THE THREE GUNAS:
The guna translates as a quality, attribute, property. The closest approxiamtion is to say that gunas are the qualities in nature.
The three qualities are present in all things and beings in the world. They emerge creating the essential aspects of all nature; energy, matter and consciousness.
In human behavior studies, guna means personality tendencies, innate natural attributes and endencies of an individual.
The three gunas are:
TAMAS: darkness, inertia, inactivity, and chaos. to reduce tams avoid foods that are heavy, processed foods, meats processed and refined foods
RAJA: activity, passion, energetic disposition, active tendencies. yo reduce rajas, avoid over exercising, overwork, excessive thinking, spicy foods and stimulants.
SATTVA: essential natural state of being, pure essence, harmony, balance, joy. To increase sattva quality reduce both, tamas and rajas. The best sattvic foods are leafy greens, fruits that are ripe, seeds and nuts, and vegetables.
LAGHANA/BRAHMANA: Ayuruvedic principles or heating and cooling
The practice of Yoga aims to create a state of balance, reducing Rajas and Tamas. Often, yoga sequences and practices are geared to create one of the two energetic qualities.
LAGHANA: to reduce, to fast, in relationship to yoga asanas, it concerns to the practices that slow down metabolism, relaxes the body, quiets down the nervous system, cools down the body, quiets the mind. useful where Rajas predominate.
BRAHMANA: to expand, in yoga supporting the practices which speed up the metabolism, stimulate, warm up the body create more heat, activate the mind, useful for tamasic tendencies in the body
DOSHAS: are the Ayurvedic types of one’s characteristics. All three doshas are present in everyone but there is predominance of one in relationship to the others.
PITA CHARACTERISTICS:
Strong tempered
Very cheerful
Very social, talks nicely, is liked
Quick digestion eats fast
Intolerant to hunger
Intolerant to heat
VATA CHARACTERISTICS:
Lean body frame
Very active
Easily agitated
Not content in one place
Poor appetite
Lack of sleep
Digestive capacities very poor
Intolerant to cold
Unsteady in making decisions
KAPHA CHARACTERISTICS:
Calm and composed
Complacent nature
Firm judgements
Slow paced
Slow digestion
Sleeps deeply
Large body frame
