The Sap of Life

I hope you’re having a brilliant day. Mine has been great. I’m just back from a walk.  

Daily walks are one of the things I’ve started as a result of COVID-19. I take one after lunch to aid in digestion and another after I eat my light dinner if I’m not teaching. These walks are really rewarding on a number of levels. I love the gorgeous old trees in my neighbourhood. Under some clusters of trees, I feel I’m enveloped by calming energy. It’s really lovely. I sometimes talk to the trees (internally of course) and let them know how much I appreciate them.

On yesterday's walk, I noticed one of the big old spruce trees oozing lots of sap. I was immediately brought back to my childhood, playing on the swing my grandparents had built between two big old pine trees in their yard. These trees would ooze lots of sap in the summer, just like the one I saw in Strathcona Park here in Ottawa.

Aside from this lovely childhood memory of swinging at my grandparent's farm, I also thought of Ojas, which is often referred to as the sap of life.

You can think of Ojas as “vigour” or “essence of vitality” and on an even more subtle level it is “love”. It is the vital energy that rules your immunity, strength, and happiness—three things you want to have in abundance. When Ojas is depleted you: are less healthy, have less energy and are not at your best mentally and spiritually.

The teachings say each of us is born with a set amount of Ojas which is depleted through life’s activities and events. Women lose some Ojas during menses and childbirth for example. Men lose it through ejaculation. Illness, poor diet and imbalanced lifestyles also deplete Ojas. So you too ooze your sap just like the trees, though less visibly.

There is disagreement as to whether Ojas can be replenished. Some teachings say you are born with one cup of this nectar and that’s it. When depleted you are done. Other systems say Ojas can be restored with adjustments to diet and lifestyle. I’m a believer in the latter.

Eating poorly is a big cause of depleted Ojas. This means things like eating the wrong foods for your doshic constitution, too much or not enough food, bad food combinations, too much processed food and old food. A good way of knowing if you are doing any of these things is to pay attention to how you feel after eating. If you feel heavy and tired, you’re not doing something right.

From a lifestyle perspective if you push your body hard, overwork, over-exercise, don’t get enough sleep, or have constant stress in your life, the resulting low energy, fatigue, dis-ease, and lacklustre complexion are what low Ojas looks like. In other words, living in modern society is an Ojas depleter.

It should be noted that Ojas is established in the final level of tissue creation according to Ayurveda which includes the reproductive organs and fluids. Thus, too much sexual activity also depletes Ojas or vitality.

There are a few things I focus on to make sure my Ojas is in peak form. 

First, I make sure to get sufficient sleep. While some people wear a personal badge of honour (men mostly) regarding how little sleep they get, insufficient sleep is really bad for your physical and mental health. It really does a number on the brain. Try to get a good 7.5-8 hours of sleep. If you struggle with sleep try to establish a sleep hygiene system to fix this. Avoid prescription drugs for sleep.

I’ve included intermittent fasting in my life to address my age-related slowing metabolism. Twice per week, I don’t eat after lunch until the next day’s breakfast. It’s not as challenging as it sounds, and that’s coming from someone who was one of those “hangry” people in the past.

And, of course, I’m very established in my morning yoga (this includes meditation) practice.

I strongly believe that living mindfully, paying close attention to what’s happening on the physical, mental and spiritual level is an essential element in managing Ojas. Really, this is the premise of yoga and Ayurveda - living in a balanced and harmonious way.

I know some of this information can seem a bit overwhelming. You may be asking yourself how the heck am I supposed to manage all this given life’s day-to-day challenges. That’s where I can help. I’ve spent two decades learning and practicing embodying these teachings. Do I have it all figured out? Nope. But I have some of it figured out.

I’d love to share this wisdom with you. By becoming a member of the yoga community we are building you will get some direction in your own journey, plug into others who are on a similar path and get access to content (more than yoga classes) and discounts on future offerings.

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