4 Spiritual Lessons from Animals

Were you led to believe that humans are the most intelligent species on earth? You will be surprised when you get to the end of this blog.

Despite being the most intellectually advanced species on the planet, humans (Homo sapiens) often act in ways that are unconscious, unnatural, and even self-destructive. Interestingly, many of these tendencies are absent in the animal kingdom. You are in for a huge surprise here.  There are four key spiritual insights we can draw from observing other species—lessons that can guide us back to a more balanced, natural way of living:

1. Relationship with Food

Humans are the only species that cook their food. While this has cultural and practical significance, it also distances us from the raw, life-giving prana (energy) present in nature. In yogic philosophy, food is a tool for spiritual growth, and the less it's tampered with—through excessive cooking, processing, or seasoning—the more sattvic (pure, harmonious) it remains.

Unlike Ayurvedic traditions that embrace cooking and spices to balance bodily doshas, yogic food emphasizes simplicity and minimal preparation to keep the pranic value intact. Animals instinctively eat food in its natural state, honoring the body’s innate intelligence. In this, they align more closely with the yogic ideal of conscious nourishment.

A true yogi lives in harmony with nature and often relies on uncooked, simple foods easily available in their surroundings—such as fruits, nuts, raw vegetables, milk, and salads. This minimalistic approach allows yogis to survive in even the most remote places—whether in the icy caves of the Himalayas or on a deserted island with no access to grocery stores. Advanced yogis, known as maha yogis, can even sustain themselves on prana (life-force) alone, living on air through deep mastery of breath and energy.

Most of us spend a significant portion of our time shopping for groceries, cooking, cleaning up dishes, and spending money on food. This constant investment of time and energy creates a subtle codependency—both within families and society at large.

To break this pattern, we can start by simplifying our food habits. Practicing a day of eating only raw, uncooked food once a week—or even fasting one day a week—is a powerful step. This approach is not only recommended by Ayurveda but is now widely recognized around the world for its benefits of physical and mental health.

Food is also one of the main reasons our children remain dependent on their mothers well into adulthood. Mothers, driven by emotional attachment, often continue to nurture through food, while children grow up relying on them for both nourishment and emotional comfort. Over time, this dependency can become unhealthy, straining relationships and contributing to issues like attachment anxiety, depression, and prolonged grief when the parent or child is gone due to unforsaken reasons.

On the other hand, learning to cook is one of the most essential life skills for self-reliance. Every individual—regardless of gender—should develop the habit of preparing their own meals using simple methods. This not only empowers us to take control of our health but also cultivates awareness about what we’re consuming, fostering the habit of conscious eating.

One key difference between humans and other species is in how we approach food. Animals eat only when they are hungry; they hunt or forage when their bodies signal the need. Humans, however, often eat out of habit, boredom, or emotional triggers. In fact, many of us plan our entire day around food, rather than eating in response to true hunger. This disconnection from natural hunger cues is one of the root causes of unhealthy eating patterns today.

Whether we're buying a house or planning a vacation, one of our top priorities is always access to food. We check for nearby grocery stores, or make sure there are plenty of restaurants offering a wide variety of options. In essence, we’re constantly ensuring that food is available in abundance—and always within reach.

As a result, most of us live surrounded by excess: fully stocked refrigerators, overflowing kitchen pantries, and a world of restaurants just minutes away. This easy access often leads to pleasure eating—consuming food not out of hunger, but out of habit, emotion, or indulgence. And this very pattern is at the root of today’s global epidemic of obesity.

Obesity has been linked to numerous health issues, both directly and indirectly. The moment we begin to see food not as a source of pleasure, but as a source of fuel—something to nourish us only when we are truly hungry—we start to break free from this cycle. This is exactly how every other species on Earth views food: as a tool for survival, not a form of PLEASURE. This is a strong message to us humans who eat unconsciously in this modern era of technology.

2- Jealousy and greed have driven humans to extremes—

We humans can go even to the point of killing one another. We are the only species on Earth that will destroy members of our own kind over pieces of paper we call money. No other animal wages war or commits murder for currency. Yes, money has its place in society—but is it more valuable than a human life?

We wince when we watch a lion tear its prey on wildlife documentaries, yet we fail to recognize that we can be far worse. A lion kills out of necessity—hunger, survival. But we humans, despite having food, shelter, and family, often allow greed, envy, and hatred to cloud our hearts. We harbor resentment because someone owes us money. We feel bitterness because someone has more than we do. And tragically, some are even willing to end a life for it.

We call ourselves the most intelligent species on the planet, yet we often act with less compassion than the wildest of animals. At least the lion's act is born of instinct. Ours is born of ego. Let’s not even begin to talk about how we treat animals in the modern farming industry, it’s one of the darkest reflections of our so-called progress. In the U.S. alone, factory farming has become a multi-billion dollar industry, where profit takes precedence over compassion.

Every day, farm animals are pumped with hormones, antibiotics, and artificial stimulants—not for their health, but to force their bodies to produce more flesh, more milk, more skin and more profit. Calves are separated from their mothers just hours after birth, severing a bond that is sacred in the animal kingdom. We turn a blind eye to their cries, forgetting that these animals too feel pain, grief, and fear.

What’s worse is that this cruelty is not hidden—it’s just normalized. We’ve grown so desensitized that we no longer see the suffering behind the meals on our plates.

In truth, we are more selfish than the predator in the jungle—because our violence is not for survival, but for pride and possession. It's time we awaken to this truth and bring about change. Let us return to what makes us truly human—our capacity for love, empathy, and compassion. Let us choose kindness over cruelty, understanding over anger, and peace over power. Because in the end, it's not what we own, but how we treat one another, that defines the legacy of our humanity.

3 – Marriage, Love and Divorce

While animals form bonds and care for their offspring, they don’t marry. Marriage is a human invention—an institution older than religion itself. It was created to bring structure and order to society, to prevent chaos in relationships and establish accountability in family life. The idea was to elevate us beyond instinctual mating, to create lasting partnerships based on trust and commitment.

But over time, marriage—once seen as sacred—has become, for many, a burden. Today, countless couples are either afraid of entering into marriage or counting the days until they can escape it. What was once a noble institution, in many cases, has become a battlefield.

It’s heartbreaking when couples who once fell madly in love come to me speaking of hatred, bitterness, and even violence to an extent wanting the other spouse dead. What begins as a celebration of love often deteriorates into power struggles over money, custody battle, and ego. Instead of nurturing each other, many partners become adversaries—each trying to prove who is stronger, smarter, or more entitled. The emotional toll is immense, not only for the couple but also for the children caught in between.

Sometimes, the situation is even more painful for those who remain married. While they may not go through a legal divorce, they silently endure years, sometimes a lifetime—of unhappiness. They stay together not out of love, but because they don't know how to escape their misery or are bound by fear, duty, or social pressure.

My own parents were a painful example of this. I don’t recall seeing them happy for more than two consecutive days. Their marriage was filled with daily arguments, verbal abuse, physical conflict, and emotional tension. It was a constant cycle of pain, and yet they never separated. But just because a marriage does not end in divorce doesn’t mean it’s healthy.

The emotional toll in such households is deep and long-lasting—especially on children. They grow up absorbing that chaos, confusion, and emotional instability. The damage is often silent but profound, taking years—if not decades—to process or heal from.

In many ways, society today is drifting away from the ideal of sacred union and conscious partnership. Instead, relationships are becoming more transactional, impulsive, and emotionally disconnected—almost resembling the instinctual mating behaviors of animals, but without the emotional maturity or spiritual grounding that we were once capable of.

 In today’s world, mating has become impulsive and superficial, often driven by momentary attraction. With dating apps now available everywhere, people connect with one another more like animals—seeking instant gratification through casual encounters, often without deeper understanding or intention. Sex, in many cases, has been reduced to a fleeting physical act, detached from emotional or spiritual connection.

But the truth is, this kind of pleasure—born solely from the body—is temporary. It fades quickly, leaving many feeling empty, misunderstood, or even used.

When you begin to see your partner not just as a body, but as a soul—when you connect at a deeper, energetic level—then sex transforms into something sacred. Within a conscious marriage or partnership, it becomes a divine communion, where two souls merge into one. Your body becomes a temple, a sacred vessel through which you both can access something far beyond the physical: a portal to the infinite. In that kind of union, there is complete surrender—no ego, no fear, no shame, no guilt. Just presence, trust, and divine love. This is the power of sacred intimacy, and it’s what gives sex its true purpose and meaning.

People who engage in casual sex with random partners often carry a mind full of anxiety and fear during the act itself. Instead of being fully present or emotionally connected, their thoughts are scattered, distracted, and rooted in uncertainty. The physical release they experience—while real—is usually driven by hormonal stimulation, not by soulful connection or sacred union.

Here are some of the thoughts that commonly run through their modern minds in those moments:

What if I get pregnant?

What if I catch a sexually transmitted disease?

What if the condom breaks?

What if someone is secretly recording this?

What if my husband or boyfriend finds out about this affair?

What if this person is lying to me or cheating on me?

These fears aren't exclusive to women—men experience them as well. This undercurrent of anxiety strips the act of its beauty and intimacy, turning what could be a sacred experience into one of doubt, guilt, and emotional emptiness. True intimacy begins with safety, trust, and deep emotional connection. Without these, sex becomes merely a physical transaction—an exchange between bodies rather than a union of souls.

But when you make love to your soulmate, there is no fear, no guilt, no doubt. Only presence. Only love. That kind of union transcends the physicality and becomes sacred. It sets you free, not just emotionally but spiritually. There is no ME and HIM, there is only one soul, merged and complete.

In that moment, you briefly touch your true self. You feel whole. And that is when a full, soul-aligned orgasm occurs—not just in the body, but in your entire being. It is healing, liberating, and transformative all at one blissful moment.

How many today have experienced that kind of sacred, divine intimacy? A love that is pure, fearless, and can set you free? Unfortunately, what we now call "love" is often distorted. True love has been replaced by its worst shadow—obsession, stalking, coercion, abuse, manipulation, even rape. These are not expressions of love, but signs of deep emotional and spiritual disconnection. This collective confusion has contributed to the rise of psychological disorders, personality disorders, and emotional instability in society—issues that may take generations, even centuries, to fully understand and heal.

Perhaps it's not such a bad idea to take a lesson from the animal kingdom. Animals don’t marry, yet many species form deep, instinctual bonds within their families. They nurture their young, protect their groups, and coexist without the complications of legal contracts or societal expectations.

Unlike humans, they don’t suffer the psychological trauma of broken marriages, toxic relationships, or emotional manipulation. Their connections are simple, natural, and free from ego-driven dynamics. Maybe there’s wisdom in their way of living—rooted in presence, instinct, and loyalty—without the mental and emotional chaos we often create in the name of love.

4-Suicide-

Finally, perhaps the most tragic and heartbreaking thing we humans do—something no other species on this planet does—is take our own lives. Yes, we are the only species capable of intentionally ending our own existence. How ironic and deeply saddening that the most evolved and intelligent form of life chooses, at times, to destroy itself.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 800,000 people die by suicide every year, that’s one person every 40 seconds. Behind each number is a human being—a life once full of potential, now lost to pain, despair, or hopelessness. It’s a sobering reality, especially when you realize that suicide is entirely preventable. With the right support, coping mechanisms, emotional awareness, and a deeper spiritual consciousness, these inner battles can be overcome. I say this not just as a statement, but from personal experience.

Over a decade ago, I too battled with depression. I know what it feels like to feel lost, numb, and overwhelmed. But through inner work, spiritual practices, and conscious healing, I came out the other side—and I’ve been completely medicine-free for over eight years now. That’s why I speak with conviction: healing is possible.

Statistically, the United States—considered one of the most developed nations—has one of the highest suicide rates in the Western world. Suicide is the seventh leading cause of death among men in the U.S. That means one in every seven male deaths is self-inflicted. This is not just a health crisis, it’s a spiritual one.

Can you imagine the depth of pain, isolation, and hopelessness someone must feel to reach a point where ending their own life seems like the only escape?

This is not a time to judge, it’s a time to wake up, to have conversations that matter, to listen, to love more deeply, and to help each other rise. We must remind each other that life is precious, that no pain is permanent, and that beyond the darkest night, there is always dawn.

 Always remember, the mind is a powerful and intricate instrument made up of three fundamental forces:

The power to know, the power to will, and the power to act.

In my daily online yoga programs, I guide you through practices specifically designed to awaken and sharpen all three of these powers. When these aspects of the mind are balanced and aligned, they become the foundation for a life of higher spiritual awareness—free from the grip of physical and mental illness.

Through consistent practice, you’ll not only strengthen your body and calm your mind but also unlock your inner potential to live with greater clarity, purpose, and inner peace.

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