When the practitioner is firmly established in continence, knowledge, vigor, valor and energy flow to him. — yoga sutras
The fourth yama is the discipline of brahmacarya, which literally means to “walk with God.” Although it is often translated as “chastity”, brahmacarya also means “continence.”It is, quite simply, a call for us to practice moderation. The arena most associated with brahmacarya is sexuality, and this yama is often misunderstood as the expectation that we be celibate, on the assumption that the celibate yogi is somehow more enlightened. This is definitely not the point. B.K.S. Iyengar, in his discussion of brahmacarya, points out that the yogi Vashita had one hundred children and yet was still living within the definition of brahmacarya.
Brahmacarya iis not a call for abstinence but a call for temperance. As we practice brahmacarya, we have the opportunity to enact the balance that is yoga in all that we do. We can bring moderation to our thoughts, words, and deeds. — Rolf Gates, Meditations from the Mat
People often seem to think they cannot be spiritual and still be sexual. For me, I don’t see how you can be spiritual and not include the sexual. I’ve certainly felt more spiritual and in communion with another person when having sex that anytime I’ve been in church!
But moderation, ah, that I can understand. To be obsessed with sex is not really a fun or pleasant thing, any more than being obsessed with anything else. Too much of anything is not a good thing. Rolf continues later in the discussion with some great questions to ask yourself:
Practicing brahmacarya is quite simple, and the results are immediate. The yoga sutras tell us that valor, vigor, knowledge and energy flow to those who practice moderation. A quick inventory will illuminate how we are doing in a given area. Does my sex life fill me with valor, vigor, knowledge and energy? Or is it a cause for concern, anxiety, confusion, and stress? How about food? Am I energized by my food, or obsessed by it? Do I feel liberated by the choices I make around my food, or am I filled with concern, anxiety, and stress? We can go on to examine our relationship with money, work, time management, hobbies, exercise — whatever preoccupies our days. As we consider these questions honestly, it becomes easy to see where we are being intemperate and how the first small steps into moderation can be life-changing.
Brahmacarya is the feeling of freedom that comes when we have let an addictive craving go — when we can eat to live, not live to eat; when we can work to live, not live to work; when we can stand firmly and with ease of heart in the postures of life. — Rolf Gates, Meditations from the Mat
One Response
This sems a convenient thought process for inclusion of the rare few who see only the purer aspects of sexual union. Does such exist? Can such be obtained by more than a few and if so isn’t this just another form of sexual exploitation?