Increasing Sattva for Emotional Balance with All Natural Remedies
Date Posted:17 December 2011
Emotional balance, stress relief and a purer state of mind are things we all strive to achieve. According to Ayurvedic tradition, all of creation contains three gunas, or influencers, called sattva, rajas and tamas. These three gunas influence our state of mind and being. Sattva is clear, harmonious and creative; rajas is all activity and movement; and tamas is lethargic, slow, dull and inert.
Every individual contains all three gunas to varying degrees and each guna is perpetually interplaying with another. Excessive tamas and rajas can disturb the mind, cause a buildup of stress and tension, and make the body feel fatigued and cumbersome. The way to achieve your goal of stress relief and emotional balance is to cultivate sattva so that it has greater influence over tamas and rajas. All natural remedies can help facilitate this goal.
Sattva can be increased by three components: diet, all natural remedies, and lifestyle. These factors can influence which guna is predominant. One of the ways to increase Sattva is to observe dietary choices and see which food has a tamasic (dulling), rajasic (agitating), or sattvic (harmonizing) influence on the mind.
Tamas
In a universal context, Tamas is the force of destruction that cleans away the old and makes way for new creation through Sattva. In our minds and bodies, though, Tamas helps us finish or complete actions and thoughts of the other two gunas. Everybody needs some tamas in order to allow them to sleep, relax and rest; however, excessive tamas makes the mind dull and depressed and the body lethargic and lazy.
People with strong tamasic constitutions generally lead lives that are self-destructive and self-indulgent, and have a tendency to be gluttonous in all aspects of life, including sexual behavior, drinking, and eating. Many individuals with excessive tamas drink excessively or are addicted to drugs.
As the tamasic mind continues to become duller, more depressed and more confused, the individual will care less and less about themselves and the self-destructive pattern they are in. They will be unable to discriminate between what is beneficial for them or not and are unable to make good judgment calls. They will not be able to reach any measure of stress relief or emotional balance by their own volition.
Tamasic foods do not support life, and lack prana, or the breath of life. These foods include leftover or old foods, deep-fried or greasy foods, and excessive consumption of eggs, hard cheeses, meats and seafood. Drugs and alcohol are considered tamasic, although they can have an effect on rajas as well. To balance tamas and achieve stress relief and emotional balance, one must clear the cobwebs from the mind by getting plenty of fresh air, peaceful yet dynamic exercise, and incorporating more sattvic foods, environment and lifestyle choices.
Sattva
Sattva manifests life, energy, creativity and clarity. Love, peace, truth and harmony are all sattvic qualities. Individuals who are predominately sattvic have a tendency to be spiritually peaceful and steady in their faith without being fanatical. These individuals are not prone to anger, but are humble, happy and content. Their perceptions are clear and their minds are focused and alert. They are also pleasant to be around, courteous, curious, inspiring and creative. A predominately sattvic individual knows what is beneficial for them and which actions to take.
Out of all the gunas, sattva is the most superior. Within ourselves, it allows for the ability to do good, visualize clearly, think right and act true to the laws of nature. The sattvic mind is represented by the elephant, intelligent, strong and gentle, and is a pure vegetarian.
Sattva foods are rich with prana and are light and easy to digest. Sattvic foods include small amounts of ghee (clarified butter), ripe fruit, raw honey, cardamom, fennel, ginger, nuts and seeds, and lightly cooked organic vegetables. If raw milk is consumed that was taken from a cow in a peaceful and natural environment, it is considered sattvic in Ayurveda.
In order to increase Sattva, an individual must incorporate sattvic activities and dietary food choices. Activities could include tai chi, chi gung, Yoga, meditation or pranayama. Each activity should be taken in a non-goal-oriented manner in a peaceful and loving environment. Another important element is to avoid stressful people, substances and situations that disturb and agitate the mind and destroy emotional balance.
Rajas
Rajas influences all activity and movement. Every individual needs some rajas in order to get things done, but excessive rajas causes hyperactivity and restlessness. It also prevents the mind from gaining clarity and resting, which can result in anxiety, fear and agitation. Emotional balance and stress relief cannot be achieved when there is an excess of rajas.
Excessive rajas can also cause a haughty spirit, unhealthy pride, fierce competitiveness, jealousy and aggression. Individuals with too much rajas value business, power, material wealth and success, and make impulsive decisions that they usually regret later on. They also have a tendency to be fanatical and have a strong desire to convert others to their beliefs. Drama and problems usually follow a rajasic individual.
Rajasic foods tend to irritate and upset the digestive system. Processed and junk foods like chocolate and potato chips and excessively pungent, sweet, spicy or sour foods can all disturb the mind and create agitation in the body.
In order to balance rajas, one must limit exposure to agitating foods, and disturbing people and situations. Anything that decreases rajas will increase sattva.
All Natural Remedies
There are many all natural remedies that will help cultivate the Sattvic mind. Amrit Kalash Ambrosia boosts the immune system and improves mental functioning, digestion and mental acuity, which aids in achieving emotional balance and stress relief. Blissful Joy helps alleviate feelings of frustration, tension and anger while increasing the body's natural resistance to stress, fear and anxiety.
A sattvic mind is calm, peaceful, clear and in perfect harmony with their surroundings. Every individual should strive to increase Sattva in his or her diet, lifestyle and environment.