Lose Your Illusion
Celi discusses the relationship of sustainability and yoga - opening our drishti to a different approach!
The Veil of Maya, in this case I am not talking about the Chicago based metalcore band (but feel free to check them out of you feel like doing some aggressive housework, personally I do my best cleaning to this kind of music) but instead about the idea that layered between our consciousness or Self is a veil, or a gratin of veils if you will, (I think we can all relate to potatoes) concealing from us some or all of the truth in any or all situations.
Consider a preconceived notion of something, maybe you are about to meet a person for the first time and your best mate told you that they are not someone they think you would get on with. We love our best friend and trust them, and therefore it is likely that we have unknowingly veiled the truth from us in our belief of this opinion before the fact. It may be that this person is indeed not someone we would gel with, or maybe they are a potential best friend in the making, if we let that which we do not KNOW to be truth in any way cloud our judgement in any situation, then that is an experience of the Veil of Maya. The word ‘Maya” means unreality, fraud, deceitful trick, or an easier and maybe nicer way to say it is ‘illusion’.
It is such an important part of the yogic journey to the centre of our being, to our connection with our truth or Self, that we analyse our thoughts, emotions, reactions, all behaviours with this in mind. This isn’t always easy to access, and can be easily forgotten, especially when a reaction is strong or habitual, but the more we practise it the easier it gets and eventually it becomes a part of our upregulated awareness. Sometimes these veils are going to be practically sewn into and around our consciousness from a lifetime of conditioning and repetition. This can mean that we may have core beliefs that whilst we have faith that they are rooted in truth and feel like part of the fabric of our reality they are in fact an untruth, a deceitful trick, an illusion.
In this instance I am going to speak to the notion of sustainability. I offered to write a piece on sustainability thinking I would have a lot of interesting stuff to say about environmentalism and that sort of thing but I keep coming back to the veil. Veils. There are many.
Sustainability is the ability to maintain or support a process over time. And I think these days when we hear this word we think initially about our planet, its resources and the fact that everything seems a little bit glum at the moment. It has become a bit of a buzzword hasn’t it. It is true that our planet isn’t doing so well, it’s completely terrifying for most of us to think or learn about the damage that humans have done and are continuing to inflict on Mother Earth, in the name of what? Well that, in my humblest opinion, would be good old fashioned capitalism. I strongly believe that the C word is the plague of our lands, skies and seas.
Going back to the statement that sustainability has become a bit of a buzzword when talking about our environment, our home, is in itself a veil. The more we hear a word bandied about, the more likely it is to lose some of its interest and impact. When we look at this word and what it means, it is a shame that this has happened, is happening, because to look at the sustainability of all things is a super important practice, whether in the context of our movement, relationships, health patterns, economics and of course our environment.
Let us look at the heavyweight title fight of “want vs need” and how this to relates to our lives as yoga practitioners, however deeply we choose to develop that element of our lives. This is a big exploration that can be straightforward or perhaps lead to some confronting and important critical thinking.
Yoga has not escaped capitalism by any stretch of the imagination. There is always something new to buy, something to help us with our entrance into meditation, a comfier cushion perhaps, or shinier mala beads. Maybe it’s a new pair of leggings or a vest, something to make us feel more comfortable or accomplished when we are practising. It could be a new mat, water bottle, crystal, singing bowl, block, wind chime, all the things…so many things. Do we need these things? Now I am not saying that we don’t, but, how many times have we bought something that we didn’t need? My hand is up for sure, I have four yoga mats for Krishnas sake. How many times have we bought something that we thought we needed and then it never got used, or it wasn’t quite what we thought it was, or it was a complete waste of money….and resources. It’s the resources that we need to bear in mind. Every time we purchase something new, that matter has to come from somewhere. There will have been a number of processes involved in the rendering of said matter into said item, many changes of hands and possibly thousands of travelled miles. How often do we stop and think about this stuff? It’s more likely that we will have noticed the clever marketing that will have us believe that we definitely need this thing, and that it is definitely….sustainable.
I know that I have bought many things in this way. And when we start to think of our consumerism with all of this in mind it can make shopping for something we are pretty sure we need, feel like a mine field of potential sources of acquisition and like we are running a gauntlet on the path self inquiry. It isn’t always easy to navigate. Marketing is an apex predator and we, the consumer are its prey. We have to remember that. The bigger the teeth the more likely we are to be dinner. But with space, and with grace, we can learn to look deeper. Into the nature of the potentially purchased article and our own desire for it. Whether we really need it, or whether we have just been convinced that we want it real bad. Whether it really is an ethical purchase or are we falling foul of greenwashing, just because something appears to be eco friendly doesn’t mean it really is. Whether we should buy it from this big guy that can have it delivered to me yesterday or whether we can wait a couple of days and instead support a small ,not owned by a billionaire, business. Do we really need this thing to be brand spanking new or can it be found second hand?
Just as we take a breath and let it go as we transition from one shape to another on our yoga mat, can we grant ourselves the same space and step back from impulsively parting with our money, and into the headspace of a much more conscious consumer. I would wager that if we shift our experience in this way that we would notice a big difference in how much stuff, and the nature of what stuff we end up owning. As I sit here writing this I am looking around my living room at a number of things that I impulsively bought cos’ I thought they were cool, that I didn’t need, don’t need, and will probably end up selling or donating to a charity shop at some point. I also take in the things that I own that bring me great joy, spark fond memories and that I will more than likely have for years. It is probably the case that I didn’t need any of it, and as humans there is very little that we actually NEED for survival, and whilst there are many yogis in the world who have chosen a path of asceticism with little or no possessions and a life of disciplined study, meditation, and devotion, most of us are not that. I for one am definitely not that. I love to go full nerd on a tv show, decorate my house, eat interesting food, go on occasional road trips and get tattoos. I don’t need these things to survive but I love them, these things enrich my life and help me express my current version of myself. I am not an extravagant but not an ascetic so can I find an ethical equilibrium? I’m always trying to be trying. Just as in asana when we look for the balance of stira and suhka, effort and ease, can we in our lives in this material world look to rest in that place where we are making kind and conscious decisions about the accessories with which we adorn this human experience. Can we be more skillful as we tiptoe through the savage garden of consumerism, stay mindful of the tricks and trip hazards set to ensnare our bank accounts and carbon footprints and eventually find ourselves carving out new samskaras that are, in the words of the residents of Sandford village, for the greater good. The greater good.
- Written by Celi Summers