According to Yoga and Ayurveda, gunas are the elements that can affect our emotional, psychological, and energetic states. These gunas are connected with all the objects in the universe, both animate and inanimate. For yogis, the awareness of the three gunas is extremely important as it can tell if they are moving forward in their practice and life.
What are Gunas?
Guna in Sanskrit means a quality, attribute, or peculiarity. The gunas are the three aspects of nature or elements that are present in everything in the universe. These gunas have their characteristics and are constantly interacting with each other. We all experience a mix of the three gunas but some of us are more inclined towards one or two of them. Conscious manipulation of these three gunas is an effective way to decrease stress, increase inner peace, and lead you towards enlightenment.
These three gunas are – Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas.
Sattva
Sattva is calmness, harmony, stillness, clarity, joy, peace, love, freedom, openness, friendliness, fulfillment, creativity, and inspiration.
Rajas
Rajas is passion, movement, activity, desire, agitation, anxiety, self-centeredness, anger, greed, worry, and restlessness. We need action, and movement to function in the world.
Tamas
Tamas is laziness, boredom, sadness, hurt, shame, ignorance, doubt, and apathy. People who veer towards tamas suffer from depression.
All these gunas are present in everyone and everything in different proportions and can influence one’s path and progress in life. We can only alter their levels in our bodies and minds through the influence of external objects, thoughts, and lifestyle practices. Moreover, for yogis, gunas can help them make more peaceful, harmonious, and balanced choices both on and off the mat.
At one time only one guna is dominant in a person, but for a happy life, it is important to strive for a balance of these three gunas.
A sattvic state makes you feel calm, clear, and harmonious. A rajasic state makes you feel restless, passionate, hyperactive, and keeps the mind going. But we need action and movement to function in the world.
The tamasic state makes you feel lethargic, unmotivated, physically, emotionally, and mentally dull, etc. But tamas is responsible for sleep which is important for us.
Rajasic people find it difficult to rest and sleep and are unable to switch off. Whereas tamasic people want to sleep and rest all day and night. Both rajasic and tamasic states can be a source of suffering. It is sattva only that brings happiness and equilibrium in our lives.
Sattvic, Rajasic, and Tamasic Foods
According to Ayurvedic philosophy, all the things in nature can be classified into three categories – Sattva (pure), Raja (hot), Tama (slow) and so foods can also be classified into three types- Sattvic, Rajasic, and Tamasic. Each of these foods affects our physical and mental wellbeing. Therefore, understanding the differences between these foods is significantly important.
Sattvic
Sattvic foods are considered purest and most suitable for yogis and ultimately lead to a healthy mind and body with a balanced flow of energy between the two. Raw fruits and vegetables, legumes, lentils, dairy products, sprouts, nuts, seeds, oil, ghee, etc are all considered sattvic foods.
Tamasic
Tamasic foods bring about lethargy and laziness in the body and also cause confusion and disorientation. Non-vegetarian foods containing artificial preservatives, oily, stale, and sugary foods are deemed tamasic.
Rajasic
Rajasic foods stimulate the mind and body into action. If consumed in excess these foods can lead to sleeplessness, anger, irritability, restlessness, and hyperactivity. Spicy foods, onion, garlic, tea, coffee, and fried foods are considered rajasic.
Vatta, Pitta, and Kapha Doshas
According to Ayurveda, three forces of nature – Vatta, Pitta, and Kapha regulate our physiological processes, temperament, dietary choices, likes, dislikes, and much more. These doshas have some correlation to the gunas. While doshas are physical constitutions, gunas are psychological or mental energies. The psychological side of an individual is dependent on the three gunas.
Doshas make up an individual’s constitution and a balance of these forces is extremely important. If these doshas are out of balance in our bodies it can be detrimental to our health. The balance of these doshas is affected by seasonal changes, lifestyle, and food.
These doshas are made up of five elements, which are considered the building blocks of the material world – air, fire, water, earth, and ether (space). Vata consists of air and ether, pitta consists of fire and water, and Kapha consists of water and earth.
The ratio of the three doshas in every person defines their health. A person’s doshas can be determined based on physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral characteristics. Your doshas can determine which foods to consume to promote inner balance.
How to Balance the Gunas?
While it may be tempting to get rid of rajas and tamas, we must understand that each of them has an essential role in our lives. We must embrace all the three gunas and try to find balance. These gunas could be balanced through a healthy lifestyle, spiritual practices, and by following a sattvic diet. Yoga practitioners consider sattva to be the goal of their practice.
Balancing Tamas
Tamas guna can make it difficult for one to reach higher levels of consciousness. But you can bring the following changes in your life to balance the tamas guna.
- Stay away from tamasic foods like meat, onion, garlic, etc., instead, try to eat fresh minimally prepared fruits and vegetables.
- Do sun salutations.
- Practice Kapalbhati pranayama.
- In a tamasic state try to slowly start your yoga practice and then gradually work it up to a more energetic one.
- Practice backbends and balancing poses. Reduce forward bends and resting poses like Shavasana.
- Practice Nadi shodhan for a mild amount of tamas, Kapalbhati for moderate amounts, and Bhastrika for high amounts of tamas.
- Avoid over-sleeping and try to get up early in the morning. Increase your overall physical and mental activity.
- Avoid inactivity, watching TV, and fearful situations.
- Refrain from overeating and try to consume a light diet with as many fresh fruits and vegetables.
- As you try to move away from tamas, make sure not to move too much towards the rajasic state. Once your tamasic guna is balanced, move your focus and attention towards cultivating the energy of sattva.
Balancing Rajas
Rajasic guna is helpful for yoga practitioners who want a more stimulating practice, for athletes and people who live in humid climates. However, having too much rajasic energy can cause exhaustion, stress, anger, obsessions, etc. This makes it difficult for one to transcend towards sattva guna. You can balance your rajasic guna by bringing few changes in your lifestyle.
- Practice gentle breathing techniques like Sitali or cooling breath or Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing). These can help you cool down and clear your mind.
- Stay away from spicy and fried foods, and eat a lot of leafy vegetables.
- In a rajasic state also don’t go straight into a meditative or restorative practice with a restless or agitated mind, instead, start with steady and energetic practice and gently slow down to a calmer state of being.
- Practice forward bends and side bending poses like Utthita trikonasana, Parighasana, and Parivrtta Janu sirsasana. Approach your yogic practice with self-compassion to attain balance and calm and not forcing something that you don’t feel.
- Catch with your sleep and rest.
- Avoid busy and stimulating environments, instead seek out places that promote stillness, calmness, and contemplation.
Increasing Sattva
We need to follow a sattvic lifestyle which includes consuming a sattvic diet, developing the sattvic mindset, and indulge in sattvic activities to cultivate sattva guna.
- Eat fresh foods and a plant-based diet that is local and organic.
- Consume foods that could be easily digested and provide us strength and vitality.
- Take proper sleep. Sleep early and wake up before the sunrise to get prana or life-force energy
- Develop a sense of gratitude. Thankfulness for what we have removes both lacking and the need for more.
- Spend more time in nature away from technology.
- Develop a sattvic state of mind through meditation and yoga.
- Immerse yourself in positivity, insight, and clarity.
- Speak the truth and avoid hurting anyone’s feelings.
- Practice Bhakti Yoga to elevate your consciousness quickly.
- Practice mindfulness. Try to live in the present moment and be aware of your feelings, emotions, physical and mental states without being judgemental. Mindfulness can help you avoid self-criticism and recognizing and managing difficult emotions.
- You can practice mindfulness through meditation and many other smaller tasks or moments like eating, walking, talking, showering, etc., throughout the day.
- Practice eating mindfully and with awareness and acceptance. Eating with awareness nourishes not only your body but your spirit as well. Mindful eating entails observing how you eat, how the food makes you feel, understanding your body’s cues of hunger, taste, satiety, and fullness. Mindful eating requires acknowledging instead of judging your thoughts and bodily sensations.
The Takeaway
Finally, remember you have the ability to consciously alter the levels of gunas in your minds and bodies. By understanding what causes tamas and rajas and tweaking our lifestyle you can reduce their effect and cultivate sattva in your bodies and mind. Moreover, cultivating sattva by what we eat, think, speak, practice, over time results in moving towards a life of balance, clarity, peace, and purity.