I’m not sure how this happened, but here we are at the start of December 2019.
Over my years of teaching, I have had countless conversations with people who find December or the Christmas season very stressful. What I hear during these conversations, is that all of this stress is created from a place that is true and honest. We want to find that perfect gift or bake that perfect cookie because we want to give a special, meaningful experience to the people we love.
In Yoga, you may have heard about the yama, Aparigraha. Aparigraha is usually translated as non attachment. Basically, asking us to let go of those attachments to that perfect, storybook Christmas. In my experience, learning non attachment is a lot of work. It’s a lot of soul searching, looking for those deep seated patterns that we hold on to. This work is important on the pathway of living our yoga, but not always easy for those new to yoga. In the book- The Secret Power of Yoga, (one of my favourtie translations of the Yoga Sutras), rather than describing Aparigraha as non attachment, Nischala Devi Joy explains it like this “Acknowledging abundance, we realize the blessings in everything and gain insights into the purpose for our worldly experience.” I know I usually need read these translations a couple of times, just so they sink in and I can start to understand them in a HeartFelt way. I feel that in order to move past our attachments, we first need to acknowledge the blessings in our lives.
The word abundance can be a tricky one. Sometimes, abundance is seen as financial means, especially at Christmas time. When I reflect back on my many Christmases, I can honestly say that I don’t remember many of the gifts that I received or that I gave. I remember the time I spent with my loved ones. I remember the games we played, the movies we watched and the laughs we had. Do I remember if the turkey was perfectly cooked? Or if the gift I received wasn’t the exact gift on my list? No, I don’t. I remember the abundance of smiles and the blessing of time spent together.
We then move to the second part of that translation, “gain insight into our purpose for our worldly existence.” Is your purpose in life, to provide the best present? Or is it to give the gift of presence? In our highly distracted life, (a.k.a. our phone addiction), being present for those moments that we spend with our loved ones is the absolute, best gift we can give! If we are stressed and angry because we were cut off in the shopping mall or we couldn’t find exactly what we were shopping for, we are falling into those attachments and missing our blessings.
Many Christmas songs, sing about joy and peace. I want my Christmas to be filled with that this year. I want to enjoy this beautiful time of year- the decorations and lights everywhere, the magic of Christmas-especially in the eyes of the little ones I see, and the gift of time with the people who mean the most to me. Maybe my turkey will be dry or my cookies will be a little over done- that doesn’t matter. I promise to be present for each moment! So, when those lights are turned off in January and winter feels long, I can look back and remember that abundance and see those blessings of December 2019.