Three Self-Care Recipes for Prana-Tejas-Ojas
Let’s admit it, we expect a lot from ourselves. We expect our body to be at the ready whenever we call on it for action (regardless of what we eat, how much sleep we get, or whether we’ve been supplying it with demands). We expect the mind to produce — and to be organized, fast, and efficient in its response! We expect to bounce back quickly and be at the starting gate fresh-faced and ready to go after physical, mental, or emotional insult. We’re pretty lucky, because most of the time, the body, mind, and emotions come through for us. It’s easy to take for granted.
So, whether your body feels in tip-top shape or it’s asking for a little love, it’s never the wrong time to show a little appreciation for the one who shows up for you time and time again: you!
Prana: For Your Body — Simply Let It Flow!
Have you ever obsessed over acne or a wrinkle, a few extra pounds, or some other physical change? By fixating on the body, we create so many physical and psychological ailments. We know the body will age. Ayurveda defines the physical body as “that which is bound to disintegrate, deteriorate, age with time.” Isn’t it wise to maintain a constant awareness of the true nature of the body?
The more we fixate, the more we stagnate the prana. It’s best to get out of our own way and simply let it flow.
Next time you look at your body and worry, become sad, angry, compare, or feel proud, mentally repeat or contemplate this quote from Swami Ramana Maharishi: “Deham Naham. Koham? Soham.” This means, “I am not the body, then who am I? I am consciousness.” Make it your mantra. Repeat it as needed.
Let the awareness flowing through this practice bring peace to your life and heart.
Reference: Soma: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care, Recipe No. 30
Tejas: For Your Mind — Free the Mind, Free the Bind.
Emotion brings texture to life, but unchecked, it can bring out the worst. It’s so important to release pent-up emotions such as anger, frustration, sadness, and fear on a regular basis. When tension rises, vent off the steam with a conscious emotional hiss!
Performed in bhujanga asana/cobra pose, the following practice becomes a kriya that cleanses, refreshes, and resets.
Practice:
- Lie down on the belly/Stand facing the wall /Sit on a chair with a bolster on the thighs, establishing diaphragmatic breath.
- Consciously gather, as if sweeping, all the pent-up emotions of sadness, fear, anger, aversion, guilt, and frustration from the entire body as sensations, images, and sounds in your belly. Take several breaths to sweep.
- With pure intention to let go, rise up in bhujanga asana (use the support of the hands on the floor/wall/over the bolster) with a fiery hiss and a fierce expression, letting go of all stress, venom, anger, inflammation, stagnation, and all pent-up emotions.
- Repeat until you feel the grip of emotions release or dilute.
- Lie down and rest in shavasana and just be.
Reference: Soma: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care, Recipe No. 23
Ojas: For Your Soul – A Little Bit of Ojas Goes a Long Way
Mornings have a bad reputation. Sometimes they’re even met with dread, disdain, or loathing at the idea of getting out of bed. But what if you could shift that sluggish, groggy, heavy feeling into a beautiful moment of self-awareness? How? Cultivate the ritual of waking up consciously.
Often, what is transformative was in front of our eyes all along. We just have to do it. Such is the way with Atma Tattva Avalokanam. Literally translated as “self,” “the substance,” and “the act of witnessing,” the practice of Atma Tattva Avalokanam means waking up with awareness of the real self.
Practice:
- As you begin to wake up, before you even open your eyes, observe if it’s touch, sound, thought, emotion, fragrance, or light catching your attention.
- Consciously bring your awareness to the seat of the soul — your heart — and just stay there, thinking nothing, feeling nothing, wanting nothing; simply witnessing the quiet, still, content presence.
- Let this feeling of connection become the baseline you return to as you experience ups and downs throughout the day. As challenges arise, bring conscious awareness to the seat of the soul to return you to blissful balance.
Reference: Soma: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care, Recipe No. 1
The above recipes are from the book, SOMA: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care by Indu Arora. The book is available as an e-book or expanded hard copy from the author’s website.
Indu Arora considers herself a student for a lifetime. As a Yoga and Ayurveda teacher, she shares her experiences from the last two decades across more than 50 cities worldwide. Her unique gift is making Yoga and Ayurveda a practice, equally useful for a beginner as for a sincere seeker who made Yoga a lifelong journey. She is the author of Mudra: The Sacred Secret (2015), Yoga: Ancient Heritage, Tomorrow’s Vision (2005, 2019), and SOMA: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care (e-book, 2020, expanded hard copy, 2022). She lives in Minneapolis with her spouse.
