Ojas and Ama
Have you heard of Ojas and Ama? These are two key Ayurvedic concepts that can inspire us to take steps back to our most radiant health.
Ojas is our capacity for ultimate health, fertility and vitality. Ojas is known in Ayurveda as the most refined substance of our food and tissues, like honey is to flowers. Imagine being born with a ojas tank. A well nourished, well loved baby has a full tank. Over time, stress and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors start to drain the tank. But we can also top up the tank through restorative behaviors and food choices. We want to keep our ojas tank full because strong ojas means robust immunity, a great reserve of energy, and longevity.
A person with strong ojas can be recognized by a luster in their eyes, strong hair and nails, and radiant, glowing skin. Good ojas comes from eating pure, healthy foods, especially ghee, almonds, honey, rice, milk, avocados, dates, and fresh organic fruits and veggies. We also build ojas by minimizing stress, spending time in nature, living our purpose, practicing yoga, pranayama, and meditation, and feeling joy.
A person with low ojas has dry, dull skin, hair, and eyes. Their immunity is low, they get sick easily, and they have a lack of enthusiasm and are often fatigued. Things that zap our ojas include eating foods that aren't good for our mind body type, eating processed, fried, not fresh foods, chronic overeating or undereating, excessive stress, unpredictable routine, not getting enough sleep, going to bed or waking up too late, drugs and alcohol, overly strenuous exercise, and too much exposure to heat and wind.
If you’re feeling a bit low in your ojas tank, you might think you should go and buy a bunch of avocados, ghee, dates, honey and milk this moment. But there’s another important thing to consider: ama. If you have ama, the first step is to clean up your diet and cleanse your body, before adding the rich, nourishing foods that are meant to increase your ojas.
Ama is toxins. We accumulate ama by eating foods that our body type can't digest well, eating before our previous meal is digested, eating too late at night, and eating too much. We are also exposed to environmental ama via the air we breathe, pesticides and preservatives in our foods, and chemicals in our homes. Ama blocks our natural vitality and clogs the channels that allow nourishment and energy to flow. You can imagine ama as a cloudy veil that covers your natural radiance. Ayurveda offers ama cleansing practices and digestive fire kindling to remove toxins and get us back on track to excellent health and living in the flow with life.
Book an Ayurvedic Wellness Consultation with me to find out about the state of your Ojas and Ama and learn ways to build your vitality and get rid of toxins based on your particular state of health and your unique mind-body consitution!
