Hands open, heart full
In yoga philosophy, there are concepts that help us live with more freedom, clarity, and connection. Among them is aparigraha, a Sanskrit word that invites us to loosen our grip—on things, on expectations, and on who we think we have to be.
To start, I cannot convey how drastically this concept has enhanced my life. But it’s not black and white, it’s relative to your life and unique experience. For example, what consumes you, what you cling to, what takes up space in your mind is very different from the person next to you There’s also a boundary to identify here…if we go around worried about “attachment,” it’s important to notice, and give ourselves grace with, what is a commitment, what is a desire, what is a goal, vs. what is an attachment. To check yourself, focus on the energy of something. If your desire for a certain outcome is causing stress or negatively consuming you, it might be time to let go. If you find that your happiness is contingent upon some specific outcome, you may want to loosen that grip.
How do I do that? Let’s chat about it.
Aparigraha is one of the five yamas, or ethical principles, outlined in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The yamas are considered the first limb of yoga—the foundation for how we interact with the world and ourselves. Translated simply, aparigraha means non-grasping or non-attachment.
What Aparigraha Really Means
Aparigraha asks a few powerful questions:
What am I holding onto?
Why am I afraid to release it?
What would open up if I trusted rather than tried to control
When we cling—physically, emotionally, or mentally—we create tension. When we let go, we create space.
Aparigraha is not about detaching from life; it’s about detaching from excess, expectation, entitlement, and fear. It’s about trusting that we don’t have to collect, control, or cling to be enough.
On the Mat
The mat is one of the easiest places to see where we grasp:
Chasing the fullest expression of a pose.
Comparing yourself to someone else’s practice.
Holding your breath when something feels intense.
Pushing past your edge instead of honoring your body.
Aparigraha on the mat might look like:
Letting go of the idea that your practice has to look a certain way.
Placing blocks under your hands without judgment.
Breathing into sensation rather than muscling through it.
Allowing today’s practice to be different than yesterday's.
When we loosen the grip, something shifts. Space returns. Breath returns. Presence returns.
In Everyday Life
Off the mat, aparigraha reaches into almost everything:
In your space:
Keeping what supports your life now and aligns you with where you want to go, releasing what weighs you down. Not clinging “just in case” or out of guilt or identity.
In your relationships:
Loving without controlling. Allowing others (and yourself) to evolve without fear of losing what was.
In your schedule:
Not cramming your day to prove your worth. Leaving room for rest, inspiration, or nothing at all.
In your mindset:
Releasing perfectionism, comparison, timelines, and outdated stories about who you have to be.
In goals and dreams:
You can have desires without gripping them. You can pursue what matters and still stay open to what changes.
Aparigraha reminds us: when the hands soften, the heart has room to move.
Practicing Aparigraha
You don’t have to overhaul your life to practice this. Start small and notice:
Where am I gripping?
Where do I feel scarcity or fear?
What could I release—physically, mentally, or emotionally—that would bring lightness?
Maybe it's cleaning out a drawer, taking a fuller breath, deleting an app that drains you, stepping back from a habit, or simply catching yourself in the act of holding a little too tight—and choosing softening instead of squeezing.
The Freedom in Letting Go
Aparigraha isn’t about lack—it’s about trust. It teaches us that we don’t need to cling to feel secure or worthy. When we loosen our grasp, our energy can move again. Abundance, creativity, and connection live in the space we free up.
On the mat, it looks like breath and honesty.
In the body, it looks like tension release.
In life, it looks like trust.
And in the soul, it feels like clarity, possibility, and peace.
