Yoga In My Backyard

Which one are YOU? Depends on your perspective…

Recently I was reading a blog from “davidji” (meditation teacher and author, spiritual counselor, and former dean of the Chopra Centre University) and he was writing about shifting our perspective from POVERTY CONSCIOUSNESS to ABUNDANCE CONSCIOUSNESS. This idea really resonated with me. It made me think about how many times I gripe about lacking in something…or how many times I wish I had something more…or how many times I stockpile stuff in case I “might” run out of it…or even worse, how many times I carelessly WASTE things/time/energy, taking for granted that I have an endless supply…

For me, poverty consciousness is thinking I need more than I have, even though I know darn well that I am so “well off” in all realms – physical, emotional, relationship, spiritual and yes, the material realm. It’s hard not to WANT more…we are inundated daily with reminders that to have MORE  means you are succeeding. The big house, fancy car, great job, tons of Facebook friends, lots of students in your yoga class…why do we continue to think that these things really make us RICH?

Abundance consciousness means to me that in each moment, with each breath, I feel gratitude for everything in my life that I already have, even if it happens to be something yucky (for in that is a lesson…right?). It means taking a good look at how I live and striving to live ethically so that I don’t waste, don’t harm, don’t steal (sound familiar to you yogis? Aparigraha, Ahimsa, Asteya…). It means living from the perspective of already having ENOUGH…in fact, sometimes even more than enough. So when it comes to making a decision (to buy or not to buy? to share or keep? to give or take? to cling or to let go? to speak or stay quiet?), I can do so from a more grounded, real place, instead of from the seat of desire.

From his experience in meditation,”davidji” teaches that we can take small steps to shift to abundance consciousness by pausing each day to look at one of the five realms – physical, emotional, material, relationship, spiritual – and to commit to one change. With practice, we can get rid of the excess baggage, take care of neglected things, clear some space, and regain clarity. In this clarity we tend to our real needs in skillful ways, let go of the unskillful habits, and discover the true richness within ourselves. We also make space to share that abundance with those who really need it, giving of our time and resources in the spirit of compassion.

The mantra OM MANE PADME HUM is sometimes translated as “the jewel in the lotus of the heart”. Perhaps this is the perfect reminder of our richness, and how by taking care of and letting go of the muck in our lives, we reveal our beauty and true divine nature.