This article from Dr. John Doulliard really inspired me.
Today I realized that when we stand in our passion, especially when we serve and are passionate about people, it is so very important to maintain our own balance.
Stress takes its toll on us no matter how good the cause is that we are following and today I realized that I have slowly but surely depleted myself...so my re-evaluation has motivated me to venture towards creating balance within.
My physical body is showing it in the form of weight gain, fatigue and bouts of burnout/depression that sneak up on me...may the journey begin towards a more Sattwic way of living...
Three Principles in Nature
According
to Ayurveda, there are three principles in nature that govern the mind and its
emotions: sattwa, rajas, and tamas. These three principles are known as the
gunas, which means to bind.” When the gunas are out of balance, they can bind – or inhibit – spiritual growth,
contentment, and joy.
Let
me explain the nature of the gunas, and how they affect you when they get out
of balance.
1. Sattwa: At Peace
Sattwa is the first of these gunas, or principles. It refers to the inherent nature of the mind to be intelligent, virtuous, loving, joyful, kind and giving for no reason. This is the state children are born in. They do not have a care in the world. They live totally in the moment and function with awe-inspiring enthusiasm, which is why adults are so drawn to them. It is the aspiration of human life to experience more sattwa, as sattwa denotes the fullness of the heart and the freedom of the mind.
Sattwa is the first of these gunas, or principles. It refers to the inherent nature of the mind to be intelligent, virtuous, loving, joyful, kind and giving for no reason. This is the state children are born in. They do not have a care in the world. They live totally in the moment and function with awe-inspiring enthusiasm, which is why adults are so drawn to them. It is the aspiration of human life to experience more sattwa, as sattwa denotes the fullness of the heart and the freedom of the mind.
2.
Rajas: Stimulated
Rajas refers to the qualities of action and drive, movement, stimulation of the senses and emotions.
Rajas refers to the qualities of action and drive, movement, stimulation of the senses and emotions.
As
children grow up, they are quick to realize that the outside world is not as
safe as the one at home. Hurt feelings at the playground or in pre-school can
result in our receiving the message that the delicate and fragile experience of
being sattwa is unsafe. The mind’s reaction is often to shield itself by
engaging in rajasic activities. The child realizes that if they become a good athlete,
a straight-A student, or the class clown, they can feel safe again. Unlike the
sattwic experience, this rajasic experience of safety is dependent on an
outside influence, namely the attention of others.
In
this way, the initial sattwic experience of a full heart and a free mind is
replaced by the drive for accomplishment and acknowledgement. As children grow
into adults, the dependence on stimulation often leads to a mind that cannot be
still and is unsatisfied unless it is buying something new, making more money,
falling in love, being praised, or otherwise engaged in sensory stimulation.
Most
of us live here, in the world of rajas, continually seeking satisfaction
through our senses.
3.
Tamas: Withdrawn
Tamas, the third mental principle, refers to the qualities of dullness, laziness, and protection.
Tamas, the third mental principle, refers to the qualities of dullness, laziness, and protection.
In
an attempt to become satisfied through rajasic activities and drive, the mind
burns out. Without the energy to forge on as before, gleaning temporary
satisfactions through the senses, we retreat into a safe protective cocoon.
The
tamas principle is dull, fatalistic, judgmental, jealous, dark and depressed.
It is a retreat into an extreme mindset of safety in which we blame others and
the world for our own problems. The mind becomes rigid in its beliefs, creating
isolation and dissociation from others. On this trajectory, we can become
lonely, bitter, angry, and often seek drugs, alcohol or other addictions to
maintain the illusion of the safe cocoon.
Once
here, it is difficult to climb out and requires the addition of sattwa to offer
a glimpse of the long lost experience of truth, joy and happiness, and also of
rajas, to provide the energy needed for action and change.
*
All three gunas have a place in nature, but in our Western culture, we have
become so separated from the sattwic principle, that the goal for most of us is
to move away from rajas and tamas, towards sattwa.
Sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas in Everyday
Life
We
all have sattwic, rajasic and tamasic moments – this is natural. This
questionnaire below will offer some feedback to see if you are drifting away
from sattwa and becoming more rajasic or tamasic, as is so common in our
culture. If you notice that drift, use your findings, and this moment of honest
self-reflection, to inspire a shift back to the joy and love within.
Please
take the questionnaire and tally up your scores. Remember, the gunas are always
changing and, as such, this questionnaire is not intended to provide a static
diagnosis. The idea is simply to bring awareness to the places where we tend to
go out of balance. I will then try to offer some strategies to navigate our way
back to a more sattwic experience of life.
Your Emotional Body Type Quiz
Circle
the answer that best applies to your current experience. Tally the answers to
determine your Emotional Body Type.
Sattwa
|
Rajas
|
Tamas
|
|
Diet
|
Vegetarian – Fresh
|
Some meat,processed foods, or comfort foods
|
Excess meat, processed foods, or comfort foods
|
Drinking
or Drugs
|
Never
|
Some
|
Frequent
|
Sleep
|
Little
|
Moderate
|
Lots
|
SexDrive
|
Low
|
Medium
|
High
|
Control
of Senses
|
Good
|
Moderate
|
Weak
|
Speech
|
Calm “ soft
|
Agitated
|
Dull
|
Cleanliness
|
High
|
Moderate
|
Low
|
Work
|
Selfless
|
Personal
|
Lazy
|
Anger
|
Rare
|
Some
|
Frequent
|
Desire
|
Little
|
Some
|
Much
|
Pride
|
Modest
|
Ego
|
Vain
|
Depression
|
Never
|
Some
|
Frequent
|
Love
|
Gives
|
Takes
|
Needs
|
Violent
|
Never
|
Sometimes
|
Frequently
|
Attached
to $$$
|
No
|
Somewhat
|
Very
|
Contentment
|
Yes
|
Sometimes
|
Never
|
Forgiveness
|
Easily
|
With Effort
|
Holds Grudge
|
Concentration
|
Good
|
Moderate
|
Poor
|
Memory
|
Good
|
Moderate
|
Poor
|
Willpower
|
Strong
|
Variable
|
Weak
|
Service
|
Frequent
|
Some
|
Rare
|
Honesty
|
Always
|
Mostly
|
Rare
|
Peace
of Mind
|
Yes
|
Occasional
|
Rare
|
Spiritual
Study
|
Daily
|
Occasional
|
Rare
|
Meditation
|
Daily
|
Occasional
|
Rare
|
Expresses
Joy
|
Always
|
Sometimes
|
Rarely
|
TOTALS
|
|
|
*This
questionnaire has been excerpted from David Frawely’s book, Ayurveda and the
Mind
Interpretation
Sattwa
is when there is no need for the mind to provide protection; you are free to be
yourself fully. Rajas is that first attempt of the mind to protect and offer
sensory or emotional stimulation, creating a temporary experience of
satisfaction. Tamas is a more aggressive, emotional attempt to be safe and
secure.
Sattwa: If your Emotional
Body Type is predominately sattwa, then life is good. Remember, one can always
chip away at changing some of the rajasic and tamasic qualities that exist. If
you scored 100% sattwa, this is the score of a saint, and not necessarily the
goal.
Rajas: Excess rajas
indicates the risk of burning out, or chasing love and satisfaction with
activities that may never deliver what you truly seek.
Tamas: Excess tamas usually
means you have drifted into a protective cocoon that your mind has convinced
you is the safest place to be.
Once
you have determined your Emotional Body Type, you can use this information to
start moving away from some of those tamasic and rajasic qualities, towards
sattwa.
Attachment to Money:
Sattwic, Rajasic, and Tamasic Presentation
Money
and wealth is a subject all of us have to relate to in our culture, so it poses
a good lens for understanding the qualities of sattwa, rajas, and tamas.
Sattwa
has no attachment to money because there is no fear. A feeling of total safety
and security exists. A lot of money would not make a sattwic person happy, and
the lack of it wouldn’t have the power to make them unhappy.
The
rajasic mind is somewhat attached to money because the first layers of fear
have settled in and the mind latches on to the need for money to ensure a
feeling of safety and security, even though it is an illusion.
The
tamasic mind is very attached to money “ in fact, it is holding onto it for
dear life! Feeling very unsafe, the mind holds on even tighter, drifting even
farther away from sattwa where true safety, contentment and freedom reside.
In
this case, we can ask a few self-inquiry questions to create some awareness
around our patterns regarding money. It is interesting to see that, from the
point of view of a rajasic or tamasic mindset, you can never have enough money.
Sattwa has the clear vision to see that money is an illusion and will never
make you happy, content or safe.
Self-Inquiry Practice – Ask Yourself:
- If
I let go of my attachment to money, what would I lose?
- What
if I started giving money to charity, even if it is just a little – would
I feel better or worse?
- What
if I stopped driving myself to be successful and allowed myself to just
enjoy my life – how would I feel?
- On
my death bed, what would I regret more: not making more money, or not
playing more?
- Sometimes,
imagining the worst case scenario can help us realize that the reality of
a feared situation is usually not as bad as the fear makes it seem.
Imagine, for instance, that you are homeless. As uncomfortable as that
would be, you would find resources to help you survive, and ultimately to
find your way out of that situation. Along the way, you have no bills or taxes
to pay. No debt, no need to get up and work your butt off. You are off the
grid. It’s possible to think about that as an opportunity to restart a
life that is simple again, without all the stress and strain that come
with our civilized culture.
While this is not something we would ever wish upon anybody, knowing that even the worst case scenario is still workable can help us to loosen our grip on the fear.
Moving Forward
This
process of self-inquiry can be adapted to any or all of the rajasic or tamasic
qualities you may be experiencing. This questionnaire provides the first step
for change, which is the
Even
issues like not being able to concentrate, poor memory, or that you cannot
forgive someone, may be protective mental traits that can be changed. The mind
uses these qualities to cover up mental clarity, a great memory, or a forgiving
nature, because it has determined through a veil of illusion that you are safer
without those qualities of clarity or forgiveness. awareness that
your mind has created this rajasic or tamasic illusion in the first place, in
the name of safety and security.
Your
job – if you decide to do it – is to realize how your mind has hidden the
experience of your true, joyful, happy, and most powerful self in the name of
safety. It is time to take that risk of experiencing life fully by chipping
away at the qualities that are serving you no longer – one step at a time.
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