling to, or are attached to in everyday life. "What do you believe holds the key to your happiness - possessions, image, relationships, status? Can you enjoy these things without the underlying, constant fear of loss?" Ask students to focus on something they want to let go of, and then guide them through a "letting go" meditation: This is a mantra breath meditation. Begin with simple breath awareness, until both the inhale and exhale feel steady and relaxed. As you inhale, mentally say one of the following (whichever feels right), or a similar statement of your choice: "As I inhale, I open to possibility." "As I inhale, I welcome change." or "As I inhale, I invite the present moment." As you exhale, mentally say: "As I exhale, I let go." If you feel so inspired, you can add a movement (such as arms opening lifting and lowering) or gesture (such as hands to the heart) to this mantra meditation. Explore Other Lesson Plans  Return to Teaching Tools Enjoy these ideas? Sign up to receive monthly ideas for your yoga teaching in the free Open Mind Open Body Newsletter.