MyLifeYoga

There is mention of the word “Bhramacharya” in Patanjali’s yoga sutras. “Bhramacharya” is a word that relates to sex and understanding this word will provide us insight on what yoga thinks about sex. But before we go there we must first step back and make sure we understand what yoga is about. The core idea of yoga is that it is a journey out of the ego and into a mental state where there are no thoughts and the mind is completely still. When we reach this state, Patanjali says, our consciousness resides with our true Self or the “Seer”.

So what are the obstacles to Yoga? One big obstacle is our obsession with sex. Studies show that we may think about sex hundreds of time during the day. Even when our thoughts are not directly about sex, it can still be the underlying root. This is because so much of our ego-identity is a product of our sexual behavior. So thoughts about what others think of us, or how we look can have their origins in sex. This begs the question: can we really put our minds in a state where there are no thoughts when so many of our thoughts are driven by sex?

This leads to another question: does this mean that to be a true yogi one must abstain from sex? To answer this one must understand the beautiful way in which yoga is structured. Patanjali realized that “having no thoughts” was something that did not get achieved overnight, so also is the case for freeing up from sexual thoughts. This is why he used the technical word “Bhramacharya”. This word is folded into the eight limbs of yoga. And just as the limbs of a tree grow slowly and simultaneously, the limbs of yoga allow you to make gradual progress in each limb.
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Jarrett Krosocza had a chance encounter with his “lunch lady” during a visit to his school. The insight he gathered during this encounter led to amazing results as this video illustrates. This shows us the importance to acknowledge and thank others for their help.

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This is a continuation of Bob Weisenberg’s essay: Six Big Ideas Of Yoga. This is the fourth of the Six Big Ideas:

The mind, body, and spirit are inseparable.

Yoga in America is best known as a popular exercise program and health club fitness class. This is what many people think of as Yoga in the U.S. However, just because Yoga poses and movements are popular doesn’t mean they’re not important to Yoga philosophy.

Yoga has always taught that whatever we think affects our body, and whatever our body feels affects our mind. The poses of Yoga are nothing more than a unified meditation involving both the mind and the body. And much of Yoga literature describes the body as though it were one big brain, with its “chakras” (energy centers) and energy flows.

Today the “mind-body connection” is pretty well accepted as part of our thinking about psychology. But it was still a fairly radical idea 15-20 years ago, much less 5,000 years ago when first proposed by Yoga gurus. (Actually, maybe it wasn’t a radical idea back then. Maybe it just became a radical idea more recently with all our emphasis on the intellect.)

Before this starts sounding too abstract, let me give you a very down-to-earth example. Sometimes, when I’m feeling a little stiff, stressed, or worn out, I get up, spread out my Yoga mat and just run through some basic Yoga poses for ten or fifteen minutes, focusing on the present moment.

This leaves me feeling completely invigorated in mind and spirit. My Yoga routine is like a cup of coffee for me. It works every time, no matter how lifeless I feel before I begin.
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