Everything charges or drains you. Know the gunas - optimize your energy.
The Gunas are the three fundamental qualities that permeate everything: people, food, space, relationships, moods. They are called Tamas, Rajas and Sattva, and their mutual balance determines what a person or environment radiates - and what you radiate to others.
Reading spaces and people through the gunas
When you begin to know the gunas, it changes how you move through the world. You notice whether a person or a space is charging or draining you - and you also become more aware of what you are putting out. It is not a question of judging people or places as "good" or "bad", but of recognizing which guna is at play right now and how it is affecting you. It is not a quick fix. It is a life practice - an ongoing awareness of what you choose to radiate, and who and what you allow yourself to be influenced by.
Tamas - the heavy, dampening and grounding radiance
Tamas is the quality of the earth: dense, slow, stabilizing. You know it from people who seem heavy, lacking initiative - or stuck - and from rooms and spaces - that feel heavy to be in. In nature, Tamas is the roots of trees and the earth's ability to break down and rebuild. In the body, it is bones, muscles and tissue, and it is dominant during deep sleep, where the body heals.
In the right amount, Tamas brings calm and grounding - an aura of security and stability. But when it takes over, we radiate heaviness instead of calm. Others experience it as apathy, discouragement, lack of direction. In the Vedic understanding, too much mental Tamas is associated with avidya - ignorance, a weakened ability to see reality clearly. Kapha types are particularly prone to carrying this heaviness in their aura.
If you want to lift your Tamas-heavy radiance, you can start the day with dynamic Surya Namaskar / Sun Salutations - even ten minutes each day - activates warmth and upward energy in the body. Flow yoga and uplifting light meditations work the same way.
Rajas - the fiery, restless radiance
Rajas is the life force - the force that gets you up in the morning with direction and drive. People with healthy Rajas radiate commitment, courage and creativity. Without Rajas there is no movement and no development.
But when Rajas takes up too much, the character of the aura changes: From being proactive - to being restless, from committed to boundless. You know the type - and maybe yourself at certain times - who talks too much, takes up too much socially, and who has difficulty noticing others because the inner pace never slows down. Physiologically, the body is in constant fight-or-flight with elevated cortisol and adrenaline, which in the long run strains the immune system and ultimately leads to burnout. Pitta types naturally carry the most Rajas and must be especially aware of the aura they emit when the system is overheated.
The counterbalance is about choosing from - instead of to. Replace the need for performance - sports and activities - with slow, stretching yoga and walks in nature. Practice not always having to have an opinion about everything and expressing it. Ten minutes of meditation morning and evening, Nadi Shodhana that balances the energy channels, or Sitali pranayama that cools an overheated system, are all ways to dampen the radiance that burns too strongly.
Sattva - the clear, light and uplifting radiance
Sattva is the purest of the three gunas: light, clarity, harmony. It is the radiance you feel in people who seem present without making an effort - and the atmosphere you find in a quiet sunrise or a room filled with peace. Sattva is not something we force. It is what naturally emerges when Tamas and Rajas are in balance.
When you yourself are in a sattvic state, your mind is clear, you are present in the moment, and you radiate that calmness without doing anything active for it. In yoga, it occurs naturally when body, breath, and consciousness unite - a glimpse of samadhi in miniature.
Cultivating more Sattva in your radiance is largely about what you surround yourself with. Create lightness around you with plants, flowers, bright colors and uplifting music. Choose your relationships consciously - they are energy, and you are colored by who you surround yourself with. Eat fresh food with a high prana content, because the life energy is greatest in fresh produce. Consider a mauna day once in a while - a day of conscious silence in nature. Practice observing without judgment, and practice Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion, by consciously cultivating gratitude and looking for beauty in what you encounter. Light an incense stick that symbolizes the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds - and while doing so, think about what you are grateful for.
The more you connect with uplifting thoughts and calm states, the more you support the production of the neurotransmitters - dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin - that underlie the experience of inner balance.
I provide Ayurvedic counseling that helps you find your dosha, correct habits that are not beneficial to you, and create a plan for how to begin your own path back to balance and self-healing. Read about my various consultations here
Reading spaces and people through the gunas
When you begin to know the gunas, it changes how you move through the world. You notice whether a person or a space is lifting and charging you or draining you - and you also become more aware of what you are putting out. It is not a question of judging people or places as "good" or "bad", but of recognizing which guna is in play right now and whether it serves you. It is not a quick fix. It is a life practice - an ongoing awareness of what you choose to radiate, and who and what you allow yourself to be influenced by.
The gunas relate to our dosha. I provide Ayurvedic consultations that help you find your dosha, correct habits that are not beneficial to you, and create a plan for how to begin your own path back to balance and self-healing. Read about my various consultations here
6 easy tips - to use the gunas as a daily guide - a way to ask yourself "what do I need right now?" and act accordingly.
1. Check in before you respond
The next time you feel restless, tired or restless, stop and ask: is it Tamas, Rajas or a lack of Sattva that I am feeling right now? Am I heavy and uninitiated, or am I overheated and restless? It sounds simple, but just naming the condition makes you act consciously instead of automatically.
2. Let your home reflect what you need
A cluttered home rarely nourishes Sattva - it pulls towards Tamas, no matter how "cozy" the clutter feels at the moment. If you find yourself feeling lethargic and unfocused, try clearing a single corner or airing out before you do anything else. Often the mind moves as soon as the space does.
Read more about your home as a healing space here.
3. Ask: am I drained, or am I bored?
The two states feel similar, but each requires its own antidote. If you are drained, you need rest and the stabilizing calm of Tamas - not more stimuli. If you are bored and hungry for experience, you need a touch of Rajas: something new, something to get you going. Confusing the two is a classic trap - you push yourself to "do more" when in reality your body is asking for rest.
4. Use your breath as a thermostat
Breathing is the fastest way into the nervous system. If you feel overheated and restless (too much Rajas), try Sitali or a slow exhalation. If you feel heavy and stuck (too much Tamas), try a more activating technique like Kapalabhati or a few rounds of Surya Namaskar (sun salutations). Let your breathing match what you need - not what you usually do.
5. Choose your inputs consciously
What you put into your body - food, people, news, social media - colors your radiance as much as what you do. Ask yourself once a day: does this nourish me or drain me? This applies to lunch, conversation, and the thirty minutes you spend scrolling on your phone.
6. Create a little sattvic ritual you can return to
It doesn't have to be big. A lit candle, three minutes of silence, a cup of tea without your phone next to you - something that signals to yourself "now I'm landing". When you have a firm point of reference, it becomes easier to find your way back to balance, even on days when Rajas or Tamas have taken over.
The point of it all is that the gunas are not something you have to analyze with your head - they are something you can feel if you give yourself a moment's pause to ask: what do I need right now?
Watch and join my sattvic marma point meditation here: youtube.com/watch?v=MROXZtVJzXE&t=5s
Comments