Ojas and Ayurvedic Medicine

My Yoga Online has posted a new article by Todd Caldecott, a Medical Herbalist and practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine. Todd's article "Ojas: Ayurvedic Medicine and Energy" offers wonderful insight into the concept of energy flow and addresses what can improve and what can diminish this flow of vitality.

The concept of vitality or energy is an ancient one, referred to in Chinese medicine as qi (pronounced chee), and in Ayurvedic medicine as ojas. While we all know what it means to be full of vitality, as well what it’s like not to have any, it is curious to note that this concept is entirely absent from modern medicine, in which good health is defined quite simply as an absence of symptoms.

The closest modern medicine comes to the concept of vitality is in its conception of 'homeostasis', a physiological mechanism that maintains the balance of innumerable biological activities to ensure that the body functions within ‘normal’ parameters. From an energetic perspective, homeostasis is but one example of our vitality, as an organizing and self-sustaining principle that extends beyond physicality to include our thoughts and emotions, including our capacity to feel passionate and inspired, and in its highest evolution, to give and receive unconditional love.

In Ayurvedic medicine, the vital essence of the body is called ‘ojas’, described a subtle force that incessantly works to keep the body, mind and senses continuously refreshed. Two types of ojas are described: one called ‘para ojas,’ which is located in the heart and represents the divine ‘breath’ that separates the animate from the inanimate; and ‘apara ojas,’ which is found in a state of continual flux, derived from the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breath.

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To learn more about Todd: www.toddcaldecott.com