The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali refer to the constantly changing states we experience in our human nature as, the gunas. There are three gunas: Rajas, which represents activity, Tamas, which represents inertia, and Sattva, representing equilibrium. By cultivating Sattvic qualities and practices, we stay close to our personal point of balance and harmony and are able to reflect our light into the world with ease. In a translation of the Bhagavad Gita, Paramahansa Yogananda refers to these qualities as “soul qualities,” something any yogi should be aspiring toward. These are the qualities that align us, bringing our outer lives into congruency and helping us experience our inner divinity. Here are the 26 Sattvic qualities named in the Bhagavad Gita, that can bring peace and harmony into your life: We can choose one quality to work on and contemplate how we might grow in this area. If we choose fearlessness, we can give ourselves a small courageous challenge. If compassion was the one we identified, we can refrain from judgment and imagine being in another’s circumstance to build more compassion. If lack of restlessness is what we need to develop, we can begin a short five minute meditation practice today. It is helpful to stay with one quality for a few weeks to help cultivate a habit, exploring all the ways in which it can be utilized and experienced at work, at home and within. If we were to practice one quality every two weeks for a year, we would see the many subtle ways our lives can become rebalanced. With dedication and attention to Sattvic qualities we will come to know our happy, harmonious Higher Self.
