Greed is a
passion from which we recoil. No one likes to think of him or her as being greedy
and yet each of us on some level has been consumed by greed. When we think of
greed we usually think of avarice or excessive hoarding of money and material
things. Greed is really fixation upon
objects of sensory pleasure and gratification. For example: alcohol, food, or
sex. Greed causes us to commit violence against others and ourselves. In the
practice of yoga, if we push ourselves beyond our limit while doing a
particular asana (pose), it is said we practice greed. Because we desire to
keep up with the teacher or go beyond the other students we risk injuring
ourselves. When injuries happen we contract and must stop our practice and heal
our injury. We therefore stop the flow of evolution and growth. Greed imprisons
our time, emotions, and energy. It has nothing to do with the possessing of
things and money. It’s really about a feeling of inadequacy and thus not
wanting others to have more than we have. We feel a lack of empowerment and
therefore greedily hold onto what becomes the most important source of our
self-definition. Unselfishness and giving for the sake of giving transcends
greed. We can often appear to be acting for others when in fact because we are
not free of self-interest our deeds are simply pretexts for receiving
gratitude. To transcend greed we need to give without any expectation.
To
give without expectation requires the components of yoga; balance strength and flexibility.
Let’s get started.
Greed
is not excessive hoarding or possessing. It is feeling a lack of empowerment
and therefore greedily holding onto and protecting what we think is the becomes
the most important source of our self- definition; our ego. The ego wants power
and therefore imprisoned itself into a battle to win at any cost. The soul
gives without expectation transcending greed and this will set you free.
Namaste ~ I celebrate the place
where our souls meet
Doctor Lynn
