Brahmacharya /working with the creative force
Brahmacharya / Working with the creative force
If 2016 was an extraterrestrial visiting Earth for the first time I wonder how the human race would be perceived?
I don't normally make a resolution for the new year, but, this year I have set myself a challenge to look for the positive and focus on the wonderful things that people do and the amazing advances in science and engineering that are shifting the boundaries and paving the way for a better future. It is a choice I can make thanks to my discriminative mind or (vigyana maya kosha).
Perhaps if we all decided to stop dwelling on the news stories that put fear in our hearts we might focus instead on using our creative minds to find solutions to the many pressing issues that abound in our world.
Our ability to focus on the positive and imagine a different world is where it all starts.
It is our nature to create.
When we have a great idea we can imagine how that idea might become a reality and if we choose to, we can take the steps we perceive necessary to create that change.
What has any of this to do with Brahmacharya?
In its literal translation we have the word celibacy!
It may be that certain ascetics have chosen the path of celibacy but for most of us this is not an option we would benefit from and is probably inappropriate.
It is important to note that Yoga does not take a moral high ground nor does it encourage us to make judgements on others. If anything Yoga encourages a healthy fulfilling lifestyle that includes sexual relationships as part of our self development.
So we need to look beyond this simplified translation and discover the underlying meaning of this word.
Brahma represents the creative force. In the many myths that abound in our multicultural world there is constant reference to a trinity. Brahma forms part of just such a trinity known in the Vedic tradition as the Trimurti which comprises Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer.
Every aspect of life is subject to these three forces.
But the creative force is not simply one of procreation but embraces creativity as a natural human art form. One in which we shape our world.
If we embrace all aspects of this trinity and let go of our fears, we can free the mind to pursue its natural creative instincts.
In our Yoga classes this term we will be looking at Bramacharya in terms of energy.
We will briefly look at the Vedic theories on energy so that we have a basic grounding from which we can experience energy in our asana and pranayama practices and share our understanding of individual experiences if appropriate.
As always I expect I will learn a lot from sharing this experience with you and it is my wish that we will all benefit in many ways.
Since I have already discussed the five koshas and the eight main chakras I will recommend some further reading on the website.
Please feel free to ask me privately at the start of class but better still share your questions with the whole class so that we can all benefit.
Om Om Om
Published by liz on Wednesday, 13 January 2016,
last updated on Wednesday, 13 January 2016 at 8:05PM
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Yoga Times