November Sadhana – Uplift

In this November Sadhana, we will look at our lives through the lens of the gunas. The three shifting dynamic qualities of light-activity-grounding.

In ayurvedic and yogic  psychology the gunas – sattva-rajas-tamas are our shifting moods, behaviours and to a certain extent our habits –  let’s look at how can we reframe our experiences and adapt certain habits by  creating conscious rituals.

In the natural world – everything is made up of these three qualities. As we move towards the winter, we are in the Tamas predominant time of year – Tamas in the natural world is seen as darkness and heaviness. The nights are drawing in… It is the time of shedding and release. The leaves from the trees, hibernation.. the natural world pauses.

Yet in our modern world, we are at odds with this pause and there’s  a push to the end of the year festivities, activity and rajas. As well as activity and motivation, rajas can be the sense of amping up, revving up… overstimulation – almost a  refusal to pause. If we bring sattva (light) into the equation then it is the acceptance of the pause. So at this time of year, we might need to focus on the light, the uplifting practices in order to consciously balance the tamas (heaviness/darkness) and rajas (activity).

  We will work with yoga, movement and meditation that helps regulate our nervous system – leading to a felt sense of uplift and engagement.  We will also use self massage and marma work – to keep our energy up and balanced. And as ever, mantra and simply using the voice. Sound is probably one of our most potent tools to keeping that sense of uplift. Literally raising our spirit.  Pranayama helps us navigate these energetic shifts, helping us overcome lethargy, boost mood and find our own rhythm in this seasonal and energetic change.

We can even look at the nervous system and polyvagal theory – both our habitual ways of dealing with stress and conscious ways to change gears through the lens of the gunas.

So this November, let’s nourish the energy body, create clarity of mind and tap into our body’s innate wisdom through the lens of ayurveda and the gunas.