Mental Health and The Gunas
What Are The Gunas?
The Gunas are qualities of nature. There are many gunas used in Ayurveda. However, there are three main gunas, known as the Maha (great) Gunas. These Maha Gunas are important in understanding the mind and psychology.
The Mind has 2 functions:
To interpret senses = Input.
To influence behavior; action = Output.
The 3 Gunas color both this input and output. They are called the dosas of the mind. Ayurveda not only looks at the influence of these three main qualities, it also uses them to treat imbalances of the mind.
Rajas is kinetic energy. It is dynamic, active, restless, hot, passionate, and excited. It can distort perception. Rajas creates desire. It allows for motivation. If Rajas was an animal, it would be a hummingbird.
Tamas is the opposite of Rajas. It is inertia, the classic texts call it, “sloth and torpor.” Tamas is apathy, dullness, and obscures awareness. Tamas creates a heavy dullness necessary for rest and sleep. If Tamas was an animal, it would be a sloth or a “couch potato.”
Sattva is the light of balance and harmony. It is pure, truth, understanding, and allows for the expanding of Consciousness. Unlike Rajas and Tamas, Sattva is not a physical quality. Sattva is only a quality of the mind and spirit.
How the Gunas Affect Mental Health
You need some Rajas to show up and stay motivated. However, if you spend your life running around, multi-tasking, and over stimulated, Rajas is out of balance. This can lead to feelings of anger, jealousy, vanity, aversion, or anxiety. Too much Rajas is the root of anxiety and hyperactive/attention disorders. Aggravated Rajas leads to aggravated Vata (air+ space). If this is chronic, it can lead to depression as you, “burn yourself out” until exhaustion. Rajasic foods are stimulants, fermented foods, chocolate, caffeine, onions, garlic, overly salty or spicy foods.
You need Tamas’s dullness in order to rest and sleep at night. If your mind is Rajasic instead, you will not be able to sleep. Tamas is necessary for healing. However, if you spend your time eating Tamasic foods, sleeping too much and being too sedentary, you will create a Tamasic imbalance. This can lead to feelings of fear, worry and/or depression. This can be aggravated Kapha (earth + water) or a result of long-term aggravated Vata. Too much Tamas is the root of phobias and depression. Tamasic foods are frozen food, alcohol, mushrooms, processed foods, sugar, and red meat.
Increasing Sattva
Ayurveda outlines many ways to keep your mind healthy. Curative treatment, known as Yukti Vyapasraya Cikitsa has prescriptive diet, lifestyle measures, herbal medicines, and treatments. Daiva Vypasraya Cikitsa, or faith healing, has mantras, ceremonies, fasting and counseling that support mental health treatment. Sattva Vajaya Cikitisa, is learning how to restrict the mind and build good habits. Thus, Sattva building therapy.
Engaging in Sattvic activities will build Sattva Guna. Some examples are:
Meditation and meditative movement
Mantra Japa
Being in nature
Helping others/charity
Feeding Birds
Cultivating Gratitude
Dinacarya/Self care
Establishing a daily routine
Replacing negative habits with healthy ones
Eating sattvic foods: Fresh foods and veggies, nuts, milk, ghee, water, seeds, etc.
And much more…….
The Ayurvedic Definition of Health
“One who is established in Self, who has balanced doshas (primary life forces), balanced agni (fire of digestion), properly formed dhatus (tissues), proper elimination of malas (waste prod.), well-functioning bodily processes, and whose mind, soul and senses are full of bliss is called a healthy person.” - Sushruta Samhita sutra 15/38. I love this last part, “whose mind, soul and senses are full of bliss.” It’s not just about being physically healthy, but mentally healthy. Understanding the play of the Maha Gunas can help balance our minds.