Walking with the Divine: The Deeper Meaning of Brahmacharya in Yoga

In modern life, where overstimulation is the norm and burnout is common, brahmacharya invites a deeper inquiry into how we direct and honour our vital energy (prana) in daily life. 

Rather than repressing desire, brahmacharya encourages conscious choice. Ultimately, brahmacharya is not about denial, but devotion - to what truly matters.

Brahma is the Sanskrit for God (in particular Creation God), and charya means path. Brahmacharya means to walk along the path of God - in other words walking with the divine.

Through the practice of brahmacharya we learn to release attachment to temporary sources of pleasure, in honour of unveiling a more potent power that leads to true contentment and genuine happiness.

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2003.148

Francesco - one of our current Yoga Teacher Training 200hr program trainees - recently wrote an article on brahmacharya, which further articulates what this Yama is about . With his blessing, please read on!

Big love,

Erin Lee
Founder, The Mindful Yoga School

Brahmacharya is one of the Yamas of Yoga. Yamas means restraint - things that should not be done during someone’s life to be able to ascend through the eight limbs of Yoga and reach Divine communion.

Brahmacharya, in the Yoga literature, means sexual continence or absolute celibacy. But it could also be interpreted as energy conservation. This meaning is broader and it refers to the action of directing someone’s energy to endeavours that are purposeful and fulfilling for their life and Soul. It means not engaging in ALL the experiences that life throws at us - whether it's interacting interacting with other people, chasing something material, or getting involved in other non-beneficial activities.

I really value this Yama - I find it very grounding and calming. If applied properly it takes lots of pressure off life as it allows the mind to stop being so engulfed with thousands of thoughts connected to the multiple options of life - whether it is an interaction with an object, a situation or a person.

Brahmacharya allows us to choose and discern to get involved with things, situations and people that are nurturing for our Soul, and are not - on the contrary - completely draining.

How many times have we got ourselves into something and thought it would have been better not That’s exactly when the application of this Yama would have been of great help and saved us from some energy dissipation.

I have been using this energy conservation principle quite a lot in my life, on and off the mat. I am learning to discern, choose wisely and say no when I can foresee that the outcome would result in a loss of precious life force.

We are sustained by prana - the Divine life force energy - and we use it to carry out all our operations. It is important not to waste prana for purposes that are not in line with what our true essence - the Soul, desires.

On The Mat

Practicing brahmacharya allows me to decide how often to practice Yoga, including how long I should make the session, and choosing how challenging the poses need to be.

I try to keep a remain disciplined and be regular in my Yoga sessions, but sometimes the body and the mind just don’t feel like it would be the right thing to do in that moment.

I am learning to follow my intuition, listening to the body and accept that not always what I have planned is going to unfold exactly as I wanted.

This is pure Brahmacharya for me.

Off The Mat

Brahmacharya can really change your life. Our lives are mostly driven by our ego and our ego is very much influenced by the senses. It is constantly attracted by what produces pleasure through sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch.

We are constantly lured by the outside world in the form of objects, situations, people and through the senses we crave what brings pleasure and avoid what brings pain.

But not everything that brings pleasure is actually fulfilling for the spiritual path and our Soul.

Constantly seeking pleasure and being controlled by the senses cause a disconnection from the Divine, keeping us living behind the veil of Maya, the cosmic illusion.

So, saying yes and investing precious life force energy to everything that is pleasurable, on the long run, will produce inevitable suffering, because nothing is permanent.

In my recent life I have been practicing Brahmacharya as a practical tool to decide what to do and when. Questioning myself if what I am thinking I want is conducive to an outcome that will uplift me or just distract me and absorb energy.

I find energy conservation very useful when it comes to personal interaction, whether be with a partner, friend, colleague or just someone just met. It is very important to assess the nature of the interaction and understand where it leads to in order to save efforts and energies in the case that the interaction is not purposeful for us.

Lastly, I find that Brahmacharya as intended in the Yoga tradition - proper celibacy, frees the mind from restless thoughts of pleasure and looking for a companion at any cost. In Yoga it is said that vital fluids contain a tremendous amount of prana as they give life to a new human.

For this reason, the yogis practice brahmacharya, to conserve the prana within the body and use it to connect with the Divine.

~ Francesco

Find out more about immersing deeper into yoga through the Yoga Teacher Training 200hr program here >