om spirit

T

he ancient teachings of yoga

talk about three essential

qualities of nature called

the Gunas. Gunas in Sanskrit

means a strand or a rope.

According to the Samkhya philosophy, all

of creation (known as Prakriti), on all

levels of manifestation, is made up of

different combinations of these three

strands or qualities. They are present in

all beings, matter, thoughts, personalities

and experiences in different and ever-

changing proportions.

1. Tamas
   Tamas manifests as darkness, inertia,
   lethargy, dullness, illusion, heaviness.
   Tamas can be seen as the past, your lot in
   life, the given.


2. Rajas
   Rajas manifests as the energy of passion,
   emotion, desire, activity, sorrow. Rajas can
   be seen as the future, desire, externalisation.

Esther Ekhart looks at the Three Gunas – Tamas, Rajas and Sattva – and how an

understanding of each state can impact our lives for the better

3. Sattva
   Sattva is associated with the principles
   of harmony, knowledge, happiness and
   goodness. Sattva is the present, awakening,
   the process of consciousness unfolding.

Dominant Gunas

These three qualities are in a constantly

changing relationship with each other. Every

experience we have is composed of the

three Gunas in different proportions.

n When we feel mostly Sattvic we feel

clear, calm and harmonious.

n When we are in a Rajasic state we feel

passionate, hyper active, the mind keeps

going, not being able to stop.

n When we feel Tamasic we feel lazy,

can’t get out of bed, dragging ourselves

through the day feeling unmotivated.

We need all three qualities in our life.

We need Rajas to get us going in the

morning, Sattva to understand and get

clarity and wisdom, and Tamas to make us

stop and rest.

The Full Circle

Here is an example of how the three Gunas

act on each other with regards to how we

feel and our moods.

Say we have a Sattvic mood; we are content

with life as it unfolds, being present to

what arises. This may last for a while, but

then it tends to become over-ripe and you

take it for granted, so the contentment turns

into laziness.

This develops into a tamasic mood,

leaving you feeling unmotivated and heavy.

The Rajas mood will then break up the

Tamasic state. You will get sick of your

lethargy and start doing something to get

going, through ambition and passion. But

then of course its extreme – hyperactivity

and anxiety – lie around the corner.

The state of chaos that Rajas will get you

into will make you stop and contemplate ...

The Gunas

om spirit

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