02/12/2025
Aparigraha is the fifth Yama (social observances) described in the Yoga Sutras. It’s as much part of yoga as any asana, and yet perhaps not so easy to do!
It means non-grasping - essentially non-attachment and letting go. It asks us to loosen our grip on everything, from the stories we create about ourselves to the plans we are desperately trying to make happen.
Aparigraha isn’t about giving up or not caring, or not trying. It’s about holding things lightly enough that they don’t crush you, and lightly enough that they can come or go, and we can let them.
It’s showing up for your practice without needing it to look a certain way. Teaching a class and releasing your attachment to whether people “got it.” Pursuing your dreams without clinging so tightly to the outcome that you forget to breathe.
Yoga keeps teaching me (and aparigraha reminds me) that the tighter you grip, the more exhausted you become. But what if you could want something deeply and hold it loosely? Care about the outcome but not let it define you?
This is the work, not just on the mat, but in how we move through life. And, for me at least, it’s definitely a work in progress!
Take a moment to notice where you’re holding on too tight and ask yourself what might shift if you softened, just a little. If you let go, trust, breathe.
That’s the yoga 😉
