Bhava 3.0 — Vairagya

Vairagya Bhava

When I was introduced to the yoga philosophy a year ago, I was fascinated and extremely fond of this word, Vairagya. It is so powerful and filled with an energy that requires strength and determination. Vairagya in simple words, is “to let go” - though it sounds very simple but I believe that it's the hardest bhava to develop and practice consistently.

I spoke about what kind of a AHAR is beneficial to us but in a world full of sugary, processed and fast food - which are extremely hard to let go off considering they are easily available at every nook and corner and constantly in front of our eyes thanks to the internet. How do we maintain a balance?

I'm not against eating a burger, pizza or a dessert once in a while but we need to understand where to stop and control our cravings - therefore, Eat In MODERATION.

Having control over your cravings and telling yourself to not eat that doughnut just because it's in front of you requires mental strength. We need to train our mind to be able to do this. Vairagya bhava towards the food that I eat is a symbol of worshiping my body and treating it as a temple. I choose to eat healthy and give it the nutrition it requires. When we look at it from this perspective, we create awareness. In this life, you have just one body - choose to take care of it not just to prevent a long term disease or health problems but to feel energetic, motivated and most importantly strong enough to face challenges in life.

Vairagya and VIHAR are two sides of the same coin. To progress in our lives, failure is important. The more times you fail at something, chances are higher that you eventually succeed at it. I relate vairagya to the obstacles and failures that we face in our daily routines, personal, professional or overall goals. Don't take yourself so seriously that you get affected by these failures. It is hard to let go of them because they create an impact that leaves a wound. But like time heals everything, this too shall pass. Remember - winning and losing is a part of any game, rather the challenge is to accept defeat. Once you do that, you will see yourself moving closer to your goals and doing better than before in contrast to sulking over how you failed at something that one time and gave up on it because you were scared to fail again.

In ACHAR, vairagya seems tough. When it comes to dealing with people, it's hard to let go off issues, not get affected by them and most importantly to rise above all of it. How do I let go of a situation that caused me so much pain? How do I forgive this person who hurt me, not once but multiple times? Whatever gives you pleasure will surely give you pain, so happiness or joy is not constant. The people you love the most are the ones who will or CAN hurt you because they are the ones you are most attached to. Vairagya is to develop detachment to a certain extent.

VICHAR, VICHAR

I struggle with too many thoughts and I tend to overthink a lot. Anybody who knows me well would know this about me and I have come to realize that letting go of those unnecessary thoughts is important to maintain some peace in my life. Sometimes the mind that creates these thoughts gets the better of me, the more I give it attention - the more stressful it gets and harder to let go off. So, I try to push those thoughts away and breathe. It works differently for everyone, for some it would be switching to some kind of work or a hobby. See what works best for you. Vairagya bhava never made more sense when I related it to my thoughts and emotions. Letting go of negative emotions will give you a better understanding of yourself, it'll help you realize your true potential and who you really are. So don't keep any grudges or hate unnecessarily because when you do so, it only affects you and nobody else. Life is way too short and unpredictable to spread negativity around. Live it with some joy, peace and love!