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Brahmacharya yama is the principle of moderation in yoga. I’ve lived my life by it. I’m not one for extremes. In my experience, they require too much energy to regulate. The highest highs must come down, the lowest lows must come up. For me, steady upward is best. I discovered that in college.

I sent my daughter her favorite ginger cookies in a college care package. She called to say thank me and shared she felt guilty for eating them all — in one sitting (not really all of them, but more than her typical amount.) My response was, “Sometimes you need to eat all the cookies.” My intention was to say don’t deprave yourself of enjoyment.

Because with over-consumption of anything — food, alcohol or shopping an equal and opposite dynamic pulls towards various modes of deprivation and restriction.

More is not always better. There is a point of diminishing returns: proportionally smaller benefits (or even destructive outcomes) derived from something as more is invested in it. This includes anything we go EXTRA on, even exercise or work. Sometimes less is more and it enables us to savor the item or the moment.

Everything in moderation — including moderation! This irony means sometimes you need to eat all the cookies, or have none. But mostly, you get to enjoy them like Goldilocks getting it “just right.”

The Yoga Sutra describes five different yamas, including ashimsa (non-violence), asteya (non-stealing), satya (truthfulness), aparigraha (non-possessiveness), and brahmacharya (moderation).