Rooted Sangha - Session 12 Aparigraha

Theme: Letting Go at Samhain: A Yogic Reflection on Aparigraha

As autumn deepens and the veil between worlds thins, the energy of Samhain drifts through the air — quiet, reflective, and edged with mystery. The harvest has been gathered; the fields lie bare. Nature herself exhales, releasing what has completed its cycle. The trees surrender their leaves without resistance, trusting that this falling away is part of a larger rhythm.

In Celtic tradition, Samhain marks the turning of the wheel — the threshold between endings and beginnings. It is the time of the ancestors, of honouring what has passed, and of laying down what we no longer need to carry forward. There’s a sacred invitation here: to let go, to clear space, to trust in the dark.

In yoga philosophy, we find this same wisdom in the yama of Aparigraha — often translated as non-grasping or non-attachment. Aparigraha teaches us to loosen our grip on outcomes, possessions, and even our stories about who we think we are. It invites us to live with open hands and an open heart, recognising that everything — every experience, every season of our life — is transient.

---

The Gentle Art of Trusting the Cycle

When we practise Aparigraha, we begin to understand that holding on too tightly creates suffering. Just as a clenched fist cannot receive, a mind crowded with attachments cannot find peace. Letting go is not about loss — it’s about trust. It’s a return to balance, a remembering that we are part of an ever-turning cycle of birth, growth, decay, and renewal.

As I sit with the energy of Samhain, I feel how perfectly it mirrors this teaching. This season whispers: Release. Let it fall away. Not in bitterness or fear, but in gratitude. The letting go becomes an act of faith — faith that the darkness is not an ending, but a gestation. That what lies beneath the surface is quietly preparing to bloom again.

---

A Reflection for the Week

In my own practice this week, I’ve been exploring this through gentle movement and long, spacious exhalations. With every breath out, there’s a sense of offering something back — an old thought, a tension, a piece of self I’ve outgrown. And with every breath in, there’s simply presence. No striving, no holding — just being here, enough as I am.

Perhaps you might join me in this reflection. As the year turns and the nights draw close, take a quiet moment to ask yourself:

• What am I ready to release?

• Where am I still holding on?

• What space might open if I were to loosen my grip?

You might enjoy this cord-cutting meditation to assist you in letting go:

Samhain reminds us that endings are sacred, too. That the beauty of this life lies not in permanence, but in the rhythm of change. And that sometimes, the deepest growth begins in the still, dark soil of surrender.

---

Giving Back

After covering room and fuel costs, all proceeds from Rooted are being saved to support a local cause, to be chosen together later this year — as a small act of Bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion in action.

On 21st September we made our first donation (£110) to Kettering Samaritans.

This week we were low on numbers, , so we have added a small amount to the fund (£6.50) - and our current total stands at £56.50. Our next beneficiary is Johnny's Happy Place.

---

Going Forward

Thank you for taking a moment to pause — to breathe with the soft rhythm of this turning season.

May you begin to notice what is ready to fall away, and where your energy longs to return home.

May you learn the quiet art of releasing — loosening your grasp on what no longer serves, and trusting the stillness that follows.

May you find comfort in the spaces left behind, knowing that emptiness, too, is fertile — rich with the promise of what is yet to come.

And may you remember that your energy is sacred. Each breath, each moment of letting go, is part of the great cycle of life — the sacred weaving of loss and renewal that keeps the world turning.

With love, Vicki x