Reclaim your energy and vitality with these ojas-building Ayurvedic tips for self-care. Feel energized and balanced, and glow from the inside out.
Do you struggle to get a good night's sleep or do you constantly have low energy? If you haven't been feeling like yourself lately, it's possible you may need more ojas—your vital energy reserve that supports immunity, mood, strength, resiliency and digestion.
In Ayurveda, ojas is the key to optimal health and vibrant vitality. This vital energy reserve is the fountain of wellness you have been looking for. When you lack ojas, even the most disciplined wellness routine that includes eating healthy and exercising regularly can fall short in helping you feel your best.
Ojas is often described as your deep inner radiance. It’s what keeps you glowing from the inside out, fuels your capacity to deal with stress and maintain balance. When your ojas is abundant, you feel calm, centered and ready to take on anything that comes your way.
But in a world that glorifies overworking and achievement, ojas is easily depleted, leading to burnout, low energy, dry skin, poor digestion, sleep issues and many other signs of imbalance.
The good news? You can build ojas with simple Ayurvedic self-care practices. Bring balance back to your life with these Ayurvedic tips.
Why Ojas Matters
In Ayurveda, ojas is considered the essence of water—the foundation of life and vitality. When ojas is high, you experience a sense of peaceful contentment and resilience. Your digestion functions optimally, your skin radiates and you feel energized naturally.
Ojas is something you need to nourish, protect and build over time. By regularly incorporating specific self-care practices into your routine, you can strengthen your ojas.
The 3 Subtle Essences: Prana, Tejas and Ojas
Ojas is one of the three subtle essences in Ayurveda: prana, tejas and ojas. These energies work together to maintain balance and harmony in your life.
Prana is the essence of air and governs breath, senses, thought and movement of energy throughout the body. It supports creativity, emotional harmony and mental clarity.
Tejas is the essence of fire and represents inner radiance, courage and the ability to perceive and make decisions. It fuels your determination and inner strength.
Ojas, the essence of water, holds, contains and nourishes. It’s your reserves of vitality and resilience that directly impact your overall wellness.
Together, these three essences create sattva, the state of balance, ease and harmony. With a strong foundation of ojas, you’ll experience the ideal blend of clarity, vitality and resilience.
6 Ayurvedic Tips to Build Ojas: Start Today
These Ayurvedic tips are designed to help you build ojas, reclaim your energy and restore your vitality. Incorporate these self-care rituals into your routine for lasting balance.
1. Eat according to your dosha and the season.
In Ayurveda, the foods you eat play a vital role in building and maintaining your ojas. To nourish your vital energy, it's essential to eat according to your dosha (your unique mind-body constitution), the season of the year and your stage of life. Eating foods that balance your dosha will help replenish your ojas and keep your digestion strong.
For vata: Eat cooked root vegetables and grounding, warm foods like soups and stews.
For pitta: Opt for cooling, soothing foods like cucumbers and mint.
For kapha: Choose light, warm and slightly spicy foods to stimulate digestion and metabolism like cooked spinach with garlic and onions.
Discover the six tastes of Ayurveda—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent—and learn how to eat for your dosha.
2. Practice Abhyanga.
Abhyanga, Ayurvedic self-massage with warm oil, is one of the most powerful ways to nourish and build ojas, and one of my all-time favorite Ayurvedic self-care practices. The Sanskrit (ancient language of yoga) word for "oil," sneha, also means "love"—which makes Abhyanga a deeply nourishing self-love practice.
Using a warmed oil like sesame, coconut, or avocado oil, starting from your feet and working toward the crown of your head, massage the oil in circular motions, focusing on the joints and longer bones. This practice not only nourishes your skin but also boosts circulation, relieves stress and soothes your nervous system.
Practice Abhyanga at least a few times a week to calm your mind and body, and give your skin a healthy, glowing complexion.
3. Surround yourself with nature.
Spending time outdoors is one of the best ways to build ojas and reconnect with the earth’s nurturing energy. Whether it's a long morning walk around the neighborhood or gazing at a sky full of stars from your front porch, nature has an incredible way of replenishing your vital energy.
Get outside every day, even if it's just for a few minutes. Breathe deeply, soak up the fresh air, and allow the natural world to restore your ojas.
4. Prioritize peaceful silence.
A busy, noisy life can leave you with little time for reflection and put you on the fast track to depleting your ojas. To build and preserve your vital energy, it’s essential to spend time in silence every day. Silence calms the mind, reduces stress and creates a deep sense of peace.
During this silent time, you can meditate or sit quietly observing your breath to restore your inner balance. Aim to spend at least a few minutes each day in quiet contemplation.
5. Experience deep rest with yoga nidra and restorative yoga.
Yoga nidra, known as yogic sleep or sleep meditation, is a guided practice that helps you get into a state of deep relaxation. Because it is incredibly restorative, it can build ojas by promoting deep rest. For this practice, you rest comfortably in Savasana with blankets or other yoga props to support you. Traditionally, an instructor takes you through a series of prompts that bring your awareness and attention to different points on your body. In this practice, you're not quite awake but you're also not quite asleep.
A restorative yoga practice that includes poses that emphasize longer holds, such as supported seated forward folds and reclined twists help relax the body and mind and restore vitality.
6. Make quality sleep a priority.
Sleep is essential for replenishing ojas. Aim for seven to nine hours of restful sleep every night to allow your body to rejuvenate. The amount of sleep you need and the time you wake up may vary based on your dosha. For example, vata dosha needs more sleep than the other doshas. If kapha is your primary dosha, wake up before the sunrise or before 6 p.m. (whichever comes first).
To ensure high-quality sleep, create a peaceful bedtime routine that is free from screens and stressful thoughts. Before bed, journal about your worries or anything that may be preventing you from falling asleep to get it out of your mind and onto paper.
Build and Protect Your Ojas for Vibrant Vitality
Building ojas and maintaining it is a lifelong process. By incorporating these Ayurvedic tips into your daily routine, you can create a foundation of vitality, resilience and peace. Remember, the key to nourishing your ojas is to protect it from depletion. When ojas is strong, you’ll feel more energized and balanced. Take time every day to build ojas and embrace the vibrant life you deserve.
Ready to glow from the inside out? Start building ojas today with these Ayurvedic self-care rituals and you'll quickly experience more energy, balance and vitality in every area of your life.
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