Brahmacharya in Yoga: The Art of Conserving Energy

Brahmacharya in Yoga: Conserving Your Life Force

We’ve discussed three of the five yamas, or spiritual disciplines, in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, including ahimsa (non-harming), satya (honesty) and asteya (non-stealing). We now arrive at the fourth principle of living, the concept of brahmacharya. The meaning of brahmacharya historically referred to a vow of celibacy that serious spiritual seekers embraced, on their quest to merge with the Divine. Today, as yoga and other spiritual practices have seeped into conventional life, these principles are no longer reserved for ascetics. While the practice of brahmacharya may look different today than it did in ancient times, it is still an important concept related to protecting our precious life force. In fact, brahmacharya remains one of the most potent ethical principles given to us through the tradition of yoga.

To help us understand the spirit of the word brahmacharya, let’s break it down into its two primary Sanskrit components:

Brahma (the divine or the Absolute) + Charya (to walk or move in)

We can see that the term brahmacharya means "to walk toward, or in alignment with, the divine." In ancient times, brahmacharya also referred to that stage of life where a student lived under close guidance and supervision of a teacher, in an ashram or perhaps in the home or village of the teacher. While others were pursuing more worldly endeavors such as marriage, having children, or developing an income-generating vocation, these serious students were responsible for many hours every day of study, chanting, spiritual ceremonies and service.

In this context, celibacy was expected, as one’s full energy and attention was required to pursue such a deep path of sacred study. Brahmacharya was a personal discipline that was essential for a simple life, supporting an undivided focus on learning, prayer and other activities of spiritual development.

What Did Brahmacharya Mean Traditionally?

In early times, spiritual seekers were supported by villages, teachers and elders, a structure which made it possible for the student to dedicate themselves to spiritual growth. They were not responsible for working outside of the spiritual setting, foraging for food, making money to support a family or caring for young children or the elderly. For a sadhu or monk living in a forest hermitage, celibacy helped direct their life force (prāṇa) inward, away from the demands commonly faced by a householder. The idea is that we each have a limited amount of energy and attention available for the activities of life, and the more bandwidth available for spiritual growth, the deeper our path becomes.

Bringing Brahmacharya Into Modern Life

Modern practitioners of yoga and other spiritual traditions don’t live in ashrams anymore. We navigate complex lives, relationships, careers and commitments. It would be easy to dismiss the concept of brahmacharya as something that applies to someone else, someone who had different priorities, at a time when life was simpler. But the truth is we can make use of the principle of brahmacharya today, and derive many benefits from the discipline of turning our life force inward. So, how can we implement the principles of Brahmacharya in a modern life?

Modern interpretations of brahmacharya generally focus on the wise use of energy, managing our commitments so we have something left for the spiritual path. Our personal life force (prana) can be expended in many ways including professional responsibilities, relationships, caring for others, exposure to media, mindless entertainment, over-committing, excessive worry and sexual activity, to name a few.

In the context of sexual activity, we know that suppressing natural urges can backfire, so rather than aiming for celibacy we might simply practice moderation in our intimate relationships. Directing this energy in an appropriate, sustainable way means we are not losing more energy than we have, which prevents us from creating a deficit. Redirecting sexual energy in a way that supports – rather than distracts from – our spiritual path supports one of the most fundamental priorities of life, establishing a relationship with spirit and making peace with our own mortality.

To help determine whether something is supportive or depleting, we might ask ourselves various questions in the context of brahmacharya:

• Why am I engaging in this activity?
• Does this activity support or detract from my spiritual path?
• Do I find myself drained or energized after engaging in this activity?
• Do I have the energy I need to complete the most important things in my life?
• How is my use of digital energy (endless scrolling, mental overwhelm) affecting me?
• Does my engagement with intimacy nourish or deplete me?

Sexual Energy as Sacred Energy

For most modern practitioners, brahmacharya doesn’t mean abstinence from sex, although there can be periods in life when that approach is helpful. It means we recognize that sexual energy – like all energy – is a form of power. Making a conscious choice about how we expend power (manage our own life force) can have a dramatic impact on the energy and attention available in the rest of our lives, especially if we are cultivating a spiritual path. 

We know that healthy, mutually fulfilling intimacy can be a nurturing aspect of partnership, in all its forms. On the other hand, sexual relations that feel forced or non-mutual, or are part of a relationship that is unhealthy in other ways, costs us precious life force. Unlike platonic friendships or casual relationships, sexual intimacy affects us physically, emotionally, mentally and energetically, and involves a level of vulnerability not found in other types of relationships.

Because sexual intimacy has such deep, far-reaching effects, we want to be especially mindful and reflective about the impact of our thoughts and actions when it comes to managing our life force. Some questions we might consider in this context are:

• Do my intimate connections support clarity or create confusion?
• Do I use sexual connection to avoid other, more difficult aspects of the relationship which need attention?
• Am I/we seeking pleasure as a distraction—or as part of sacred connection?
• Does my self-esteem rise and fall with my sense of “desirability?”
• Can I transform desire into creative energy, devotion, or fuel for spiritual inquiry?

Honoring brahmacharya in this way invites us to treat our energy—and the energy of others—with the care and respect that it deserves. We are gifted a limited amount of life force each day, and without the tapasya (friction) of grappling with this reality, we can find ourselves in a pattern of making choices which ultimately deplete us.

Brahmacharya in Daily Practice

Brahmacharya does not apply only to sexual intimacy; we can evaluate any activity, thought pattern or behavior through the lens of brahmacharya. If we see activities that are taking more of our life force than we have to give, we are empowered to consider alternative actions. Examples of this might be:

• Choosing rest over overstimulation
  
  
• Setting boundaries with media and screens
  
  
• Saying no to draining commitments, so you have energy for your deeper purpose

• Moving sexual energy into your creative life, your devotional practice, or service

When we recognize that the practice of brahmacharya is relevant to many aspects of life, we can make choices that reflect our deepest values and priorities. In this sense, brahmacharya’s not simply about abstinence, but about alignment with our dharma.

Reflection Prompt

As you explore brahmacharya this week, ask yourself:

• Where is my energy going?
  
  
• What habits leave me feeling depleted, or deeply nourished?
  
  
• How can I engage with intimacy, creativity, or rest in a way that supports my spiritual path?

Stay tuned for our next article covering the art of not hankering for what others have, also known as aparigraha.