In researching this yama I looked at readings from several books and wrote down the following quotes which spoke to me: A person who is a Brahmacharya lives in Brahmin (god) and sees Brahmin in everyone. Continence is chastity* in word, thought, and deed…Sex is inseparable from attachment, and attachment is an obstacle to spiritual […]
If Bramhamacharya is about re-focusing sexual energy, then if I focus that energy on spiritual practice, I will become more aware of my interconnectedness with others on an energetic level and that will reduce my focus on the more primal physical or ego-based connections (ie the source of my non-virtuous words, thoughts, & deeds). The […]
Before beginning this experiment I had already begun examining my attitudes towards sex and relationships. I had found that I was constantly looking for a partner, and primarily evaluating people I met on that basis, which I found to be self-centered and disrespectful. I also had found that being in a relationship consumed my time […]
CHOICE: The earliest observation I made in this process was about choice. Having set the above intentions, I became aware of every opportunity that arose to break those intentions and having to make a conscious choice about my behavior. Some obstacles I ran into: Limiting how much I talk about sex or other people in […]
EGO: I experimented with who I choose to interact with in a few ways. For people who I feel physically attracted to I have purposely avoided flirting or even interacting with them, and I have also attempted to interact on a more authentic level by checking my motivation. After a class discussion about desires being […]
I have taken away some very positive results from this experiment. Changing my motivation around who I interact with has opened up more possibilities for friendships and values-based relationships. A much greater awareness of where I have focused my sexual energy in the past, and where I would like to focus it in the future. […]
Axis Yoga’s teacher training program in Denver invites new students to apply one of many yogic principles to their daily lives. This student explores the application of Brahmacharaya (sexual abstinence) in her marriage. Her partner is also a student of the program, so they were able to collaborate and design their experiment together. By bringing […]
The experiment related to Brahmacharaya and it’s application to my life as a married person. This yama was chosen randomly, as the group size was the smallest and therefore, most appealing to me personally. In recognizing that the concept of Brahmacharaya is essentially explained by Pantanjali as abstinence of sexual behavior with the intention to […]
The hypothesis developed by myself and my husband is, “If we practice mindfulness within our relationship (which includes creating a spiritual intention for shared space, time, intimacy/sexuality) and apply principles of chastity in the sense of purity, specifically purity of intention through mindful lovingness, then we will experience a deeper connection to the divine through […]
Sitting in a gas station, my husband and I began a discussion of our sexual practices — the frequency, quality, spiritual aspects and satisfaction of these practices. I realized that this conversation was very “large” and almost too intense to have in one setting. We realized that this would be one of many conversations on […]