Simplify Life Through Yoga: Embrace Purpose, Non-Acquiring, and Contentment

Explore how the spiritual path of yoga offers invaluable practices like living with purpose, non-acquiring, and contentment to truly lead a simple, fulfilling life.

Table of Contents

Simpler Life Practices

Live with Purpose

Eliminate Nonessentials

Be Content

Embracing the tenets of yoga, we can transcend external clutter, tap into our intrinsic purpose, and unearth a profound contentment that simplifies our existence.

Thoreau’s call to “simplify, simplify” resonates deeply with me; I have contemplated it often. When I first encountered his words, I wondered why he repeated the phrase.

Now I am convinced that his repetition points to the on-going effort needed not only to simplify our lives but to keep them simple, to live simply, to strive for a simpler life.



INTRODUCTION



ON SIMPLE LIVING

Simpler Life Practices

One of the things people discover when they attend a meditation retreat is the pure joy of a simple environment. Most retreat centers provide only the basic necessities. After some initial wondering, if all will be well without familiar conveniences, most people settle into a sense of peace with so little to care for or distract their attention. Simple housing accommodations combined with the beauty of nature, few interruptions to quiet reflection, and a focused schedule create an environment that helps to clear the mind and nourish the body and soul.

Many times I have left a meditation retreat with a renewed commitment to simplify, simplify! Only to be reminded when I returned to the complexities of life at home and work that a simple life is not just arranged by tossing out a few nonessentials or eliminating some tasks. It is a way of life that requires clarity of purpose and regular discipline.

The spiritual path of yoga offers three key practices that support a simpler life:

  • living with purpose,
  • non-acquiring, and
  • contentment.
A simple orange flower peacefully rests atop the serene water signifying simple living.

"Our overarching purpose is to awaken spiritually, to realize our essential nature and live in accord with it."

— Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian


Live with Purpose

The essential key to simple living is dharma, living in harmony with our spiritual nature and with all of life. Dharma refers to the inherent divine order and purpose of life. Our overarching purpose is to awaken spiritually, to realize our essential nature and live in accord with it. This divine purpose provides the necessary “polestar” to guide our choices. There are so many choices to make every day and choice-making takes energy. Clarity about our central purpose provides a ready reference point, narrows the field of possibilities, and facilitates ease in decision making.


We can ask:


  • Will this choice support my purpose?
  • Will it support spiritual awakening, or will it take me further from my goal?

This inquiry helps us live intentionally, avoiding the accumulation of things or involvement in situations that are not in alignment with our purpose.

Eliminate Nonessentials

It takes insight and vigilance to not accumulate more than we need. It is easy to collect things, more difficult to keep our lives clear of superfluous possessions. The practice of nonacquiring can help. To practice nonacquiring is to renounce or eliminate nonessentials. This doesn’t mean we can’t have things we enjoy, it means we acquire only what we actually use—whether that use is simply appreciation of the beauty of something or its utilitarian nature.


A lesson in nonacquiring came to me through travel. Almost every special destination whether it is a sacred place, a natural wonder, or historical site has a souvenir shop attached to it. I’ve carried a few things back home and noticed that the luster is lost over time. It becomes something else to dust or find a place to store. I started asking myself why it was so tempting to buy something in those shops. What I discovered was a desire to hold onto the experience. While things may jog our memory of something, it is not possible to hold onto experiences. Things cannot do that for us.


This discernment process can be applied to everything we have or intend to acquire. Ask:


  • What is it that we expect it to provide for us?
  • Can it do that?


Even Thoreau found himself confronting this desire to acquire when he brought some lovely pieces of limestone into his cabin. He said, “I had three pieces of limestone on my desk, but I was terrified to find that they required to be dusted daily, when the furniture of my mind was all undusted still, and threw them out the window in disgust.”

Be Content

The third practice to support simple living is the cultivation of contentment. This is the practice of consciously abiding in our true nature and experiencing our essential wholeness. Superconscious meditation makes this possible. When we regularly sit for meditation and our minds become quiet, the inherent fullness of the divine Self is revealed. We do not need to add anything to the Self. It is whole and complete. To touch this wholeness and experience freedom from desire, even for just a few minutes a day, introduces us to the unconditional happiness that is always with us. Once we know this, we are naturally inclined to live a simpler life.

Embracing the tenets of yoga, we can transcend external clutter, tap into our intrinsic purpose, and unearth a profound contentment that simplifies our existence.



HIGHER PURPOSE STUDY & PRACTICE

Dive Deeper into Dharma Teachings and Practices

Drawing from the reservoir of Vedic wisdom and the principles of yoga, the Dharma 365! Live Your Higher Purpose online course outlines the path to a life of higher purpose. The course provide a comprehensive immersion in dharma studies and practices for discovering your higher purpose and living it every day with heart and meaning.

Dharma 365! online course on higher purpose

Related Content

A graphical representation of Kriya Yoga practices
Living in Divine Love: Steps to Cultivate Higher Love

Explores how to live in divine love through prayer, spiritual practice, and presence, leading to higher love and harmonious relationships.

A graphical representation of Kriya Yoga practices
Embracing Life Through Letting Go

Embrace the art of letting go as a path to divine love and spiritual liberation.

A graphical representation of Kriya Yoga practices
Unlocking Love through Yoga: The Mind's Role Explained

Discover the pivotal role of the mind in accessing divine love as taught by yoga philosophy.

A graphical representation of Kriya Yoga practices
Divine Love in Relationships

Explore the power of divine love in transforming relationships, guided by insights from Sa'di and Paramahansa Yogananda.

Stay Connected

Enter your email below to receive Illumination – inspirations, insights, and more from Yogacharya O’Brian to support you on your path of awakened living!

Questions? Comments?

We'd love to hear from you! Contact Us.

© 2023 Ellen Grace O’Brian