The following article is asking you to view the word “feeling” in a new light. The aim is to push you to see beyond a limited view of spiritual practice, and to feel, as best you can, what I am writing.
What does being sattvic actually mean? According to Ayurveda, sattva is the quality of nature that brings about balance, peace, Sattvic lifepurity and clarity. It is one of the three subtle qualities or ‘gunas’ that exist in all of nature. The other two qualities are rajas and tamas, rajas being the quality of energy, movement and transformation that creates imbalance in life, while tamas being the quality of solidity, heaviness and stagnancy that creates inertia. If we want to become healthy or to maintain good health using an Ayurvedic approach then, without doubt, moving towards a sattvic life is a key element in this process.
“Sometimes we are not fed by food but by the energy in our lives… everything is food… We hunger for play, fun, touch, romance, intimacy, love, achievement, success, art, music, self-expression, leadership, excitement, adventure and spirituality” Joshua Rosenthal, Integrative Nutrition.
When I studied with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition I was introduced to the concept of Primary Foods – the idea that there is so much more in life that nourishes us than what we put into our mouths (secondary food).