the gunas
To a week ahead, aware of your energetic tendency – which guna is here!
Reflecting this week; can I begin to witness my sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic tendencies. And is there a pattern or a cycle of these in my day? Are there times I need to increase my awareness to bring a different quality to my experience or activity?
In yoga philosophy, there are said to be three primary qualities found in nature. These qualities are called ‘gunas’.
They are:
• Sattva – associated with purity, harmony, balance
• Tamas – inertial or inactivity, procrastination.
• Rajas – passion, energy, action, can be over stimulation, nervous energy
Sattva is in the middle of the continuum, with tamas (inactivity) and rajas (activity) at either end.
We need each of these energetic qualities to function in this world.
We aim to balance the rajasic and tamasic energies and enhance sattvic energy – to curb hyperactivity and overcome lethargy… establish balance and poise… an ability to see things as they are and to respond appropriately to the many situations that life presents.
We can’t be sattvic all the time – because we are human and also because sometimes we need more of one guna than the other.
When planning for an event, or needing to be actively contributing and participating in a meeting – we need rajas energy – a real fullness of life, and flexibility.
When we’ve had a busy day and come home, our body, and mind, needs time (ideally) to unwind and relax – we need some tamasic energy.
A healthy awareness of each of these energy states is what helps us to achieve balance.
The Bhagavad Gita (Hindu Scripture), talks about them in detail.
Each one works to suppress the other; and we can have more of one of these qualities, than another, at different time of the day, week, month, year… times of our life..
It’s about being aware; not about judging ourselves, rather becoming familiar with our tendencies and making conscious decisions.
For me, being tamasic the last couple of weeks has been important, to heal, after surgery… but I’m feeling the rajas wanting to come back…. And needing to be aware and manage that. In my past, I had a strong rajasic, nervous energy which became out of balance when I didn’t balance it out with some down time, to rest and recover.
You might notice you’re more rajastic and tend to get over stimulated and find it hard to unwind?
Or maybe you tend to be more tamasic and feeling a lack of energy and motivation?
We tend to have one that is more dominant in our constitution.
In seeking to balance:
• To reduce tamas, we can avoid over sleeping, inactivity and fearful situations. We could also avoid tamasic food which would include heavy meats or foods that are processed or refined.
• To reduce rajas in our lives, we can avoid deep attachments and desires, over exercising, over working or over stimulation and excessive consumerism. Avoid foods that are fried, spicy and stimulants such as coffee.
• Sattva is the state of harmony, balance, joy and intelligence. A nice balance between rajasic and tamasic energy.
We are told that sattvic energy is what the yogi should aim to achieve as it makes liberation possible.
Our yoga poses – sun salutations are rajasic while savasana (corpse pose) is tamasic… and the breath work we practice in pranayama often sattvic.
Patanjali says “tat param purusa khyater guna vai trsnyam” (1.16) which is translated to mean “the highest form of dispassion is indifference to the primary constituents of nature resulting from a vision of the Self” So basically – all gunas create attachment of some sort and bind us to the ego.
We aim to cultivate sattva, however it is also about not being completely attached to the good or bad, positive or negative aspects and qualities of all life.
Sattva is pure and supports optimal health. It doesn’t bind to attachments but rather brings with it joy and inner knowing (refer to the Bhagavad Gita Ch 14, verse 6).
Rajas is full of passion. It is born out of “thrishna” (thirst or intense desire) and “sanga” (attachment). Rajas binds the soul to attachment with action or activity (refer to the Bhagavad Gita Ch 14, verse 7).
Tamas is darkness and the ignorance of human beings. It is born out of “ajnanajam” (ignorance) and “mohanman” (delusion). Tamas binds the soul through recklessness, sloth and sleep (refer to the Bhagavad Gita Ch 14, verse 8).
In working out which guna is operating, or most present in a particular situation, or at a time of day… check in…
• If inner knowing and wellbeing are present, sattva is here.
• If greed and selfishness is predominant, rajas is present.
• If a tendency of inacticity, inertia, sluggishness are more apparent, tamas is predominant.
(refer to the Bhagavad Gita Ch 14, verse 13).
And remember there is a whole continuum of these qualities. Just because you have more tamas present doesn’t mean you are a sloth! It just means you have a more lethargic or inactive tendency at that time, or in that situation, or when you eat that particular food.
Another way to look at the gunas, from a yogi’s perspective is as a ‘sense check’ as to whether we are moving in the direction of wholeness (sattva), working really hard by not going anywhere (rajas), or not doing much, and losing our way (tamas).
Consider tuning in to how the gunas are operating in your life – the rajasic energy of some activities, the tamasic grounded, unwinding of other activities, and the sattvic calm that comes, appears at certain times… and begin to tune in to what feeds each of these? What supports their presence? Aware when you are tamasic that a bit of rajasic energy can be helpful and conversely, when overly rajasic and high on nervous energy, the benefits of some lazier activity or to listen to classical music or meditate, or do yoga to come toward balance.
Nicky’s yoga classes are a gentle, hatha style, suitable for beginners.
Along with teaching weekly yoga classes in Beaumaris, Bayside Melbourne, Nicky is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (PACFA), coach and mindfulness meditation teacher.
Get in touch with Nicky to find out more.