Q:

Where does sex fit into an ayurvedic practice?  Do you have to be celibate? And if not, is masturbation ok?

A:

The sage Patanjali outlined the Yogic tradition of the Eightfold Path in his masterwork The Yoga Sutras.  In this text, he describes continence, which is the act of sexual abstinence.  Given how good having sex can feel, why should this even be a practice worth considering?  As the source of our procreative power, our sexual energy is the most powerful energy we have.  It takes a significant amount of bodily resources to create this energy, and continuously expelling it compromises our health and undermines our vitality.  When we have a lot of sex, we have less energy for creation—such as completing a project at work or producing something artistic.  Given this, it is ideal to curb one’s sexual appetite and instead channel that reserved energy into more productive acts.  Masturbation that includes this type of release likewise compromises one’s vitality, so if you feel this is a necessary aspect of your lifestyle, then consider practicing some form of ejaculation mastery that can help you to enjoy the pleasure of orgasm but withhold from ejaculating your seed.

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