Going deeper in your yoga practice - Brahmacharya

To offer more yogic knowledge, in conjunction with Lisa at Yoga Loft Carrickfergus, we have asked our teachers to write short articles about the yamas and niyamas. 
They are the first two limbs of the eightfold path of yoga described by Patanjali in the yoga sutras. These are fundamental concepts offering ethical and moral guidelines to yogis.

Olivia writes about brahmacharya, the fourth yama, which proffers that we live in a way that supports our deeper purpose and invites in moderation to preserve our life force.

Brahmacharya, by Olivia McIntyre

Sūtra 2:38 brahmacarya-pratiṣṭhāyāṁ vīrya-lābhaḥ. 

"Upon being firmly established in continence, vigor is gained." 

On first glance at the Yamas and Niyamas, brahmacharya can feel like one of the most confusing teachings.

Traditionally it was translated as "celibacy" - but this can seem outdated, restrictive or even just completely irrelevant to modern life. However, beneath this surface interpretation lies a profound and practical teaching that invites us to consider how we spend our energy.

The Sanskrit word brahmacharya can be broken down into two parts:

1. Brahman: meaning the ultimate reality or universal consciousness.
2. Charya: meaning to move, walk or conduct oneself.

Rather than simply referring to sexual restraint, brahmacharya can be understood as "moving in the direction of the highest truth" or as living in a way that supports our deepest purpose.

Ancient yogis recognised that our energy is precious. When it is constantly scattered through excessive stimulation, we often feel depleted and disconnected. 

This is all too relevant to modern life where we are constantly bombarded with notifications, to-do lists, advertisements and social obligations. All of which use up our precious energy.

Brahmacharya encourages us to use our energy wisely so that it can support our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. It tells us that we should not fill every quiet moment with noise and stimulation.

To simply be.

The practice is not about denying ourselves pleasure or becoming rigidly disciplined. It is about becoming aware of what leaves us feeling energised, connected and alive as opposed to what leaves us exhausted, distracted or disconnected.

It tells us that life's purpose is not about constantly doing more, but perhaps it is actually about doing less. 

Thank you Olivia for your words and reflections! 
We will endeavour to share more about these topics here regularly to build a mini accessible yogic knowledge online library :)

You can find Olivia's profile here if you want to keep on exploring our website.