Ayurveda is the ‘science of life’, the traditional medicine system of India. It focuses on gently restoring balance, bringing ourselves back into harmony, by living in accordance with nature – both with the world around us and with our own nature. At the very core of Ayurveda is the cultivation of inner peace.
Universal Qualities
According to Ayurveda, there are three universal qualities that comprise everything in nature including within our minds, bodies, our experiences, lifestyle and the food we ingest.
These qualities (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas) have a direct effect on our inner peace, as they influence our physical behavior, mental health and emotional balance. A healthy balance of all three is required for wellness.
- Sattva – Sattva is the quality of stability, wisdom, intelligence, harmony and virtue. It is said to be luminous and light in nature and to promote awakening, clarity, peace, truth and happiness.
- Rajas – Rajas is the quality of movement, energy, motivation and activity, but also of distraction and turbulence. It has a fiery quality.
- Tamas – is the quality of heaviness, inertia, dullness and darkness. It can promote groundedness, but also causes degeneration and decay.
How Food Affects our Inner Peace
The food we eat also has sattvic, rajasic or tamasic effects on our bodies, minds and emotions. As ‘like’ increases ‘like’, it is useful to understand the difference between a rajasic, tamasic, and a sattvic food. Here are some examples:
Rajasic food tends to be stimulating (or hot) and acidic. This can have a positive effect, e.g. foods that warm and stimulate digestion like dry ginger and black pepper. But they can also be too heating and destabilising e.g. hot chilli, coffee, red wine. Too many rajastic foods can really disrupt our inner peace by promoting too much disturbance e.g. speediness, anxiety, scatterdness.
Tamasic foods tend to be heavy and oily. They often feel really comforting and can be grounding, but in excess they can be hard to digest e.g. meat, cheese, potatoes, nachos, pasta and beer. Too many tamasic foods can really disrupt our inner peace by promoting too much heaviness and dullness (on all levels!)
Sattvic foods are considered to be full of prana (the life force), supportive of mental wellness and clarity, easy and light to digest, pure. They nourish the body. They are considered ‘real food’ such as organic fruit and vegetables, basmati rice, ghee and pure, raw honey. Ensuring an abundance of sattvic foods is a wonderful way to support all round wellness.
Herbs for Inner Peace
We are fortunate that there are also many sattvic herbs that we can add to our diet to support our quest for inner peace! Ayurveda recognises many herbs for their sattvic quality.
The Queen of herbs, Tulsi (Holy Basil) is considered to be one of the most sattvic of all herbs. Tulsi is known to impart the quality of lightness and spiritual clarity, while also promoting inner calm by supporting a healthy stress response. There are a myriad of other ways Tulsi supports us everyday, helping to restore balance and harmony to our bodies.
Other well-known sattvic herbs and spices include Ashwagandha, Shatavari, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cumin Seeds, Fennel Seeds, Saffron and Turmeric.
You will find many of these nourishing herbs and spices throughout the ORGANIC INDIA Tulsi Tea range, and of course, you will find the most sattvic of all herbs, Tulsi, in every single blend! Sattvic Tulsi Teas are an easy, delicious way to promote inner peace.