"It is a preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly."
H.D. THOREAU
Aparigraha refers to taking only what we need, keeping only what serves us in the moment, and letting go when the time is right. It can refer to our material possessions, our thoughts, our habits, or our identity.
Aparigraha of the heart-mind means not holding on to rigid opinions. Applied to a conversation, Aparigraha means allowing others to speak and share their point of view.
As I simultaneously prepared for our imminent move to a smaller home a couple of years ago, and as our youngest child went off to university, Aparigraha kept speaking to me.
Moving out of our family home to a smaller space was a practice in Aparigraha. Although moves can be daunting, letting go can be liberating. I want to travel light in life; to be burdened with fewer possessions feels right, for me.
I was also practising Aparigraha, in terms of my role as a mother. As my youngest went off to university, I learned to let go of my role as in-house, day-to-day mother. Although I’ll always be their mom, my role changed when my kids left home.
This stage reminded me of the ebb and flow of life. The one constant is that things do change. If we can learn to accept the inevitability of change, Aparigraha, or non attachment, can offer us the freedom to do what we love, to be open to all that life offers, and then let go, when the time is right.
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