Living A Life of Vitality
Ojas is the essence of vital energy that sustains life; physical and otherwise. It is responsible for our mental well-being, our physical endurance, our immunity, our resiliency and the glow of our skin. It is the fortitude within and its energy sustains us. Ample ojas helps create harmony of body, mind and spirit. I like to think of ojas as a warm, milky, soft, white substance that lovingly flows through me when I am in a balanced and easeful state. This image can come back to haunt me a little when I am NOT balanced and feel myself running out of steam because I can literally feel the lack of ojas inside me and once you connect with your ojas, its presence is fiercely obvious.
As it plays such an important role in our ability to live a full and harmonious life and is responsible for our overall wellbeing, understanding how much ojas have and how to prevent its depletion are essential tenants of Ayurvedic health. The more ojas we have and the way we live life in order to keep it stable is what creates vibrancy in our lives.
The benefits of healthy ojas are easy to identify and help life feel easy and joyful:
HIGH IMMUNITY: The ability to mostly avoid illness and to recover quickly when we do become ill.
HIGH QUALITY, REFRESHING SLEEP: Consistently good quality sleep means falling asleep easily, resting peacefully and waking feeling refreshed.
BEAUTIFUL RADIANT SKIN: When ojas is in good condition in the body, it is evident on the skin. Skin glows and is bright and clear.
VITALITY: High ojas gives the body stamina and keeps us from feeling exhausted. We feel clear in the mind and have energy for the things we want and need to do in life. The body is strong and capable.
MENTAL CLARITY: With proper ojas, we have good memory retention, can focus easily, and have the stability of mind to complete tasks.
POSITIVE OUTLOOK: Strong ojas helps us see the good in life, feel connected to our loved ones and our goals, passions and dreams. We are optimistic and can enjoy life.
HEALTHY DIGESTION: The digestion works well when ojas is high. And good digestions means that other functions of the body are in good standing and we are receiving the nutrition needed to keep the body healthy.
A SENSE OF HARMONY WITHIN: Ojas creates harmony and balance and allows us to feel “in the moment” while also enjoying peace about our past and positivity about the future. We feel good inside the deepest parts of ourselves.
We can attain this level of harmony in the body when we eat whole, fresh, easy to digest and well spiced meals with foods that are in season, digested well and made with love, when we have regular movement/exercise, when we are maintaining healthy relationships and staying in relationships and environments that elevate our vibration, by being in healthy situations with people who build us up, with meditation and/or spiritual practices that bring a sense of peace and that we look forward to, when we allow time for stillness and rest and give ourselves adequate sleep within healthy sleep cycles (ie; sleeping and waking at the same time each night), when we hydrate the body well, when we have enough vitamins & minerals within our diet and water sources, when we connect with nature, when we engage in routines of self care, when we implement creative projects and when we invite love, forgiveness, gratitude, service and generosity into our lives.
When ojas is low, it is also easy to identify and easily felt within and can look like any of the following:
PRONE TO ILLNESS: Becoming sick easily or often and having a hard time recovering are signs of low immunity and low ojas.
EXHAUSTION: With low ojas, if feels difficult to ever catch up on rest. Even a full night sleep doesn’t make us feel rested and energy remains low most of the time. Every task feels like a chore and the body can start to feel heavy.
POOR SLEEP QUALITY: Low ojas makes it hard to sleep well. Sometimes it is hard to fall asleep, sometimes we wake easily in the night and can’t go back to sleep and sometimes even a decent night’s sleep doesn’t feel like enough.
DIGESTIVE ISSUES: Gas, bloating, irregular or difficult elimination, low metabolism, cravings, feeling hungry all the time or not often enough are all signs that ojas is low in the body.
MENTAL INSTABILITY: Low ojas can make us forgetful, foggy, have trouble concentrating or even cause headaches.
DULL, DRY OR REACTIVE SKIN: Ojas is directly responsible for the health of the skin and often when it is low, it shows up on the skin. When dullness strikes or blemishes appear, this is a clear sign that ojas needs support.
HORMONAL IMBALANCE AND MENSTRUAL INSTABILITY: The period, for women, is a great way to judge the health of ojas. When menses becomes disturbed, it is evident that ojas is being impacted.
A SENSE OF DISHARMONY WITHIN: Low ojas just leaves us feeling blah! Sometimes it’s even hard to pinpoint where the blah is coming from but we can feel scattered, overwhelmed, dull, highly sensitive, and generally just “off.”
Poor ojas is so common and is becoming more and more normalized in our present society. Poor digestion of foods that are made from too many preservatives and/or at restaurants, unhealthy fats and too much sugar and bad oils, eating on the go or too often or not often enough and in stressful or chaotic situations, sitting too long and avoiding movement for both pleasure and for exercise, low vibration substances (alcohol, sugar, drugs, tobacco) and even excessive use of mind altering “positive” drug experiences, poor sleep at irregular hours and with phones plugged in near our heads and televisions on to “help with sleep,” chronic stress and failing to spend time in nature, toxic or unhealthy relationships and unhealthy, unworthy thoughts about self.
Building and maintaining healthy ojas can feel like a big mountain to climb, especially when we are starting from a place of low vibration and low quality lifestyle practices and relationships. But one small and simple change at a time starts to raise the vibration, making change more enjoyable, easier and more sustainable with each step.
If you are invested in your long term health and well-being but don’t know where to start, Om Maitri is here to help you. With small steps, great things are possible. Schedule a consult today and let us help you on your path to a joyful, balanced, vital life!
