As you proceed on your yoga path, you may discover that some days you feel lazy. Other days you may feel anxious and unsettled. Don’t bother feeling guilty or ashamed, this is what it is to be alive – circumstances are always changing. Every individual is an inextricable part of nature and nature consists of three shifting qualities. In Sanskrit, they are called gunas.

Gunas are the basic qualities of existence:

• Tamas (literally darkness), is the quality that encompasses density, heaviness, inertia, cold. Matter.
• Rajas (literally passion) encompasses activity, light, heat, movement. Energy.
• Sattva (from a root meaning existence) encompasses balance, consciousness, grace. Harmony and illumination.

As you practice this week, notice which quality seems to be dominant in any given moment. Notice the effect different asanas have. Do some asanas consistently increase tamas? Rajas? As you begin to understand their effects, use the asanas to create a more sattvic state. Be grateful for any laziness or agitation (see the first post regarding churning). Working with imbalances develops sattva.

Homework Poses:

virabhadrasan 1, parsvottanasana, reclining twist

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