Minimalism is an enigmatic term, and while the word implies simplicity, it is the very space created through practicing minimalism that opens it up to complexity. We must strive for a balance, and use minimalism as a tool, not as a dogmatic path towards perfectionism.

Minimalism, for most useful purposes, is on display in Japan, and is not on display in the United States. The easy access to an abundance of resources, on every level, create opportunities for people to lead lives undisciplined in regards to their levels of consumption. If there are no enforced standards, the “Tragedy of the Commons” becomes standard practice, and in hindsight we recognize that had we simply been more disciplined, we would not be in the condition we are currently in.

Yogic Minimalism, thus, is the use of minimalist practices to both combat consumerism, and to promote systematic and simple methods of analysis to our spiritual practices. That is to say that minimalism has a place in both worlds as it pertains to the yogic cosmology; that of prakriti (matter) and purusha (spirit).

The first use of minimalism for us is simple; reduce clutter and free up your time and energy for your spiritual practice. This is wrought with complications and challenges, because our lifestyle is likely embedded in consumer culture. We may work a job that requires us to sell goods that people do not need, in order that we may be paid, so that we can live a life that is contrary to the fruits of our labor.

We can renounce the world of the consumer, only to find ourselves without the means to do much of anything, and in this case we lose focus on our spiritual path, and must focus on our daily survival.

Minimalism, for a yogi, is not the renunciation of all possessions. It is the joining of the two worlds of yoga, intellectually, so that the spirit may communicate its needs to the material, and keep the material in check so that it does not become the priority.