Becoming more reliant on less

According to St Augustine (a very wise man), 'It is better to need less than to have more.' Gandhi (another very wise man) echoed this sentiment when he said, 'There is enough in the world for everyone's need; there is not enough for everyone's greed.' In other words by renouncing things you are freer to enjoy life. But it's difficult when society wants us to be consumers. We are led to believe it is the only way for wealth to be created. But increasingly the wealth is for the privileged few. The rest of us end up with credit card debt, wardrobes full of unworn clothes, fat bodies, a drink habit. The path of yoga involves controlling desires and reducing wants. This means deciding what you want out of life - not what the supermarkets, car dealers, holiday companies, mobile phone companies, betting companies make us believe.