What is a Guna? The three Gunas are groupings of different qualities of energy in parkriti (physical matter.) Any living being has Gunas, and it is one of three “propensities” of the mind, body and soul or consciousness. The three gunas are Sattva, Rajas and Tamas gunas. These categories define and reflect our health, behaviour, thinking and diet.
- Sattvic means purity, health, harmony and well-being.
- Rajasic means stress, anger, activity and restlessness.
- Tamasic means dullness, laziness and lethargy.
Every one of us has all these three gunas, but their proportion varies. For example- Tamas guna is required for adequate rest and sleep, Rajas guna necessary for work and Sattva for fulfilling aspirations in life. A yogic way of life aims to increase the Sattva guna to nurture consciousness via healthy body and mind. And sattvic bhojan is an accessible way to increase our sattva guna. Because the food we eat impacts us at the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level. Diet plays a pivotal role to progress towards the realisation of a spiritual path.