How to Live Without Excess to Clear Your Energy
This is the fourth of ten posts teaching the first two limbs of yoga— the yamas and the niyamas— in a manner that relates to contemporary living with real-world anxieties. A key component to a life of integrity is framing it with the yamas and the niyamas as you come to know how you relate with others and love yourself. I will teach these guidelines one at a time with the hopes you, the reader, take the time and care to implement these principles into your daily life. Notice your thoughts, words, and actions and if they are in alignment with the teachings I give.
This post looks at the fourth guideline— non-excess (brahmacharya).
We are currently clearing out our homes of clutter, thanks to Marie Kondo. I find her approach to freeing up home space liberating. How freeing is it to examine the items in your home and let go of the ones that no longer serve your life as it is today? If an object does not spark joy in your heart, you thank it for what it once gave to your life and either discard it or donate it. We will look at how to find a yogic approach to clearing out your home in the same light as Marie Kondo. Next, we will look at how to use this type of approach for our inner life as we examine our behaviors and thoughts.
The lesson on non-excess teaches us to put our energy in positive directions rather than focus on an excess of substances, sex, shopping, or other vices. It teaches us to cherish the material possessions we believe are essential and let go of the rest. Why buy lots of plastic storage bins to stash away objects if we only forget what is in the bins over time? What would happen if we cleared them out, donated what was usable for others, and freed up our living and energetic spaces? How would that feel?
This does not mean we live with only the dishes we use in a day. It means getting real about what’s truly important to us. For example, I no longer have dozens of small decorative items and picture frames lining shelves because I don’t like dusting. I find it tedious to dust all of them! Moreover, freeing up this clutter opens my space and allows me to feel more relaxed in my home so I can tend to what’s important to me.
We might also take more than we actually need, especially with food. In the most extreme example, consider the all-you-can-eat buffets. I noticed myself being excessive at East Indian lunch buffets, eating two (sometimes three) full plates of food! I had to ask myself, “When do I ever eat two or three plates of food in my normal life? I don’t! Then why do I need more, just because I’m at this buffet?” I’d walk away feeling stuffed, bloated, and riddled with indigestion that lasted the rest of the day. But I’ve learned to manage my plate appropriately and only use a second plate for cold items such as green salad or chutneys.
In your life, do you eat when you feel you’ve been satisfied by what was on your plate? Or do you keep eating because it tastes good or do you believe you must clean your plate? The next time you overeat, notice how the food tastes and ask if it tastes as good as your first hungry bite. Chances are, you’d say the food isn’t as flavorful. Your body has an intelligent way of preserving optimal digestion by dulling the taste buds once satiation occurs. Do honor this body wisdom.
Indeed, we tend to also fall into addictions of many types. From coffee to TV shows to controlled substances to sex and physical affection, our addictions tend to manage us and rob us of energy to do the Divine work we are meant to do in our lifetime. What would happen if, after wanting one more cup of coffee, for example, we instead drank a small glass of water, sat still, and just breathed, eyes closed? Do this and notice the sensation of what you really need, and tend to that. If you are tired, rest for five minutes or so. If you are thirsty, drink more water. If you notice you are lonely and feeding an emptiness inside, call someone you care about to say hello.
Examine the information you bring into yourself through social media, magazines, television shows, books, and movies. Does it uplift you or clutter your inner life? I tend to look at online gossip magazines or reality TV shows as “brain candy.” Every now and again when my work was very intellectual, I used to turn on reality programs. More and more, though, I found the material so offensive— it is all focused on gossip and vapid matters. I no longer consume this media. Instead, I turn on a cooking show when I want to zone out. I appreciate the chef’s skill and learn something new as I zone out. Similarly, the thoughts you share with other people feed into this. Eliminate gossip from your exchanges with people to free yourself from harmful energy.
The more real we get with what we truly need to live dynamically in our lives, the more we can tend to our inner selves and to the Divine around us.
How can you conserve your vital energy so you can best do your Divine work? Once you distill your vital resources into what is truly important, you can have a freer exchange of energy with others while taking care of yourself.