“Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance.” -Epicurus
The yamas and niyamas have been referred to as the “do’s and don’ts” of yoga. They have even been called the “Ten Commandments” of yoga. But to frame the first two limbs of yoga as a set of rules of conduct is to miss the essence of what they offer. It is important to remember that the yamas and niyamas are part of a comprehensive practice, one that is designed to free us from suffering, and, when practiced regularly, help us live our best life. Rather than rules, they can be viewed as a GPS system that helps us navigate away from actions that keep us stuck in patterns of unhealthy behavior while bringing us closer to a more fulfilling and joyful life. The yamas and niyamas are not intended to tell us how to act; rather, they help shape us into who we are capable of being.
Patanjali’s Eight Limbed Path can be thought of as a recipe in which the ingredients are combined in a particular order to get the intended results. The first limb in our yoga practice is to honor the first restraint of nonharming, or ahimsa, in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Even if we don’t remember any of the other yamas, we should remember that the practice of yoga starts by considering how our actions impact the world around us. Violence of any kind—to ourselves or others-- distorts our thoughts and creates unrest in both the body and the mind. That is why rushing to class, hopping on your mat, and ignoring the centering while skipping ahead to the third limb of asana (physical practice) can leave you feeling a bit off at the end of your practice. Yoga doesn’t start with physical postures; it begins when we settle our whirling thoughts and calm the mind through the restraint of nonharming. It is from this base that we build our entire practice.
The order of the yamas have a particular logic that allows them to flow easily into one another. Although we study each yama independently, they are so tightly interwoven that, by understanding one, we simultaneously enrich our practice of the others. Consider how ahimsa is related to satya. Nonharming cannot happen without being truthful. To do so risks appeasement and tacit approval of inappropriate behavior. Speaking the truth must always be done with kindness. The practice of nonharming and truthfulness is strengthened by the other yamas. For example, practicing truthfulness takes integrity, a sense of doing what we say and saying what we do. Integrity is developed when we are capable of mindfully controlling our energy, by not allowing our desires to take hold of our behavior. This brings us to the third yama of Brahmacharya, nonexcess, which we will consider in this week’s practice.
The literal interpretation of Brahmacharya is “walking with God” and is frequently associated with celibacy. This interpretation, although not popular in today’s culture, has historical significance, as the students who studied the Eight Limbed Path in ashrams thousands of years ago were adolescents and young adults who were easily distracted by hormonal urges. On a broader level, Brahmacharya asks us to look at how our desires control our energy. Our senses offer a steady stream of information about the world around us. Typically, we tune out much of this feedback until something pleasurable grabs our attention. Perhaps we look up from our desks and are surprised by a beautiful sunset out our window. We take a few moments to enjoy the view and then return to our work feeling a bit lighter. Our senses offer us numerous treasures to be enjoyed throughout our day, but they can also hijack our attention.
Some sensory experiences can spark strong emotions. When they do, they throw us off balance as they can quickly lead to overindulgence. It is not the sensory experience itself, but the strong emotion attached to it that grips and traps us in patterns of behavior that gain momentum and eventually deplete our energy. We’ve all experienced the pull of these desires. We’ve eaten the bag of chips, binged on one too many episodes of “Project Runway”, drink too many glasses of wine. Maybe you get caught up in gossip, drawn to the excitement of entertaining your friends with secrets about a mutual acquaintance. Overindulgence is easy to recognize as it is followed by feelings of regret, dullness, and a vague sense of depletion that opens the door to self-criticism and harm.
It is easy to assume that Brahmacharya guides us to abstain from those sensory experiences that lead to excess, but a complete denial of things that bring us pleasure can be just as depleting as overindulgence. Some may remember Oprah pulling a wagon of fat across the stage as she proudly showed off her weight loss. She lost weight through severe and restrictive behaviors, engaging in hours of exercise, not eating solid food, and drinking only Optifast. It didn’t take long before she regained the weight. Looking back at that moment she considers it one of her greatest regrets. It was, she said, a complete indulgence of her ego, celebrating an unsustainable and restrictive lifestyle that was unhealthy, exhausting, and created strain in her relationships.
Brahmacharya, nonexcess, guides us to the middle path of moderation. It offers a way in which we can enjoy pleasure while not allowing our emotions to take hold and pull us into a cycle of excess and regret. Of course, the real work comes in knowing what constitutes “enough” and then finding the resolve to rein in our energy.
Moderation starts with awareness of how we are impacted by our senses. Brahmacharya guides us to observe our experiences, noticing which ones tend to take hold and, when they do, noticing what happens. What are the residual effects of this experience? Does it leave me feeling sad, anxious, angry, critical? Overindulgence always leaves us depleted, whereas moderation creates pleasure, calm, and a sense of inner joy.
The second step to moderation is to create a purposeful break when we feel drawn to extremes. We can turn to ahimsa for help in creating a pause. A practice of ahimsa begins when we think before acting, pausing to contemplate the possible reverberations of our actions. The pull of sensory pleasure narrows our perspective, generating an energy that is “me” focused, driven entirely by the ego. Ahimsa widens the lens, helping us to see beyond our desires to consider how our energy affects others. Does my overindulgence make me irritable with my family? Do my endless dietary restraints create a drag on an evening out with friends? How much pain do I cause by spreading gossip?
The yogic sages stated that we are meant to experience and enjoy all that this world has to offer. We get in trouble when we allow our energy to be swept up by the senses. Brahmacharya can help us establish limits so that we can delight in what our senses have to offer. Here I will offer an illustration of how Brahmacharya helps us find the middle ground with the following description written by yogic scholar and meditation specialist Dr. Rolf Sovik:
“An undisciplined mind is sure to take us for a dangerous ride. Consider this: We are the rider. Our body is the chariot. Our intellect is the charioteer. Perception is the reins. Our senses are the horses. The sense objects are the path upon which we drive our chariot. A mind that is undisciplined is like a charioteer who has no control of the reins, allowing the horses to run in all directions, taking us on a wild ride that ends only when the horses collapse or the chariot crashes. Brahmacharya helps us take hold of the reins gently but firmly, guiding the horses safely along the path. The ride is smooth and pleasurable, bringing us to our destination filled with contentment and inner joy.”
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