Your Simple Guide to Better Energy
Many of us have probably heard the phrase, “I know it when I see it.” It’s what we say when we know something, but we just can’t find the words to describe it. I’ve been thinking about this idea lately with the yogic concept of sattwa.
Yoga philosophy says that three qualities of energy imbue our everyday lives, and they are called the gunas. One guna is tamas, and this energy is often associated with inertia. It’s dark, heavy. Think Jabba the Hut. All sluggish. And moist.
Tamas is considered the lowest kind of energy. It drags us down. But, and this is very important, it is not to be confused with rest. Rest is vital. Tamas energy is more like trying to move in thick, deep mud. You might make some progress, but it is so very hard.
The second guna, or quality of energy, is rajas, and this is motivation, ambition, fire. The yogis say this is important energy to have, because it is the energy that fuels change and growth.
If this energy gets out of whack, it can turn into restlessness, pushiness, a constant need for external achievement and approval. At its extreme it ignites like a wildfire and leads to things like burnout and road rage.
Harnessed well, rajas energy is the strong and beautiful horse we can ride to make our way toward the third kind of energy, sattwa.
Sattwa is the quality I was mentioning earlier, the kind that we all know when we see it, but it is almost impossible to describe. If you are familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, sattwa is self-actualization. Or what some might call flow. It’s that energy where you can find effortless effort, ease, joy, radiance.
There are some—I’m looking at you, Your Awesomeness, the Dalai Lama—who exude this energy all of the time. But for most of us, this kind of energy is like a lightning bug. It’s this rare moment of magic that disappears almost as quickly as it comes.
The thing about sattwa energy, though, is we can create the conditions where it is more likely to happen. Not out of a sense of shame or should, because those are more tamasic kinds of energy. They drag us down.
Think of it this way. How likely are you to see a firefly in your basement? Not very. How likely are you to see a firefly in a Minnesota field at night in June? Much more likely.
So, what are the things that make you feel that indescribable quality of delight and flow? And how can you make choices that make that more likely?
For me, it’s yoga. Put me on a mat, and all kinds of good things start to happen. For others, it might be gardening. Or biking. Or singing. Or woodworking. Or cooking.
Working toward sattvic energy isn’t meant to be a punishment. It’s meant to be an invitation. To do what we can to bring more magic into our lives. More delight. Joy. Flow. Glow. It’s a chance to let go of that which is dragging us down and to let go of always pushing so hard.
It’s our opportunity to practice living light.