You know it when you feel it– the joy of life! Make it a daily occurrence by cultivating your Ojas, Ayurveda’s ancient secret for health, longevity, and fertility. Some times you feel this due to outside occurrences, like a great work out, or a perfect date, or sometimes it just mysteriously happens and you are in the best mood. Ayurveda says you can tap into this, our Ojas, whenever we want to.
Ojas (OH-jas) are your energy sources for life, vitality, and longevity. By cultivating your Ojas you can achieve a new level of vibrant health. Ojas are said to be found in both the heart and circulating throughout our tissues. Ojas can be stimulated by stoking the Pitta fire that lies with in all of us (even though your dosha may be a Vata, you still must survive with both Kapha and Pitta). One way to open up your Pitta fire is to drink some ginger tea. In the morning your Agni fire has died down, but drinking ginger tea throughout the day helps stoke that internal fire and can help clear ama (toxins), and aid digestion. Having a variety of foods that are salty, sweet, sour, spicy, astringent, and bitter also helps to cultivate agni, the fire of Pitta.
Choose the freshest ingredients– your meal begins at the market. Ayurveda pays special attention to the vital energy of foods– especially fresh greens, grains, and fruit. Getting regular exercise is essential for augmenting Ojas, and exercise nourishes us at every level of our being. Virtually anything that gets the blood flowing will make you more calm and benefit your Ojas. Massage is also essential for stoking up our Ojas. it isn’t just pampering– it is a necessity for a healthier life. It also aids blood flow, which stimulates the Ojas, stokes the Agni and Pitta, calms the Vata, and grounds the Kapha.
Lastly, don’t skimp on sleep. Ojas hold together consciousness and matter. When we are exhausted, this connection grows thin. If you must get less than 8 hours of sleep, Ayurveda suggests that it is best to go to bed early and get up early, sleeping from 10:00 pm to 4:00 am is better than sleeping from two am to eight am. So strive for balance!
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