I Have to Give Up What Now?

When I first started learning about yogic philosophy I read "celibacy" and "abstinence" and I thought, maybe this isn't for me. I really like yoga but there some things I am not going to give up. Then I read it described as non-excess and I thought, maybe this isn't for me... I really like chocolate cake. This actually might be the hardest yama for me. Brahmacharya literally means "walking with God" and do all things with a sense of the holy, or sacred rather than in excess. This does not solely mean over eating or drinking. There are so many ways I see people fall into this pattern, myself included. I don't know how many hours I have thrown away playing silly games on my iPad, or times I have launched head first into exercise and hurt myself. These are both examples of excess.

I find myself engaging in things to to excess to avoid things, usually thoughts or feelings that I don't particularly want to deal with. I had a bad day, or I'm tired and grumpy, someone hurt my feelings, I have pms... so I eat, or run, or play candy crush, or sleep... rather than face the feelings that I don't like. I am really good at logically talking myself out why I might be sad, why I shouldn't be angry. Since my teacher training in August I have been working really hard to give myself permission, and encouraging myself to sit in those yucky feelings.

What ways do you find yourself in excess? Do you mindlessly eat? Do you envelope yourself in a new hobby or pass time? Do you over exercise or diet? Do you lose time on the internet? Binge watch season of your favourite show on Netflix? Do you hit the snooze button 20 times? The concept of brahmacharya does not say that we can not do this things. Rather it challenges us to be curious about why we are doing them. Can you be present in each moment and appreciate it. When we approach each action with a sense of gratitude and from a place of sacredness, it is no longer in excess.

Our bodies crave this. Have you ever gone on a holiday where there is no time constraints, no internet... the food is incredible, you sleep when you are tired, wake up when you are ready, you enjoy each second. We live for those breaks (I have 55 days until Mexico). But what if you could put a little bit of that into each day. If you stopped and ate dinner slowly and savoured each bite would it feel different? If you gave yourself permission to take 20 minutes for a hot bath could you feel replenished? If you got out of bed without hitting the snooze button, how would it feel to have no regrets about your morning? Could you start the day with a sense of gratitude for the gift of life and being alive?

I challenge you to pick one thing where you find yourself in excess in the next week and be curious about it? You don't have to change it. Just ask yourself why, and what would it feel like if you approached it differently, with a sense of gratitude and sacredness. I am going to be aware of how I use social media. I find myself constantly checking my feeds for things, especially after I write a post. I am going to be curious about why I am doing that. I would love to hear what you think in the comments, please share your ideas.