Three Pillars of Personal Strength & Vitality

Self-care, particularly in Ayurveda, extends beyond physical well-being, emphasizing a balanced lifestyle that nurtures the mind, body, and spirit. Three core concepts in Ayurveda—Prana, Tejas, and Ojas—each represent distinct energies within us that contribute to our overall vitality and health. Nurturing Prana, Tejas, and Ojas through specific practices can promote holistic well-being.

Prana: The Life Force Energy
Prana, the sacred life force, flows through every breath and heartbeat, the invisible yet powerful force of our aliveness. In Ayurveda, Prana is defined as the vital energy responsible for all physiological functions, breath, and consciousness. The Vedas and the Upanishads describe Prana as the "breath of life" or the sustaining life force. The Charaka Samhita depicts Prana as the energy that moves through all beings, influencing functions such as respiration, circulation, and sensory perception.  It is this breath of life that connects us to the world around us and to the universe within. When we care for Prana, we nourish our capacity to connect, feel alive, and be present.

Practices to Support Prana:

1. Pranayama (Breath practice): Pranayama, breath practice, directly enhances Prana by optimizing the flow of life force within the body. Techniques such as Anuloma-Viloma (Alternate Nostril Breathing) help to calm the mind, reduce stress, and improve oxygenation, which are crucial for mental clarity and physical vitality. Try this anuloma-viloma practice… and only practice this if it makes sense in your body. Don’t push into any discomfort. This should feel gentle and relaxing. If it doesn’t, please discontinue the practice.

• Holding your right hand in Vishnu mudra (see picture) place the ring finger and thumb on either side of the nostrils where the bone meets cartilage.
• Closing the right nostril gently, inhale deeply into the left nostril, pause at the top of the breath, close off the left nostril and open the right. Exhale deeply through right nostril, pause at the bottom.
• Repeat on the right side… closing left nostril, inhale through the right nostril, pause at the top, change which nostril is open, exhale through left nostril, pause at the bottom.
• Try this for 5 rounds (meaning you have inhaled and exhaled through both sides for 1 round).
  
• Return to normal breath and notice how you feel.
  

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2)    Connecting with Nature: Spending time outdoors is a beautiful way to replenish Prana. Whether walking through a quiet forest or simply basking in sunlight, connecting with the earth, sky, and fresh air brings balance to our spirit. Nature’s rhythm offers us gentle reminders to slow down and breathe deeply, restoring our energy and vitality.

3)    Let it Flow: Because Prana is about the FLOW of life, be mindful of any thoughts that are getting you stuck. Are you ruminating on the past or potential future? Are you obsessing on your health, weight, looks? Too much focus on anything creates stagnation and disrupts Prana. Next time you catch yourself spending too much time focusing on a problem within you or something around you, LET. IT. GO. Watch the mind, acknowledge the obsessive thought, and exhale it out of the body.  Repeat to yourself, “I am not this body (or this experience, this fear, etc.) I am Consciousness itself.” The more you can witness your preoccupations or neuroticisms, without judging them, the more you have the ability to see them as glitches in the brain and can let them go and move on with your day.

Tejas: Illuminating the Inner Light
Tejas, often translated as "inner radiance" or "inner fire," is the subtle energy associated with clarity, intellect, and mental perception. In the Ayurvedic texts, Tejas represents the subtlest form of fire within us. As described in the Sushruta Samhita, Tejas is both the fire that transforms food into nourishment and experiences into wisdom. Representing physical warmth, the power of digestion, the catalyst of transformation, and the mental sharpness necessary for discernment and insight, Tejas guides us into greater clarity of thought and purity of form, burning away any impurities of mind or body.

Practices to Ignite Tejas:
1)    Meditative Reflection (Svadhyaya): Svadhyaya, or self-study, encourages cultivating Tejas by prompting deep self-reflection and intellectual growth. Regular meditation, combined with reflective practices such as journaling, supports clarity, discernment, and spiritual growth.
    
2)    Spicy and Warm Foods: Ayurvedic practitioners recommend including mild spices like ginger, black pepper, and turmeric in meals to enhance digestive fire (Agni), which strengthens Tejas. These spices not only aid digestion but also sharpen the mind, promoting greater mental acuity and inner warmth.

3)    Cobra Kriya: Emotions give us such depth of experience. However, they can also cloud our discernment and dampen the fire of Tejas. Healthy emotional cleansing on a regular basis is important for our overall health. This yogic practice comes from a dear teacher, Indu Arora. Simple and can be done anywhere you feel comfortable. As with all practice, make sure it makes sense for your body, don’t push into discomfort, please stop if it creates non-therapeutic discomfort.
•    Lie down on the belly/Stand facing the wall /Sit on a chair with a bolster on the thighs, establishing diaphragmatic breath.
•    Consciously gather, as if sweeping, all the pent-up emotions of sadness, fear, anger, aversion, guilt, and frustration from the entire body as sensations, images, and sounds in your belly. Take several breaths to sweep.
•    With pure intention to let go, rise up in bhujanga asana (See picture; use the support of the hands on the floor/wall/over the bolster) with a fiery hiss and a fierce expression, letting go of all stress, venom, anger, inflammation, stagnation, and all pent-up emotions.
•    Repeat until you feel the grip of emotions release or dilute.
•    Lie down and rest in shavasana and just be.

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Ojas: The Essence of Resilience and Vitality
Ojas is the soft, nurturing essence that holds our immunity, endurance, and vitality. In Ayurveda, Ojas is revered as our deepest reserve of strength, representing the core of our well-being. Described in the Ashtanga Hridayam as the subtle energy that gives us resilience, Ojas allows us to feel grounded, connected, and supported. It is the sweet essence that radiates in times of joy and sustains us in times of challenge.

Practices to Build Ojas:
1)  Daily Self-Massage (Abhyanga): Abhyanga, the Ayurvedic practice of warm oil massage, is a deeply nurturing ritual for replenishing Ojas. As we gently massage ourselves with oil, we nourish our skin, soothe our nerves, and create a loving connection with our own body. This practice grounds us, infusing our being with strength and warmth.
    
2) Creating Sacred Rest: Prioritizing restful sleep is essential for building Ojas. By honoring a calming evening ritual, reducing screen time, and embracing practices like herbal teas or calming music, we allow our bodies to rest, repair, and rejuvenate. Rest invites balance and creates a sanctuary for Ojas, supporting our ability to meet life with softness and resilience.

3)  Sweetness of Life: Invite more sweet tastes into your diet. This doesn’t mean go for that candy bar or ice cream, please don’t. Nourishing foods such as dairy, starchy root vegetables, and grains offer us the sweet taste that is understood in Ayurveda to be the most tonifying for the body and mind. Sweetness helps us build tissues and support proper function of those tissues. And sweetness makes life sweeter! Try teas that include fennel, chamomile, or cinnamon. Sprinkle cinnamon, dried ginger powder, or a little jaggery onto your morning breakfast porridge. Bake yourself a sweet potato, lather it with ghee, and sprinkle it with black pepper, cinnamon, and salt to taste.

When we care for ourselves through the framework of Prana, Tejas, and Ojas, we invite a deep, abiding grace into our lives, one that honors inner wisdom. By breathing mindfully, feeding our inner light, and nurturing our vitality, we connect deeply with our own essence and build strength. Self-care, through the eyes of Ayurveda, becomes a journey of connection to our inner and outer worlds and a way to buffer ourselves as we navigate the infinite complexity of being human. Each practice serves as a gentle reminder that caring for ourselves is not an indulgence, but an invitation to live with authenticity and resilience. Through these practices, we find harmony within ourselves, the beauty of our own humanity, and radiant joy.

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