Restore your energy with gentle yoga: replenishing OJAS
The sanskrit term ojas means vigour, and refers to our essence of vitality; the deep vital reserve of wellness like a pool, or wellspring, from which we draw our energy.
Yoga & Ayurvedic teachings explain that we have an inherent, inner essential vitality (“para ojas”) of the heart that we inherit in the womb. If this depletes, our life, mind and body become completely unsustainable; we can no longer live.
But we also have an additional, circulatory ojas present in our fluids and tissues at all times. This circulatory ojas may increase or decrease, affected by every aspect of our lives. This one, we can actively nourish!
If circulating Ojas is completely depleted, the body will try to use the essential Ojas.
For optimal health, we need a stable and plentiful reserve of Ojas in the heart and tissues of the body as a wellspring of vitality.
Most westernised modern Yoga practices are based on practices designed to increase prana (energy) to unfold higher consciousness. However, if we don't have good reserves of vitality as a foundation, then we’re trying to move energy we don’t really have with these intense practices, and we can become even more depleted.
Most of us these days need a replenishing, ojas-restoring practice, not a prana-increasing practice.
If you'd love some replenishing, simple little practices to nurture yourself with, hop in to my free 8-week series Simple Little Practices for Calm .
Ojas is difficult to define and understand in modern conventional terms but we could describe it as material/physical but bordering on energetic. In a way, Ojas is the gateway between the physical and the energetic. The closest physical representation or expression of Ojas is fluid in the body - spinal, brain fluid, albumen and globulin, reproductive fluid, etc. The myelin sheaths of the nerves are also an expression of Ojas. Ojas is the subtle, parallel dosha of Kapha.
We gather or build Ojas from the power we draw from our assimilated energy, built through our digestion and our senses: digested food, assimilated water and air, and from our perceptions - whatever we experience as nurturing, grounding and nourishing.
When Ojas is low, we can feel hypersensitive to situations and sensory stimuli, anxious, defensive or fearful. Our eyes or muscles might be restless and twitchy, and our digestion irregular.
We know we have good reserves of Ojas when we have peace, confidence, contentment and patience. Ojas helps us to have a stable sense of self; to feel centred and calm deep within ourselves.
Ojas is our physical AND psychological & emotional immunity. When we have poor physical immunity, we become vulnerable to viruses. When our immunity psychologically is compromised, we become vulnerable to other people’s “dramas”.
Vata and Pitta constitutions particularly benefit from building and conserving Ojas. If Vata becomes imbalanced, it is said to “dry out” Ojas. If Pitta becomes imbalanced, it is said to “burn” Ojas.
The classical Ayurvedic texts say that it takes 27 to 35 days to replenish Ojas by consistently and expertly nourishing the body and mind.
How to build Ojas
Yoga nidra (guided deep rest) is a great practice for restoring ojas.
Gentle, restorative asana practices or practices that encourage calm stability.
Good sleep is essential for ojas, and there are practices that can help with us with that.
Avoiding sensory overstimulation and enjoying some silence regularly is also helpful: reduce phone & screen time or try a digital detox.
Warmth, both physical and emotional, including love, devotion, healthy relationships, and good, fulfilling company.
Eating nourishing, nurturing foods at regular times, and which are easy to digest and give the most energy in return for the digestive process e.g. ghee, dahl, almonds & other nuts, rice, good oils and good fats & proteins. (Provided we have first taken care of our gut health, to be able to tolerate these foods and absorb the nutrients well). Warming spices such as turmeric, ginger, saffron, cumin, cardamon.
Anything that is truly heart-warming and soul-nourishing or leaves you feeling replenished and restored is likely to be good for building Ojas.
Download the picture here as a reminder of nurturing, ojas-building things to include more of in your life, and hop into my free series of simple nurturing little practices to make it easy.
