I started this blog with the intention of combining my journey with yoga and the experiences of cooking whole foods, and it has been such an amazing adventure already! I have been engulfed in so many books lately (because that is my thing) and have started my classes to become a health coach at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition that has brought such inspiration to my already burning desire: health and yoga.
I want to share with you a chapter from one of my favorite books, Yoga and Vegetarianism. This part of the book was focused on Aparigraha, the fifth yama, which means "greedlessness".
"Whatever joy there is in this world all comes from desiring others to be happy, and whatever suffereing there is in this world all comes from desiring myself to be happy."
When we desire happiness for ourselves at the expense of others, it is called "greed". Patanjali recommends that yogis seeking enlightenment should try to live a simple life based in moderation rather than excessive consumption. In other words, "live simply so that others may simply live".
Real needs are not wrong; wants, on the other hand, can become problematic. If you step back and take a big look, we are in the midst of a global crisis caused by insatiable human greed. The more we have, the more we want! Influenced by media imagery and advertsing, we have become habituated to look outside ourselves for happiness and, in the process, have created powerful addictions that drive our choices. Each time we allow an outside stimulus to program our actions, we allow our inner power of discrimination to atrophy a bit, leading to furthur addiction.
In reading this book, I have realized that I and many of us have become so out of touch with our innermost selves that we do not know where need ends and want begins. As a yogi it is importnt to practice self reflection. This gives rise to viveka (discrimination), out of which arises wisdom, which leads to making decisions that lead to enlightenment and not deeper ignorance.
"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed."
Touching a little into vegetarianism, over 52 BILLION animals are killed for food worldwide every year. Anyway you look at it these are staggering numbers, especially if you consider the population of the United States is around 340 million and that there are over 6 billion beings on the entire planet. One could easily call this amount of animal slaughter excessive!
The relationship of humans to the Earth and all of its creatures has been largely opportunistic, explotiative, and violent. It has resulted in a system of subjugation, domination, and exploitation.
There is an alternative: live so your own life enhances, rather than impoverishes.
"When we let go of holding on to things, our hands will be open to recieve everything"
This grounding message deserve a grounding meal, so I will leave you with a delicious recipe to try when you need the feeling of calm, awareness or "selflessness". Adopt this vegan meal and practice Aparigraha for a moment!
Dijon Mustard Rosted Cauliflower and Mushrooms with a side of Wild Rice and Veggies
2.) Heat oven to 350 degrees
3.) Mix 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard with 1 tbsp of olive oil and mix in cauliflower and mushrooms
4.)Bake the cauliflower and mushrooms 5-10 minutes and them flip cooking another 5 minutes until brown
5.)Mix fresh tomatoes and brocolli (uncooked) over rice. I added some rosemary and chives for flavor!
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