Ayurveda considers Ojas to be the finest material substance in your body – as much in the realm of consciousness as it is in the realm of matter.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation and Maharishi AyurVeda, said that Ojas is a ‘lamp at the door’ – the junction point between consciousness and matter – lighting both inside and outside.
Because of its role as a link between consciousness and matter, Ojas acts like a glue and is the integrative element in your whole mind/body system. It allows all the opposing values of mental and physiological functioning to work together. Ayurveda sees Ojas as the source and more subtle aspect of Kapha Dosha, just as Tejas is the source of Pitta Dosha and Prana is the source of Vata Dosha.
In a lecture series on the Ayurvedic concept of perfect health, Maharishi stated that the whole of Ayurveda is about Ojas and enlivening and maintaining this substance in your body is central to your state of health. The more Ojas, the better your health, and the stronger your balance, immunity and bliss.
Keep those Shrotas clear
So, how do you enliven and promote Ojas? One major way is through the Panchakarma series of Ayurvedic purification treatments.
Ojas is seen by Ayurveda as finest physical value of biological intelligence and the most refined product of complete digestion. It moves throughout the body in fine channels or Shrotas. Some Shrotas are large, such as arteries and the digestive tract, and some are small, such as capillaries and cellular pores. The Shrotas that distibute Ojas around the body, are of the subtlest kind and care need to be taken that these fine channels remain free of obstructions.
Unbalanced diet, overeating, lack of exercise, stress and poor routine can all lead to obstructions in these fine Shrota channels and the result is, an inadequate supply of life-enhancing Ojas. Panchakarma is Ayurveda’s main treatment for removing such blockages and re-enlivening Ojas thoughout the body.
When you purify the Shrotas, Ojas (nature’s intelligence) can flow more freely. This is why regular Panchakarma treatments helps prevent disease. Ojas is the physical manifestation of perfect health and when perfect health is lively in your body, it is hard for ill health to take hold.
Nurture and nourish and your heart
Although Ojas is found in every part of your body, the heart is seen by Ayurveda as its primary seat. Ojas is the promoter of bliss and long life and it supports emotional well-being and the immune system. When Ojas is abundant, you literally glow with good health.
The following Maharishi AyurVeda supplements are designed to support the health of the heart, promote and maintain Ojas and clear the channels through which this highly intelligent substance flows.
Cardio Support
Stress, pressure at work, poor diet, and lack of exercise deplete Ojas and can also put you at risk of cardiovascular (CVC) disease. Industrialised countries tend to have the highest rates of CVC disease.
Cardio Support (MA1816) supports the heart by increasing Ojas and by improving your resistance to physical and emotional stress. By supporting digestion and fat metabolism, it also helps keep your arterial walls clear.
To help keep your heart healthy as you age, its ingredients nourish the blood and muscle tissues and support the overall functioning of the heart.
Cardio Support balances the three sub-doshas that govern the heart:
- Sadhaka, a sub-dosha of Pitta that controls emotional balance
- Avalumbaka, a sub-dosha of Kapha that supports stability, strength and the sense of security
- Vyana, a sub-dosha of Vata that regulates blood flow and heartbeat.
Cardio Support protects your heart in six ways:
- Promotes Ojas and thereby supports immunity
- Enhances both the connection and coordination between the mind and body
- Strengthens digestion and the emotions
- Nourishes the heart muscles and supports normal cardiac functioning
- By supporting balanced fat metabolism, it nourishes the tissues, Shrotas and heart valves
- Promotes healthy blood.
Blood Pressure Balance
Stress and poor diet can result in restricted blood flow in the arteries and high blood pressure, which can lead to stoke and heart disease. By aiding healthy digestion, and by balancing fat metabolism, Blood Pressure Balance helps maintain normal and clear arterial walls. Boerhavia, Jatamansi, Indian Frankincense and Arjuna, help reduce stress and balance blood pressure. This supplement also supports the blood, muscles and heart functioning, to help keep your heart healthy as you age.
Blood Pressure Balance:
- nurtures and nourishes your heart
- helps with emotional challenges by strengthen the heart
- fortifies the multiple levels within the heart muscle
- assists blood flow by cleansing the cardiovascular channels
- enhances your natural resistance to stress.
Ayurvedic tips to promote both Ojas and heart health
Cultivating happiness is a divine medicine that promotes Ojas and supports a healthy heart
- Avoid spending too much time watching TV, performing mental work and working late at night, as these activities deplete Ojas
- Avoid getting angry or anxious, or situations of high pressure. Many people find the Peace at Night supplement helps calm their mind and emotions without reducing alertness
- Sattva is the quality of harmony, love and divinity; it maintains balance in body and mind and naturally promotes Ojas. Certain foods are known to increase Sattva and these include sweet fruits, nuts, milk, butter and ghee. Meals cooked with love are full of Sattva. Love itself is a quality of Sattva
- An organic vegetarian diet, made from fresh ingredients, is good for the heart
- A regular supply of different types of fats is essential for the body and for the brain. Fats can be hard to digest though and should be consumed in modest amounts, according to your digestive power. Ghee is more easily digested than most fats and is said to aid in the production of Ojas
- Eat in a settled and quiet atmosphere
- Eat home-cooked meals as much as possible and avoid fast-foods and ready-made meals
- Reduce coffee, chocolate and other caffeinated products, as caffeine can increase your blood pressure
- Exercise every day. Exercise increases heart strength, depletes excess fat and brings a feeling of lightness to your body
- Create a home environment that is pleasing and restful to your senses
- Nurture your heart with love and affection and avoid emotional confrontations
- Avoid very pungent spices, such as chilli and garlic, and favour milder spices, such as cumin, coriander, fennel, cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric, as these spices are cleansing and enhance digestion without irritating and over-heating your system
- Early to bed and early to rise and make sure you gain deep sleep each night. Our range of Blissful Sleep supplements can help with this
- Practice Transcendental Meditation (TM), which has been proven by more than 600 scientific studies to reduce stress and related diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis and stroke. Maharishi maintained that the process of transcending, thought the practice of TM, facilitates the production of Ojas
- If you are under pressure, or feeling nervous and anxious, a regular Ayurvedic oil massage (Abhyanga) will help. You will find Ayurveda Massage Oils useful.
