Sattva Guna: All is Calm, All is Bright by Gabe Hopp

The sister science to Yoga, Ayurveda, is a practice of overall health and vitality. Yoga is one of the practices within Ayurveda, a holistic system which addresses the body, the mind and the spirt. In Ayurveda, there are 3 constitutions of the body which describe the typical ways in which the body functions, called the doshas. And, there are 3 constitutions of the mind, which are called the gunas.

In Sanskrit, the word gunas refers to a braid or a weaving. This suggests that the three strands of the braid are interweaving and play upon each other. They cannot exist alone, and all three of the gunas are present in some capacity at any given time. All three of them are part of not only our mental makeup, but also all of the energy/movement that exists in the universe. We can use these forces to understand not only ourselves, but the manifest world around us. 

Let’s take a moment to understand them individually.

We begin with tamas. Tamas is the energy that holds, structures, maintains. In its positive forms, tamas can help us to remain grounded and steady. But, an over-abundance of tamasic energy becomes dull, heavy and stuck. It can lead to depression and fixity, the opposite of what a fluid yogi strives to be! 

Rajas is the energy of flux, movement and momentum. Rajasic energy can spur us to make important changes in our life. It can also lead us to be competitive, overly fiery and too much rajas can create anxiety and ungroundedness. 

Sattva is the energy to which we aspire. Sattvic energy is positive, light and warm. When we are in a sattvic state, we are living as our best selves; calm, content and kind. When we experience sattva, all is calm, all is bright. 

Let’s apply this knowledge of the gunas to a real-life example, like a yoga pose. In class, you are doing a seated twist. In the tamasic version of this pose, you went straight into the twist without preparing. You are schlumping in your spine and not actively trying to lift and open your collarbones. You are holding your breath or breathing in a way that is hard and tense. You are not actively rotating or present in the pose.

In the rajasic version of the seated twist, you are on a mission. Your spine is ramrod straight, your breath, an intense ujjayi style. With each breath you squeeze out more and more and more rotation with a lot of muscular effort. You WILL get deep into the pose! Sweat droplets rolled down your cheeks.

Finally, if your seated pose has the essence of sattva, the pose will strike the right balance of shtira (groundedness) and sukha (ease). Your breath guides you into the pose and you only proceed deeper as the breath and body allow. Your focus is strong but easy and most importantly you feel GOOD in the pose.

Consider your newfound knowledge of the gunas the next time you’re in a yoga class or meditation. May our yogic efforts lead us more and more toward a sattvic approach to yoga and to life.