Ojas is one of the three substances or energies (with Prana and Tejas) in us that generates immunity and vitality. This energy is naturally present within us when we are born, we are born to this world with an already filled Ojas, just like a bank account which is already full, but after some time, we use it and it becomes less. Then we naturally need to increase our quantity of Ojas...
We make it less because of stress, bad food habits, lack of sleep, by eating too much or too little, by not chewing enough, by having too much sexual activity... to better feel what is Ojas, just imagine the sensation of the melting ghee in a hot cup of milk, or liquid honey. The Ayurvedic texts say that it's a yellow fluid that is produced in the heart and the reproductive organs, that this special energy is fresh, soft and stable. Of all the energies present within our body, Ojas is the most important. It's our vitality, but also the strength that helps us to be aware and to grow personally and spiritually, it's really a sign of health.
Ojas is the luster of life, this little something, the brightness, the energy that allows us to move in the world while respecting the deep silence of our inner temple. It's Love, compassion, the luster that allows the pearl to shine from within. It's the energetic substance that helps us to anchor in peace, it's only through calm, to our inner roots that we can face any storm. Ojas is thus essential to our fulfillment.
Cultivate Ojas ✨
Ojas increases when we are in a peaceful environment, with love, in the nature... the more we give, the more we receive and that's the subtle message that Ojas is giving us. It encourages us to nurture abundance around us to make it shine within us. And as for the pearls, Ojas takes its time to manifest. It's only one month after eating your meal that Ojas will be able to be produced. After nourishing all the body tissues, Ojas is what remains. So the most important is to not disturb its process of creation with negative emotions and stress, just as the pearls...
Foods that build Ojas
Some foods help us to rebuild Ojas, all that is fresh and natural, rich in potassium, some herbs like ashwaganda, shatavari, licorice, amalaki, ginger, almonds, dates, raisins, coconut, saffron, fresh milk, ghee, honey, figs, sesame seeds, some fruits like mangos, peaches, grapes, avocado...
And of course, taking some time in nature, meditating, helping others, hugs... all that contributes to love.
You can reinforce Ojas by adding some of these foods to your meals, as well as taking care of your nervous system and all the reasons that led you to reduce your Ojas. As it builds holistically, it will not be wise to just add these foods to your meals without adding it consciously, integrating it with the rest : taking care of your digestive fire (Agni), taking time to chew your meals, sleeping enough and early, meditating everyday and adding yoga, pranayama, exercice to your daily routine.
Fresh milk at night - recipe :
Of all the building Ojas foods, fresh milk is excellent, if you have access to A2 milk, go for it, it's very close to the milk we were talking about in the Ayurvedic texts, 5000 years ago... compared to the A1 proteins present in most of the milks on the market, responsible for many allergies and intolerances. If you don't find A2 milk (very hard to find appart from India...), go for a good fresh milk from a good producer, make sure it's fresh, whole, organic and non homogenized, non pasteurized, from happy cows who eat what is best for them (grass) and whom we don't remove the babies...
Milk should be consumed hot, make it boil with water to make it easier to digest (1/2 water for 1/2 milk or 1/3 water for 3/4 milk), add some spices and make it boil for some time (1 to 3 times for example). Spices and the heat participate to the pre-digestion of the milk. It's also an excellent way to consume curcuma (with a fat), the milk will help to carry the spices to make them more effective.
An idea of milk recipe before sleeping: boil the milk with water, add a pinch of cardamom powder, a little bit of saffron, a pinch of nutmeg and 2 to 3 crushed almonds.
Dates soaked in ghee - recipe to build Ojas :
Dates soaked in ghee are also a very Ojas building recipe, to make it you just need these 2 ingredients. Remove the pits and pour the ghee onto the dates in a glass jar. Let it soak for 2 weeks and you can keep it for some time afterwards. Take a good quality of ghee (le livret "tout sur le ghee" ici) and don't consume it cold. This recipe is a cure for Ojas and you can eat a soaked date when under stress, fatigue, or if you have insomnia for example.
Spiritual practices and regeneration :
Beyond food, building Ojas requires deep rest, as when we are in burnout or under stress, it affects Ojas inevitably, we affect it by asking too much to our body. Take care of it by focusing on a sattvic diet and and routine (increasing Sattva in your life), by sleeping enough and early, by integrating spiritual practices to your mental hygiene (soft yoga, breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya, meditation, satsang...) and by including Ayurvedic routine (dinacharya) to your habits, especially self-abhyaga. Skin being the largest organ of our body, applying warm medicinal oils on our body helps us to maintain balance in our doshas and increase Ojas.
Among all the medicinal oils, some are specific to balance certain doshas: Vata with Maha Narayana, Kshirabala Taila, Dhanvantari Taila, Pitta with Chandanadi Taila and Kapha can be balanced using some powders. Of course, this requires to know your imbalance and also to know if your body is able to digest the quality of oil you will put on your body. Everybody is different so before trying anything, make sure you know yourself enough and ask for help if needed. Ojas being the subtle form of Kapha dosha, it's all about softness and love, and it's very connected to the water element (fluidity) inside of us, it's thus essential to reduce stress and anxiety and embrace whatever we go through to rebuild this energy. To increase Ojas, take a break...