i’m posting this to share my thought on aparagraha yama and seeking the guidance at the same time…
some people are very good in controling their needs and desires, naturally or culturally, so they might find this topi c useless. I struggle always with the non-posessiveness. so maybe some of you will find my thought on this subject useful.
i visited a muslim family (here down South) and i was suprised that there are just floor and carpets, and very little furniture in the house, but everything looks very nice, clean and well designed. It was quite a contrast to Southers houses stuffed with things from attick to the garage, from the front yard to the backyard.
looks like non-posessiveness defines the thin border between “i like” and “i want”.
posesssiveness not only devastatgin to your budget but it does a demadge to the spirit.
my spouse used to get tense when we were walking in the mall. I an exlame each time i like something in the display window. He thought that i want it, but i say that i have tons of dresses and i do not need another one for sure, but it looks wonderful and pleases my eyes. Same thing with people. One can seee a woman and see her beauty, and not to develop a desire towards her. Artists are very good at it i think:)
our contemporary world does not make it easy to practice aparagraha at all! just look around! “a must have item!”, “buy one get one free!”, “buy more and save”. All these marketing traps deteriorate out saving account and our spirit.
by obiding aparagraha, non-possessiveness, we gain a great control over the mind. I’t quite amazing to watch when one can look at things and aknowledge that even thai is something i desire now, is not something i really need. The discrimination of wants and needs comes with training the mind (this is what yoga is about:)
I often find myself in a delusion of posessivenees almost each time a visit a department store. i’ll get everything my sight have gladed over. luckily i can return it after the review and applying practice of aparagraha yama 
there is a popular idea in orthododx cristianity, that one should give up every material thing one owns, then the great truth will be reaveled and he will understand the God.
maybe this is so, but sounds too unatractive to give away everything, your dwelling, your savings, your clothing, your things and gifts your are emotionally attached too.
acordin to yoga one should posses as much as he needed for one’s dharma. A poor man baggin money in the street needs a bowl, and an executive of a big company needs more than just a bowl:) an artist needs an art supplies, a gardener needs a tools, a commercial farmer need more and bigger tools than househol gardener, and so on…
on the other hand, aparagraha, non-possessiveness teaches us to be unatached to things as well as to thought (watch th eprosse how “I like” grows into “I want”).
by being possesisve in our minds we clot out life with people and relationship that do not let as adwance and still our time, and space in our dwelling with things we do not really want or need.
i like to practice aparagraha by giving away something i really like, somwthing i really emotinaly attached.
so ones again, posessiveness is devastating to the spirit and clots our space with things we do not really need nor for life neither for spiritual deveopment.
non posessiveness creates strong spirit, clear vision of ones dharma, space and time for spirtial develpment, non-attachemnt.