Non-stealing and Relaxation

In one of my yoga classes, we talk about asteya, the Sanskrit word for non-stealing. Asteya is one of the five universal observances or - in Sanskrit, yamas - of classical yoga.

What does asteya, non-stealing have to do with relaxation, rest, and renewal?
A lot.

We all know that we are not supposed to steal somebody's wallet, jewelry, ideas, or even his/her energy and time. Most of us, however, are less aware of how much we steal from Mother Earth. By contaminating and exploiting her resources we have put ourselves in an extremely stressful place to live!

The concept of asteya goes even one step further and encompasses non-hoarding. Now this may hit home right away. Look around at your home. What do you hoard - or "collect"(to use the more common word)? Books, magazines, shoes, garments, DVDs, ice-cream, cookies, keepsakes, square footage? Not only becomes moving more arduous, but you probably don't travel lightly through life!

Ultimately, asteya points to the root cause of why we appropriate what does not belong to us: Desire and wants. Ultimately, we are asked to practice contentment and to live a simple life.

The societies here in North America and in the Western part of Europe cherish a different paradigm: More is better. We are asked and persuaded to spend more on things we do not need. And if we have already everything, then there are more countries to travel to, more pleasures to pursue, more adventures to seek.

The drive for more traps many of us in debts and unfulfilling jobs. We begin to compromise our values.

Notice how desire and wanting increases your sense of dissatisfaction. Iyengar, one of the most influential yoga teachers of our time, says, "Craving muddles the stream of tranquility."

To live by asteya is liberating. Or, as Walter Henry Thoreau's put it: "I make myself rich by making my wants few."

There is no greater fear

. . . than the fear of death. It is closely followed by the fear of not being able to pay the bills.
Because we usually don’t expect to die any time soon, the fear of lack of money overrides the fear of death. And sometimes people even prefer to die than to live without money. One of my husband's distant relatives shot himself after their mobile home, for which he and his wife had saved all their life, was washed away by a flash flood. I am sure that you too have heard of somebody who committed suicide after he/she has lost “everything,” meaning home and all possessions.

Of course, not “everything” was lost.

If, however, we identify ourselves with our external, material possessions, then losing them comes dangerously close to losing our Self and therefore life itself.

I am writing this with great compassion and understanding. Losing home and all belongings with little prospects of recovering is one of the greatest challenges life can impose on us.

Most of us are not exposed to such dramatic circumstances. Most of us spend sleepless nights because our work hours are cut back, we are laid off, we face unexpected medical bills, and because the media repeatedly deliver us a grim picture of the current and future economic situation.

The fear of lack of money is also fed by
- The anticipation of worst-case scenarios, which may or may not materialize
- A clinging to living standards most fellow humans on this planet cannot even dream of

For many years, a friend of mine could not imagine to purchase a used car, to drop the expensive contract with the cable company, or not to eat out at least three times per week.

For most of us, the fear of lack of money is the fear of change. (Death, by the way, is a form of change too.) Change is frightening, especially if it means "getting smaller" or "settling for less." It strikes at the ego that likes to draw self-esteem from the amount of material goods that we can afford.

From this perspective, the economic crisis actually gives us great opportunities:
The opportunity to cultivate a sympathetic attitude towards the rest of the world:
Three quarters of the world's population live in desperate poverty where lack of money threatens their mere survival. We can learn generosity. This can be in the form of giving to a charity or of helping out a friend in need.

The opportunity to realize the dependence from each other:
We are not alone "for better or worse." In ecology and economy, the crash in one sector triggers a domino effect. We can learn responsibility. We can make the time to stay informed and become active in our community.

The opportunity to remember our purpose in life:
As everybody close to death knows, this is not accumulating stuff. Instead, we can set out to learn what each spiritual path teaches us: love, respect, and compassion.

The opportunity to develop calmness and to learn to deal with fear:
After all, as Franklin D. Roosevelt stated in 1933: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Similarly, I don't forget what an ER physician I worked with for many years told me once: "My real job is to stay calm."

In the midst of the fear of lack of money we can grow - individually and collectively!

What do you think?