The Yamas series - Brahmacharya
Brahmacharya, the fourth of the yamas was originally described by Patanjali to mean celibacy and abstinence. Many of us now think much more broadly about this yama and it tends to be interpreted as being about non-excess or moderation. I find this very interesting and I think about it in terms of where I've worked in behaviour change before - thinking about when we are challenged, when we are under stress, what behaviours do we do we lean on? Where we've got our little treats, our guilty pleasures, maybe our vices - when do they become habits and when do they perhaps tip into something a bit more concerning? A regular overindulgence potentially becomes a bit more of a destructive behaviour if it doesn’t serve us as a treat anymore.
These excesses could be in many forms - it could be about what we eat, what we drink, could be about shopping, or it could be about what we watch on TV. So a night watching a few episodes of something we've got really into on Netflix or whatever is great once in a while but if we’re regularly letting AutoPlay dictate our evenings do we need to consider if there’s something else at work. Why are we not being present?
January is a time when people set New Year's resolutions, maybe do Dry January, or Veganuary which can feel a bit like giving something up. I don’t think Brahmacharya is really about abstinence in that way, it is more about moderation and awareness. Some schools of thought see it as living spiritually and with reverence for what we do and how we go about our lives with meaning.
Particularly this January it's a very challenging time for an awful lot of people and we need to be kind to ourselves. It’s ok to need a bit of an escape once in a while. But thinking back to our habits and whether they help us or whether there's something we’re hiding behind, we can look at behaviour change techniques. It might be helpful to consider setting goals or scenario planning with if/then statements. So, using the autoplay example, I might want to say if I get to the end of an episode of whatever I'm watching I'll press pause, stand-up and walk to another room. When I get back to the TV maybe I still want to watch another episode as a conscious choice. The difference is I’m making a decision with awareness and what may have been overindulgence can return to enjoyment.
Next time I’ll focus on Aparigraha - non grasping.
More information
Deborah Adele (2009), The Yamas and Niyamas, Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice
Rachel Bonkirk (2020), Flex your mind, 10 powerful Yoga principles for less stress in a busy world.