a priest, a psychologist and a yogi answer

If earlier asceticism and austerity were words that we heard only in conversations about religion and spiritual practices, in recent years this concept has gained popularity outside of them as well.

Coaches and mentors at odds offer to take austerities and promise the fulfillment of desires in exchange for it.

What is asceticism, how does it work and is it really worth expecting a reward for its observance “UP. Life” asked the priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Fr. Igor Yatskivpsychologist Antonina Kartushynska and a practicing instructor of the Ishvara yoga method Christina Gubska.

What is austerity?

The concepts of asceticism and asceticism are fundamental in many religions. And if asceticism is a lifestyle that involves limiting oneself in life’s benefits and modesty in needs, then asceticism in the narrow sense is this limitation. However, in a broad sense, this concept means much more.

Father Ihor Yatskiv says that understanding asceticism as a limitation is like seeing only the tip of the iceberg. Asceticism is not just fasting or giving up something, it is primarily a spiritual struggle.

“Asceticism is the process of getting rid of evil and gaining what is good in me. In the Christian sense, the practice of asceticism is the practice of three practices – prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The calendar church fast is an opportunity to pay more attention not so much to external affairs as to internal affairs, to look at oneself, to analyze, that is, to perform asceticism“, the priest explains.

Asceticism is also the basis of yogic practices, says yogi Khrystyna Gubska. According to her, yogic practice in itself is an austerity, because the appropriate way of life involves daily discipline, meditative work, rejection of laziness and procrastination.

“The base of all spiritual and mental practices is discipline. It is about the fact that every day we do certain actions for the sake of internal changes, we do certain actions for our body, our mind and the realization of our mission in life.

That is, we can say that yogic practice is a certain austerity. In addition to the basic practices, we can take certain austerities related to food, communication, yogic practices, entertainment, other aspects of life for a certain period as an additional burden“, the instructor adds.

Why people take austerity

Psychologist Antonina Kartushynska says that a distorted understanding of asceticism has become popular, as if a person pays for the fulfillment of his desire with certain restrictions. In fact, from the point of view of psychology, asceticism is about silence and calmness, about deep observation, about fluidity and self-knowledge.

“Asceticism from the point of view of psychology allows you to perform self-observation, to carry out certain self-improvement and development, but on the condition that you track your feelings, thoughts and work on them”, – adds Antonina Kartushynska.

The psychologist explains that when a person gives up something, which actually happens in asceticism, he has time and a certain amount of free energy that can be directed towards achieving his goals.

“A person stops trying to do something. When she accumulates energy, she can direct it to spiritual development, knowledge of her personal needs and plans without a socially inspired component“, the expert notes.

Yoga instructor Khrystyna Gubska also talks about the release of energy and its further use. She also explains how this happens in yogic practice.

“Asceticism can also be undertaken for some purpose. For example, we take the asceticism of giving up sugar and set the goal not only to improve ourselves, but also to start writing a book. Due to the fact that we have energy released through the practice of austerities, we can direct this energy to certain of our life goals, which can be related to business, as well as our personal growth and other areas.

The bigger the goals, the more powerful the austerity should be. It can be said that this is our payment and a manifestation of the seriousness of our intention before the world, higher forces, teachers, family, so if the goal is ambitious enough, then the austerity should be serious and long-lasting“, the yogi adds.

Instead, clergymen warn against “business” relations with God. Father Ihor Yatskiv notes that the Lord does not buy us, because people in Christianity are not “slaves”, but “children of God”. So taking austerities to get more bonuses from higher powers is a path to disappointment.

“God’s idea of ​​us, that we are created in his image, are intelligent and free. Our decision to be with him is our will. Accordingly, when we make some decisions about ascetic practices and at the end ask for, for example, a promotion at work, then I feel sorry for the days in maintenance. That’s not how it works”, the priest explains.

He adds, we should not build our interaction with God as if we are forcing him to do something. As if something was missing in life, we will do something with ourselves and instead force ourselves to give us the desired benefits. On the contrary, sometimes after asceticism one can come to the conclusion that something that was extremely important to us no longer matters.

“The time of austerity is an opportunity for our liberation and growth, a return to the original state in which we were conceived“, the priest notes.

How to take austerity correctly and what it should be

In general, whatever austerity you choose, experts say: desire and intention, understanding the capabilities of your body, discipline, awareness and self-observation are important.

Antonina Kartushynska notes that asceticism is not a practice for everyone. Asceticism should be difficult for a person, sufficiently uncomfortable and last at least 21 days, because such time is needed for the formation of new neural connections and the development of a habit. But despite all this, a person should enjoy these limitations and work on himself.

“A person who has not delved into the essence of the method or has chosen too complex restrictions for himself may experience an exacerbation of psychological conditions, so people with mental disorders (neurosis, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, PTSD, etc.) should not take austerity. In this case, asceticism may not contribute to development, but may worsen a person’s well-being and general condition”, warns the psychologist.

If we talk about certain rituals, they really exist in yogic practice. According to Ayurveda (an ancient system of medical knowledge originally from South Asia, now considered a non-traditional, alternative medicine), our biorhythms are related to the cycle of the moon. Therefore, for example, according to Khrystyna Gubska, if asceticism aims to form certain useful habits, then it is better to start it on the growing moon.

If you want to get rid of something, free yourself or perform body cleansing procedures, you should perform austerities on the waning moon.

The yogi suggests starting with something not too difficult. For example, give up certain unhealthy food, clean your information space, reduce the amount of time spent on social networks.

“You can also take some yogic technique, for example, performing the Surya Namaskar complex for a certain number of days. The duration of austerity tested by my students is 40 days. This allows you to start a habit and gain practice. You can set a certain goal, write it down in a notebook and put it in your place of strength, if you have one at home. And every time we perform a certain practice, or wake up and remember why we keep this austerity, we say to ourselves in our head – let my goal (name it) come true for me and the world in the best way”, advises the yoga master.

In religious practice, before starting a fast or other austerity, you should get a blessing from your priest and decide on the time and method of observing the restrictions. at. Ihor Yatskiv says that you can get not only support from the priest, but also advice or warnings about asceticism.

“If it is a serious decision, radical, such as, for example, refusing to eat for a long time, according to the rules of spiritual life, leadership, it is very important to do it with the blessing of your leader. He can warn from his view and experience whether it will be harmful to health. After all, if austerity concerns food in particular, then we should not leave the fast with a stomach ulcer. Fasting is not a time to punish yourself or inflict pain. It’s time to let go“, the clergyman notes.

It is very good if through asceticism it is possible to acquire some useful habit or to make asceticism not temporary but permanent. Or when performing austerities entails other positive things in life, such as giving up expensive or exotic foods during fasting allows you to save money and direct it to charity. As for minor restrictions, the priest’s permission for them is not mandatory.

“If these are small decisions, then in order to explain how to act, I have in mind a short parable from the Bible: a father called his two sons to go to the field to work. One said he would come and didn’t. And the other said that he would not come, but then he changed his mind and showed up anyway. So who fulfilled the father’s will? Of course, the one who did not promise. So it is with austerity – it is better to do something without promising than to promise and not do it. You need to set resolutions, but let them be realistic and achievable for you“, – adds Fr. Igor.

Violation of asceticism: what to do

And the method was chosen, and the term, and set up – but it didn’t work. What to do, if it was not possible to observe austerities? In Christian practice, the answer is clear: first of all, it is not bad to ask God for forgiveness for a broken promise. Then try again.

“Lord, have mercy and be merciful to me, a sinner, forgive me for today, and I will try again tomorrow. You definitely have to try again, because this is just one small lost battle. Do not give up, tomorrow everything can work out, if you take into account the mistakes made”, says Ihor Yatskiv.

The clergyman adds, there is little desire, you need a decision of the will and self-awareness. Awareness of one’s addiction, vulnerability and desire to work on it. Do not wait for the right time, but start working on yourself. According to the priest, the most important prerequisite for success is to believe in God’s help in every good deed.

Antonina Kartushynska says that if you failed to keep the promise you made to yourself, you shouldn’t pay too much attention to it, because there is a risk of starting to “bite” yourself.

“If it so happened that you failed to observe the austerities, this only shows that you did not observe the austerities, no more, no less. But there are pitfalls. If a person feels guilty for this, reproaches himself for his inability to refrain, then there is a probability of a cause-and-effect relationship between the violation of asceticism and occasional failures or problems. A person himself draws this connection in his mind, and then punishes himself for it”, warns the psychologist.

Khrystyna Gubska also advises not to attach excessive importance to the violation of asceticism. The yoga teacher advises not to beat yourself up and instead try again in a short period of time. However, this does not mean that austerity can be taken lightly.

“It is not necessary to cancel austerity, that is, from the very beginning, you need to choose an adequate period of time that you are ready to spend in this austerity. If you did not comply with it, then before the higher forces you cancel your intention and declare that your goals are not relevant. This indicates internal doubt and lack of serious intentions. If you see that you are not ready, it is better to take fewer days or train in asceticism without high goals. After all, the basis of all spiritual and mental practices is discipline“, the yogi concludes.

Lyudmila Panasiuk, “UP. Life”