Energy & Vitality

In Today's Email:

• Energy & Vitality: Mastering our life force energy...

• Our Gift To You: Chakra Crystal Chart...

• Yogapedia: Reclining Hero Pose...

TODAY'S LEARNINGENERGY & VITALITY

In Ayurveda, there are four key principles that are direct physiological manifestations of energy and vitality. Getting to know these Ayurvedic concepts tends to shed a great deal of light on the process of mastering our life force energy.

These four principles are:

Ojas. Ojas is the super-fine essence of kapha dosha and of all seven bodily tissues; it is the primary source of vitality, strength, and immunity in the body.

Agni. Agni is the sacred metabolic fire that provides energy to the body and mind—on both gross and subtle levels.

Tejas. Tejas is the super-fine essence of agni and of pitta dosha that transforms matter into energy and consciousness.

Prana. Prana is the vital breath, or life force energy that animates each of us with life; it is also the super-fine essence of vata dosha.

As you read more about ojas, agni, tejas, and prana below, pay attention to where you are most inspired (and also to where you feel any resistance); these are likely powerful clues as to where it would best serve you to begin discovering how to have more energy and increased vitality for yourself.

Ojas: Protect it to Build Energy and Motivation

Ojas is an elusive, mysterious substance in the body that is essential to life. Ojas is intimately connected to kapha dosha, agni, the process of tissue nutrition, and the heart—so each of these things wields a meaningful influence on our vitality.

Our quality of life can deplete ojas. For example, ojas is dried up by trauma, stress, unhealthy relationships, and poor lifestyle choices.

On the other hand, ojas is buoyed by nourishing life experiences, happiness, joy, healthy relationships, wholesome lifestyle choices, living in the present moment, and cultivating purposeful awareness whenever possible.

Agni: Make the Most of How the Body Spends Its Precious Energy

Like ojas, agni is absolutely essential to life. Not only is it responsible for digestion, absorption, and assimilation (of foods, thoughts, emotions, and experiences), it also governs all transformative processes in the body, ignites the light of awareness and intelligence in our consciousness, and serves as a bridge between matter and energy.

Agni plays a central role in our overall vitality, so kindling and protecting your Agni is a sure-fire means of improving your energy levels—from the inside out.

Tejas: Enliven It to Support Agni

Tejas is the expression of solar energy in the body. It is the positive subtle essence of both agni and pitta dosha, and it governs intelligence, discernment, enthusiasm, as well as digestion and transformation.

Tejas also works closely with prana and ojas to maintain the essential energies needed to support life.

Because tejas is the subtle essence of agni, kindling and protecting agni will generally support tejas.

Prana: Harness Your Vital Energy

The words “energy” and “prana” are nearly synonymous, but the Sanskrit word prana is richly meaningful.

Prana is the vital life force within each of us. It is carried on and stimulated by the breath, but it is not the breath. The foods we eat and the water we drink also contains prana and serve to replenish our own.

In this way, ingesting foods and drinks that are healthy, fresh, and full of prana themselves serves to nourish this vital force within our bodies—as does purposeful, mindful breathing.

As the subtle essence of Vata, prana likes to move. In fact, it nourishes our vitality best when it remains fluid and unobstructed.

As a result, prana is greatly supported by practices that help eliminate and protect against stagnation, many of which also serve to enrich the tissues with an influx of fresh prana.

What Energy Depletion Might Look Like for Each Dosha

When vata, pitta, or kapha are out of balance in our systems, they can wreak havoc on agni, prana, tejas, and ojas.

Vata. Signs of imbalanced Vata may include feeling overwhelmed, lightheaded, and fatigued. For increased energy, balance Vata through lifestyle and dietary choices that introduce warmth, groundedness, and stability.

Pitta. Pitta imbalances can come from pitta's natural tendency to try to do it all. They can take on too much, and, when trying to keep up, they become depleted and worn out. Learning to surrender and practicing moderation are key to balancing pitta.

Kapha. Kapha is slow and static by nature, and when out of balance, it can manifest as lethargy and sluggishness, making it hard to get motivated. Balancing kapha through incorporating invigorating, stimulating foods and lifestyle choices into your daily routine could help you feel more energized and motivated throughout your day.

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About: It can be hard to take care of your mental and physical health. In our busy lives, we don't always make health and fitness a priority.

The purpose of our Wellness Journal is to help you pay more attention to your body and mind. Fill in your daily thoughts, practice daily affirmations, cultivate gratitude and intention, set wellness goals, focus on self-care rituals, and keep track of what you eat, how much exercise you get, how much sleep you get, etc., all in one place!

You will be better able to identify patterns or trends in your life that might be harming your general well-being. The goal of our Wellness Journal is to help you put your health first.

IMAGE OF THE DAY

TODAY'S POSITIVE NEWS

In a charming tale from northern Ontario, a young girl's good karma took 13 years to come around to her.

On her first attempt, Juliette Lamour took home CAD$48 million, the second-largest lottery jackpot in the history of the province. A heartwarming aspect of the tale was uncovered by local news in Lamour's hometown of Sault Sainte-Marie: at the age of five, she performed a significant act of charity. It is tough to avoid speculating that her kindness has been repaid.

In 2010, an earthquake had recently decimated the island country of Haiti. International aid agencies sprung into action to assist the people of the destroyed nation in stabilizing and recovering.

The Canadian Red Cross had set up a table at the hockey arena of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to help raise money for Haiti, and Juliette and her sister Sophie were keen to provide a hand.

That day, they flipped over their large, pink sharing piggy bank, and they found $61.38 inside.

Then, last week, Juliette came forward as a young lady to claim the $48 million reward at the Ontario lottery headquarters.

OUR GIFT TO YOU

Every now and then we will be giving away free digital goods to our community. In order for you to see our digital gifts, make sure that you place our emails into your primary folder. Our goal is to give away something awesome at least once a week!

Today you get our Chakra Stones Chart. To download please click on the button below called “Download”. Let this printable chakra crystals chart be your quick guide to energy healing with gemstones. Use as an insert in your journal or bullet journal or print as a small chakra poster, cheat sheet, or reference guide.

YOGAPEDIAReclining Hero Pose (Supta Virasana)

Benefits: Reclined Hero Pose gives your front body, including your thighs, feet, and abdominal muscles, a deep stretch. According to research, this stance not only relieves muscular stress but also aids the neurological system by increasing blood flow.How To: Bring your hands down to the floor on either side of your thighs. Walk your hands back toward your butt as you lean your torso back.

Bend at your elbows to come down onto your forearms. If you are sitting on a tall support, like a yoga block, this is as far as you should go. If you are sitting on a folded blanket, have blankets of the same height in place to support your spine as you come down.

If you feel comfortable on your forearms, you can try continuing to release your back toward (and eventually reaching) the floor.

If you feel pain in your knees or low back, it may be a signal that you've gone too far for your body. Return to your forearms instead of lowering your torso to the ground.

Make sure your knees stay close together. Don't let them separate.

Stay in a reclined position for five to 10 breaths.

To come out, raise yourself onto your forearms first. Then press into your hands to return yourself to a sitting position.

ZEN MERCHChakra Yoga Poster (Limited Stock)

This is our yoga chakra poster, which has been crafted with high attention to detail. It will add a wonderful accent to your room, yoga studio, or office and brighten up any space with its vivid, 7 chakra yoga illustrations!Learn More

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