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Eileen Delehanty Pearkes

Writer, Speaker, Researcher

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Yoga and Taking only what is Necessary

May 2, 2007 by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes

Smelly neighbours test Eileen Delehanty Pearkes’ concept of aparigraha: taking what is necessary. The third in a ten-part series exploring the yamas & niyamas.

From ascent magazine, issue 33, spring 2007:

Awhile ago, some skunks moved in under my writing studio, an old potting shed that I’d converted into a quiet space for my work. The shed sits on four cement pilings that leave about fifteen centimetres between the floorboards and the bare ground. I heat the studio with a woodstove. It was an understandable move for the skunks: no excavation required (though their sharp claws are designed to dig dens); heat included in the rent; attractive garden location. One evening at dusk, I spotted two adorable skunk kits wrestling on the ground under the apple tree beside the studio. I regularly saw the distinct black and white striped animals loitering around my compost, usually at dusk or dawn. I sometimes heard rustling noises beneath the floorboards as I tapped on my keyboard…

Download article (pdf format)

Filed Under: Articles, Ascent

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About Eileen

Eileen Delehanty Pearkes explores landscape, history and the human imagination in writing, maps and visual notebooks.

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