Food, sex, sleep [or the lack there of], entertainment, material possessions, alcohol, and drugs – I’ve experienced them all with lack of moderation or even appreciation. While there are several ways that brahmacharya can be apprehended, I resonate most with the practice of non-excessiveness. Part of my journey has been -and still is- a process of cultivating a balance amongst expenditures. In my reflection of brahmacharya, there is one point that stands out to me and that is how troublesome it can be when an emotional attachment is placed upon a thing or experience. This stands out because of the remembrance of a fondness that I had adopted towards addiction-like behaviors. My habitual behaviors were just as much the cause of my suffering as they were the consequence.
Within the time that I have spent doing inner work by means exploring self-healing, up until even this very moment, I have been able to examine and release attachments once identified. Concurrently, I am able to experience life much more vividly than I could have ever imagined. I think that by practicing a mindful awareness of what the mind + body needs over what the mind + body wants is extremely helpful in the process of releasing compulsive attachments. For me, brahmacharya inspires a greater understanding of the phrase, “less is more”.
