In Ayurveda we meet the principle of 3 Gunas - qualities that categorize behavior and impact of food or activity upon one’s body and mind. By understanding these categories and their influence we are able to build the diet and activity we need to reach a particular state of mind and body. People living in Western countries are not used to such an abstract categorization, but from my experience I can confirm that it brings more clarity into my doings and food I chose.

- sattva (”being”, “entity”) - lucidity, purity, balance, light, consciousness. Dominance of this guna usually means that individual is optimistic, kind, compassionate and thoughtful. Think: do you know any people of this kind? How often do you experience this state of mind? What is it connected to?

- rajas (”air”, “atmosphere”) - force, activity. Rajas guna creates our desires, aspiration to own something. It also brings us fears for losing things we have and people we love. Individual with rajas dominance loses tranquility; if rajas force gets very strong, person becomes a hostage of own desires. Look around. Isn’t rajas the type of most people we meet nowadays?

- tamas (”darkness”, “obscurity”) - negative, lethargic, dull, sleepy. Tamas guna brings person into passive state of mind, when desires and aspirations become misty and distant. Person may gain a self-destructive mood following ruinous ideas and actions (smoking is a tamas action in long time perspective). Everyone has experienced tamas increase after a heavy meal, when the only thing you want is a short nap. Try to remember: do you know someone with a permanent tamas dominance?

Try to recollect, what food and activity brings you to the state of sattva? rajas? tamas? How did you feel yourself after the last meal, - can you pick one guna to describe the state or was it a combination of gunas?

The easiest way to balance gunas is by proper cooking and diet.

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Usually I am continuously thinking on open questions I get from books or people and on the flow of situations in my life, turning them around in my head, looking at them from different angles. I live with them, trying to come to some final idea or understanding. These thoughts pull up another books, people and other connected situations that give some answers (you probably noticed it in your experience, - when you think about something, - alike things start happening).

Whether you think of something good or bad, - you make it more real, more probable to happen or somehow come to your life (that is why many fears come true when we actually *do* fear and don’t want them to happen).

What ideas am I thinking on these days? I decided to record a few.

1. Hard work and productivity in a global sense

I must confess to myself and other beings that my office work is truly useless. It doesn’t bring any joy to me or thousands of people visiting sites my company develops. And it will not get any better, as the company is money-oriented only. Sometimes I prefer not to think about it, as I’m leaving this place soon. But is it really fair, am I really seeing things the way they are? What if I die in 3 month, still working in a dull office and promising myself to start a new life tomorrow.. This is a hard question. Usually people ask to stop talking about it and make death a taboo topic. But this is silly, - we can’t run away from it.

Imagine what your life could be if you set a single motivation - reach enlightenment and help others no-matter-what? Life would simplify a lot. It would become beautiful, full of hard work and very realistic. Lama Ole Nyidahl said that those people who work more, - reach more on the way of Dharma, get more blessings and results. They live a full, complete life. We all talk about ego we want to get rid of, but are we really honest with ourselves about it? Are we doing everything we could do today? You can let everything be, thinking that “I have much time. I will do it later. I am tired. I am not in the mood right now”. But the truth is.. we never know how much time we have.

2. Finding my own path and practice

This is a second big thought flying around me for quite a while. I have had a hard week with 2 yoga classes daily at 9am and 7pm and office work in between. By my Saturday’s “2 hours weekend yoga” I got so tired that I felt energetically overworked. I did my personal meditation practice in a public transport through the week and dedicated only 5-10 minutes in the mornings and evenings. This did upset me much (as I started feeling I don’t move anywhere in it, my mind got less meditative and more chaotic). Teaching yoga in this state is difficult because you have to continuously give-give-give, help and coach. Synchronize with others. “No ego”-state. Otherwise the practice becomes empty.

In any case I’m very grateful for this tough experience. I hope I started understanding the point of giving and finding happiness in it. And.. I can’t combine office with such an intensive practice, - it will simply burn me out. I can switch my priorities to own practice and coaching.

Life brings so many challenges and every situation is a key to a deeper understanding.. : )

Lama Ole says: “Sometimes you have to go away from meditation in order to get back to it in a while with a new look”. I agree, I’m starting my meditation with so much aspiration now. I find a saving refuge in it, realizing it’s impact on my mind and the way I treat others.

This is what I’ve been on recently. I always wonder what others think of. Anyone with alike thoughts? : )

Wonderful picture by Gnaharro Flickr free pics

More to read:

The art of turning difficulties into practice

Why are you doing Yoga?

6 perfections that bring light and meaning to your practice

You are what you eat. I’ve started this 12 rules article in one of previous posts to help readers correct their diet and start eating in a more healthy way. Any practice, including yoga, will be times more effective if supported by wholesome nutrition; and some Indian schools of yoga even start education with kriyas - special body cleaning practices - before studying postures or breath techniques.

I will briefly describe the first two rules I wrote about:

1. Eat to live; don’t live to eat

Do you often eat favorite cookies/sweets/chocolate blaming yourself and promising to stop “after this last one”? Do you eat much when you are stressed? Do you automatically eat in front of computer or TV? Do you eat before going to sleep? If you do, this article will help you slightly change the way you eat to become healthier and happier. Food is an instrument, a fuel for your body. Using this or that fuel, your body will feel better or worse. Everyone wants to live a longer, healthier, happier life, - and that is why we should choose good fuel that will not harm our body. It’s very simple in theory Try to treat the food in this way.

2. Hunger is truth, appetite is a lie

Whenever you want to eat and hold out your hand for something tasty, try to think and analyze - “Am I feeling hungry? Is it a real hunger? Or am I bored, stressed, used to eat more then I need?”. Be honest with yourself and try to become aware of every little thing you eat.

Next step is to experience a real hunger. Dedicate your day (why not Friday or weekend?) to explore a real feeling of hunger. Eat less for breakfast and take a long walk during lunch. Don’t eat anything before next meal. Watch how your hunger appears and grows, let it fill your thoughts and body. Remember this feeling. During next few days try to work out a new habit - to eat when you feel hungry, not when you see something tasty.

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I’m almost finished with my master’s paper and really happy to get back to posting, reading and practicing. Each tough time when we’re too busy, too troubled or too overwhelmed with emotions we get a true challenge and best conditions for inner practice.

In the book I’m reading now, “A Path with Heart”, Jack Kornfield tells about a prayer for difficulties:

May I be granted proper obstacles and sufferings on this path so that my heart could really awaken, so that my liberation and overall compassion practice could really happen.

In Buddhism troubles are considered valuable as they give unique possibility to go deeper into one’s feelings, see the origin of suffering, gain wisdom and understand suffering others feel.

Instead of treating every problem as a punishment, or meeting it with aggression, depression and complaint, - one could overstep own limitations and treat it as a challenge. Here are few advices we could all use when we meet some obstacles to overcome them and be free in every moment of life.

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Whatever your practice is, - yoga, zen, meditation or simple morning walk in silence, there are principles that will help you make it more insightful, deep and helpful. In Tibetan Buddhism these principles are also called “paramitas” (“perfection” from Sanskrit). It is said that by following these perfections we reach deeper states of mind and our practice gets into new level.

I have been thinking on paramitas for a while, trying to integrate them into my life, my yoga, my Buddhism reading. They can really change your classes if you let it happen. The first five paramitas are called conceptual as we raise merit by following them. Merit here means some good deals, some good karma we gather during our practice.

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