Confessions of a Somewhat Enlightened Material Girl

I say somewhat, because I am not so deluded as to think I have no room for improvement or growth. I most certainly do!

One of the many obstacles I faced when I began yoga was the concept of turning away from materialism.   I like stuff.  Not so much for the chatchkes (am I spelling that correctly?), but shopping was (formerly) one of my most rigorous forms of exercise. 

Now that that has changed, I am seeing that the shopping I did, and the things I purchased were merely just replacements. Replacements for healthier, more productive emotions, thoughts and enterprises.  Here I thought I was just purchasing new clothes,  shimmery makeup and fun new technology. You get the idea.  But what I was actually doing was using the shopping and the constant cycle of buying new and exciting things as a way of procrastinating and avoiding the bigger issues that always seemed to linger in the back of my mind anyway.

That’s why yoga is such a turn on for me.  Yes, I said turn on.  It has opened my mind and forced me to perform and focus on attaining my actual goals.  Buying a new dress or shoes can be a lot of fun. Exciting, even.  BUT, knowing I have set goals and pursued my dreams (not all the way there yet :-)) is a lot more satisfying at the end of the day then cutting off price tags and hanging another new garment in my closet.

Along with the intentionally reduced shopping, I have literally cleaned house.  If you were to walk into my place today, you would see that the space that is ordinarily occupied with living room furniture has been transformed into a mini-yoga studio. Window treatments, a couple of yoga mats, and the most peaceful color I could find painted on the walls.  That’s it.  Nothing more.  My friends walk in and say. “Where’s the couch (yes, I do have furniture)?”

The spaces I now occupy are purposefully spare.  I find it is feeding my ability to meditate more effectively, think more clearly and focus more sharply on the activities and thoughts I now feel are much more important than the material items I used to spend my days accumulating.  It’s a choice, and not always the most indulgent, but for me, I find it is helping me turn my thoughts and practice inward.  I am getting much more out of my days and nights than I used to.  Less clutter around me equals less clutter inside.

One final note–the less is more concept really is working for me.  I know it isn’t for everyone.  But for me it has been liberating.  And at a time when many people are exploring the same concept out of necessity, I feel like I am doing what is right on many levels. 

However, I did just see Sex and the City, and I am madly fighting the urge to splurge.  I’ll let you know if I win, or lose :-)  

Peace.