Money! Get Away!
How my yoga practice helps me in dealing with Money
Money! This word always reminds me of Pink Floyd song each time I hear it. The song ironically speaks about money and about how it is always an issue. It is an issue when you don’t have enough; when you have too much, but even when you have just what you need, but you don’t realize it. And most importantly, money stands today on the basis of our society. We need a job, to have money, we buy things and we need money. Everything spins around it, and almost no personal interaction is free from money involvement.
I grew up in a moment when my family business was successful and had much more money than my friends I suppose, and I felt very uneasy. I felt uncomfortable knowing that there were people around the world who did not have enough money like I did. Then we started having financial problems, when I was already independent and living on my own (and yet it made a huge difference, just knowing to have no one who could help me if I was in troubles). And it did feel better for me (but not for my mum). Knowing that there was no one who could cover my back in case of need, I got a stable full-time job. I hated it. I mean, I loved the colleagues, the place where I was, my position. I just hated to have to work 8 hours a day 5 days out of 7. That money I was earning was going away so rapidly in rent and food (and some social life). The only relaxing thing was not having to do physically with them. Everything happened through the bank. I would receive my salary, pay the rent and pay the shopping through the bank, without having to withdraw cash. As absurd as it might sound, it felt good not to have them in my hands. Meantime, I had started practicing already the principle of non-attachment (aparigrahā) in my life. Aparigrahā involves non-identification. What do I mean by that? Normally, in our life, we tend to identify with material objects, actions or even ideas. I am what I earn, I am what I do for a living, I am what I believe, I am what I think. Well, when you look at these affirmations with lucid eyes, you realize that there is nothing “real” about them.
At the end of the day, you are not what you think, you are not what you believe in, you are not what you do as a profession, you are not how much you earn. You are much more than that!
Most of the time because we identify with these actions, ideas, objects, we get frustrated because we feel it is not enough for us. And here is the point: it is not enough, because you are misidentifying yourself. As a matter of fact, you are not those things, actions, ideas at all. That’s when it stroke me.
You are not the money you have in your pocket. How does it sound?
At this point you might think: well, but I still need money to be happy. But again, if you really think about it, your happiness does not depend on how much money you have. It does not matter what you spend it on. It doesn’t matter how much you spend to travel, how many things you buy, how many beers you drink. Think about it. Even if you have the impression of being happy when you buy something new or see a new place, how long does that happiness last? It is more the attitude towards life that is likely to influence your level of satisfaction in life.
Anyhow, once I started not identifying with my financial situation, I started to think that, not only I am not what I earn, but my life should not be rotating around how much I earn. What do I really need to have? A place to sleep, things to eat, water to drink, people to love (and in my case, I need meditation and work on my body). That’s it. All the rest is just an experience, or something that can help me in making some actions in my life easier (in my case that would be, a nite tapware to bring my own lunch wherever I go). As long as I have those basic things, I can actually be happy. Money is just something that comes and goes and makes things in practical ways possible, but it shouldn’t be at the center of our life.
And guess what?
When you actually move it away from the center, it really stops being an issue. When you are more relaxed, it is when things will fall into place. Just try!
Ah, and Pink Floyd’s song goes like:
Money, get away
Get a good job with good pay and you’re okay
Money, it’s a gas
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash
New car, caviar, four star daydream
Think I’ll buy me a football team
Money, get back
I’m all right Jack keep your hands off of my stack
Money, it’s a hit
Don’t give me that do goody good bullshit
I’m in the high-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a Lear jet
Money, it’s a crime
Share it fairly but don’t take a slice of my pie
Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today
But if you ask for a raise it’s no surprise that they’re
Giving none away, away, away