Today we will be looking at Brahmacharya.
And this is an interesting one because Brahmacharya in the traditional sense it meant celibacy and this philosophy it goes back thousands of years because being celibate was believed as one of the ways to get closer to the one that has made everything,
Sort of removing the distractions from your life.
In fact even today monks are celibate,
Are celibate,
Sages are celibate,
Priests take a vow of celibacy but that's okay for them.
When it comes to the principle of Brahmacharya,
When it comes to the principle of celibacy,
How does that work out for you and me?
Because we have all these wants and we have all these desires so that essentially leads us towards a more modern interpretation of celibacy.
Let me start with a small story.
It was a quiet Sunday morning and Maya was sitting on a couch.
She had her phone in her hand and she promised herself five minutes of scrolling before stopping and getting onto her yoga mat.
Five minutes turned into five,
Then she got distracted by emails,
Then she got distracted by news alerts and by the time she looked up more than an hour had passed.
She felt drained,
She didn't feel nourished,
Her practice got skipped,
Her peace got stolen and at some point we've all been Maya.
I have been Maya,
Overstimulated,
Over committed,
Overexposed.
What we need in our lives is not just another productivity hack,
How to do things better.
What we need is a compass,
A guide and that's where Brahmacharya steps in.
Possibly one of yoga's most misunderstood but vital principles.
So Brahmacharya which is one of the five yamas of the yoga sutras of Patanjali,
Brahmacharya as I mentioned before it's often translated as celibacy but in our modern context that becomes very narrow,
It becomes a very limiting interpretation.
At its heart Brahmacharya could be said to be the right use of energy.
The right use of energy,
Aligning our actions,
Aligning our desires,
Aligning our habits with what really serves our well-being and purpose.
A slight reframe,
In our lives energy is our currency,
Energy is our currency and we invest our energy every time we scroll,
Every time we have a conversation,
Every time we take a bite,
Every time we click on something,
We are using our energy.
So the question that we could ask ourselves is,
Is this replenishing me or draining me?
Our mental energy,
Are we spending it doom-scrolling on social media or are we using our mental energy reading a book that uplifts us?
When it comes to our emotional energy,
Am I venting for hours or am I talking to someone who can really support me?
When it comes to my sexual energy,
Am I using dating apps mindlessly as against trying to cultivate real connection and intimacy?
And when it comes to our physical energy,
Are we over committing to high intensity workouts as against balanced intentional movement?
So Brahmacharya,
Traditionally translated as celibacy but we are looking at it as the efficient use of our energy.
So it's not about repression,
It's not about holding yourself back,
It's about channeling your energy toward what matters.
So Brahmacharya is not about repression,
It's about channeling our energy in the right direction.
So how can we live this concept?
How can we live this concept in our daily lives?
Digital discipline,
Using do not disturb hours,
Trying to keep at least one screen free hour a day or asking yourself why am I opening this app?
And many of us have this habit that the first thing we wake up in the morning we check our phone.
But is it possible that tomorrow when you wake up in the morning,
You first take three deep breaths and ask yourself what do you want to feel today?
When it comes to our relationships,
Intentional relationships,
Choosing depth in our relationships over drama,
Practicing presence in conversations,
Saying no to relationships which deplete your energy.
When it comes to being aware of our consumption,
Eating when I'm hungry versus eating when I'm bored,
Buying what I need as against emotional spending,
Nourishing content versus toxic input.
And before a meal you could simply ask yourself is this food nourishing me physically and energetically?
And sexual energy,
Sexual energy and creativity,
It's not about suppression but it's about redirection.
And sexual energy is very potent,
Very creative energy.
So redirect it into art,
Into service,
Into self-study or even into deeper connection.
So going back to Maya,
She began practicing brahmacharya not by withdrawing from the world but by simply becoming more intentional.
She now starts her day with silence,
She's replaced night scrolling with journaling and she herself has been able to notice the change.
She's been more focused,
More joyful,
More alive.
So every morning you can ask yourself where is my energy needed the most today?
And in the night reflect did I invest it wisely?
Thank you for listening.
