Gunas – The Three Qualities of Nature

The ancient teaching of yoga introduces us to the three essential aspects of nature. These aspects are called the Gunas, meaning a strand or a rope. All of creation is made up of these three qualities and they are always present, although they will vary from hour to hour, day to day, and throughout our lives. We cannot remove these Gunas but as humans, we have the ability to intentionally alter the level of these qualities in our bodies and minds.

1)    Sattva or balance, harmony, knowledge, and happiness,

2)    Rajas or over activity, passion, emotion, and desire,

3)    Tamas or inertia, lethargy, dullness, and heaviness.

As humans, we need all three of these aspects of nature. They are constantly changing in relationship with each other. Tamas makes up stop and rest. Rajas gets us going in the morning. Sattva helps us to understand and get clarity.

The best example to illustrate the concept of the Gunas is using food. This can be very individualized. Eating healthy food can bring you into a state of balance (Sattva) and feeling good. Drinking a caffeinated beverage could lead to feeling overstimulated (Rajas) and eating a heavy meal or too much (Thanksgiving dinner!) could leave you feeling lethargic (Tamas).

To reduce Tamas: avoid oversleeping, overeating, eating spoiled foods, chemically altered, processed, or refined foods, and inactivity.

To reduce Rajas: avoid over-exercising, over-working, excessive thinking, foods that are ultra spicy, fried foods, and foods that stimulate.

To increase Sattva: eat healthy, whole foods, find activities and environments that produce joy and positive vibes.