My Vedic Life

Prana, Tejas, and Ojas are the subtle forms of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha respectively and they have an influence over our mind & body. Prana and Tejas are rooted in Ojas and can be regarded as aspects of Ojas.

 OJAS:

• Ojas is the subtle form of Kapha and it is the essence that is responsible for life, radiant health, strong immunity, vigor, longevity, and overall well-being of an individual.  The subtle essence called Ojas that is extracted from the proper digestion and efficient metabolism of food nourishes our 7 dhatus. Ojas also form the basic material of the five sense organs, ligaments, and lubricating fluids. Improper digestion leads to the production of ama or toxins in the body.  The accumulation of ama/toxins in the bodily tissues is what leads to disease.
• Ojas is affected by not only the food we take in and its healthy digestion, but also by the sensory impressions we take in. So it is important that we don't expose our sense organs to violent & unhealthy things. For example, we must not watch movies that are too violent and dark, we must not speak abusive language or be in the company of people who are constantly shouting or abusing us. All this affects our ojas as well.
• Ojas is diminished by overeating. Most of us don’t leave the dining table unless we are so full that we feel we won't even be able to eat one more bite! This is very unhealthy, you must always leave the table with the feeling that you can still eat one bite, but you choose not to. Never stuff yourself with food up to the brim.

 TEJAS (Agni):

• Tejas is responsible for inner radiance, glow or aura, luster in one’s eyes, clarity, fearlessness, courage, intelligence, and understanding and comprehension at the cellular level.  It is the subtle and positive essence or counterpart of the "Pitta" or fire element in the body and is responsible for the digestion and metabolism of everything we take in. So if Tejas is affected, the digestion is affected, and if digestion is affected, Ojas is affected too which will attract diseases at physical & mental levels.
• One of the easiest ways to ensure a balanced Tejas, is fixing the time of our meals, so the digestive fire, the Tejas knows exactly when it must be activated, in the yogic tradition, yogis would always eat their meals at the exact same time every day, and would eat their dinner before sunset. This is an ideal practice & if you’re serious about your health, you must adapt to this practice today itself. At Least fix 3 days in a week, when you will eat dinner before sunset, and you will see your digestion will get sorted. Also, fix your meal times each day, and try to eat a heavy breakfast, a relatively less heavy lunch, and a light dinner. The dinner must be the lightest meal of your day, in order to balance your Tejas.

PRANA:

• Prana is the subtle form of Vata Dosha and can be defined as ‘the life force’ or ‘the breath of life’. It is the factor responsible for life. It is responsible for vitality and energy and functions such as respiration, digestion, circulation, excretion, etc.
• Prana maintains a state of harmony between the body and the mind and is hence responsible for all the psycho-physical functions in the body.
• The vital life force or Prana flows through these 7 Chakras. Based on the location and functions it carries out at the levels of various Chakras, there results in 10 types of Pranas. These are:

1. Prana – located in the heart chakra and responsible for respiratory and circulatory functions.
2. Apana – located in the root chakra and is responsible for elimination.
3. Samana – located in the solar plexus chakra and is responsible for digestion.
4. Udana – located in the throat chakra and is responsible for the sound.
5. Vyana – located in the sacral chakra and is responsible for movement and circulation throughout the body.
6. Naga – responsible for eructation.
7. Kurma – responsible for opening eyes.
8. Krikara – responsible for hunger and thirst.
9. Devadatta – responsible for yawning.
10. Dhananjay – responsible for hiccough.