#29: The philosophy of the three life-force energies and how to use them
Meet the three gunas; a philosophy about our natural energetic states.
There’s a Sanskrit philosophy called the three gunas; sattwa, rajas and tamas.
“Guna’ translates as strand or quality and essentially represents the energy forces of the universe and our psychological, emotional and energetic states.
We are always weaving between our sattwa, rajas, tamas energies.
Sattwa is pure presence or state of consciousness. It brings balance, inspiration and contentment. Over-stimulated it means being out of touch with reality or chasing spiritual highs.
Rajas is an energy of change, characterised by passion, effort and intense or creative action. Getting caught up in Rajas can be running in place or procrastinating with busying tasks.
Tamas is a low-vibration, restorative energy.; it brings stability, but also carries a heavy, lethargic nature. Too much tamas can mean losing your way or feeling stuck and depressed.
Understanding the gunas and channelling them to navigate your short term and long term life cycles can help you become more balanced, peaceful and self-aware.
Paying attention to these energies, I’ve found I orientate in tamas before I shift into Rajas, such as mentally preparing to leave the house before I grab my car keys and head off to run errands.
These conscious ‘pauses’ before changing from one energy flow to another is a useful approach to mindset and energy management.
One can channel this to steer work or project outputs. I use reading (tamas) and music (any of the three) to segue into different modes of creativity or learning.
Reading (articles, newsletters or books) opens my receptive space and once accessed, I can channel myself into a course, writing or learning work.
I read fiction to access a more lateral creative space — I’ll often abandon the book to follow the creative energy and get stuck into a creative project or hop on my laptop to work on something.
Music can be applied as a good energy-shifting ritual; listening to new-age music to lift your spirits before a yoga class can elevate your Sattwa energy connection. Just like pumping your favourite playlist in the car can get you psyched for a busy day (rajas).
It also applies to seasons or life events: Winter drags on in tamas, Summer plays in action-oriented Rajas. Sitting with grief (tamas) or celebrating a birth in the family (group sattwa).
It’s a layered and intriguing concept, one that deserves exploring; but even with basic knowledge, you can practice self-observation and feel the ebbs and flows as your move between the energies of your day.
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