Are you one of those people who cannot start the day without a strong, steaming cuppa?  And yet have this nagging thought at the back of your head telling you that you need to cut back? Well, you are most certainly not alone.

There have been countless debates over coffee in the world; the beverage has been blamed for many ills and also praised for its goodness. There are those who swear by coffee to fight diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, and others who are ready to attribute it to heart disease and cancer. While the experts continue to debate, what is the average, every day coffee-drinker to do? Perhaps, turn to Sadhguru for an answer…

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Sadhguru:
Now, if you want to ascribe some goodness to coffee – yes, it definitely keeps you active, stimulated and makes you feel wonderful. Especially if you drink it once a month, you will see that it does incredible things to you, makes you feel superhuman. But if you drink coffee every day, your dependency increases. Your fears and anxieties are relieved for a while, but after sometime your body will begin to demand larger doses.

If you go off coffee for let’s say, two months or so, and then you drink a strong cup early in the morning, you will find your hands trembling. Now, if you drink coffee for six months straight and stop it for a day, you will find yourself having withdrawal symptoms. So, definitely it is causing some harm to the system, isn’t it?

So, should you give up coffee? What you give up is your choice. I will never tell you to give up this or that. All I am saying is – don’t live here as a slave to anything, whatever it might be. Instead, learn to live consciously. Whether it is coffee, or cigarettes, or God, learn to live consciously with everything. How much of what, only you can be the judge of that. But you must understand that if you abuse stimulants over a period of time, there will be a price. If you think, “After all, life is short. Instead of being 90, I will go at 70,” it’s fine. I’m not against this attitude, nor am I against coffee.

It is not something to be consumed compulsively. You like the taste of it; you drink the largest cup one day and really, thoroughly enjoy it. Once in a while you drink it, it’s fine. But if it is something you must do every day, then there is a problem. If your condition is such that if you don’t get your morning cup your day is ruined, then you need to do something about it. A stupid cup of coffee should not decide the quality of your life, isn’t it?

I’m not here to tell you what you should eat or what you should drink. I’m just telling you what this substance does to you. What you do to yourself should always be by choice; don’t do it in ignorance. Even if you walk into your death, you must do it consciously, that’s all I’m saying.

Maywong @Flickr