Brahmacharya

The fourth of the five yamas, which literally translates to “walking in God-consciousness” or mindful thought watching. Brahmacharya also known as self-control, restraint, or balance asks us to look at how we are choosing to expend our energy. ——————–

Take a moment and consider how you are currently using your energy by allotting a percentage to each category:
*Home (family)
*Work
*School (education or learning)
*Exercise
*Creativity (enjoyment)
*Social (friends, company)
*Spiritual (faith, religion, prayer, meditation)
*Rest (sleep, downtime)
*Food (fuel, water)

We must always remember that balance is in a constant state of change, just as our chakra energies are and our vikruti (vata, pitta, kapha imbalance) based on life circumstance and experiences at any given time. It is important to consider that effort does not equal productivity when we are giving too much attention to work, or too much attention to our children, or when we overdue exercise or food. Everything in moderation. We must continuously re-evaluate to find balance, which may mean we let go of draining relationships or understand that overindulging in sugar or alcohol makes us feel imbalanced and in reality is throwing off our own personal balancing point.

Consider as you answer the questions below on Brahmacharya what you are working on now that has little to no value and calculate its importance. Will what is stealing your energy now truly matter in 1 year? 5 years? 10?

How can you stay in tune with your internal rhythm to maintain ojas (vitality)? How can you better manage your time? How can you begin to prioritize your responsibilities or set boundaries in your life to prevent depletion?