I have observed Western culture tends to value active states like productivity, focus, hard work and determination, 🔥 and restful states like sleep, relaxation, down time, and screen time. 😴
There is less emphasis on those states that sit between the active and the restful. E.g. contemplation, mindfulness, meditation, etc. It's difficult to find time to enter these states, or even actually describe them in familiar terms to friends, family or colleagues. 🤷♂️
In Hindu philosophy, ૐ active states are characterized as rajas while restful states are characterized as tamas. The intermediary state is called sattva. This is the most useful state for spiritual cultivation and inner work. These are called the three guṇas, and they form a useful framework for balancing your energy.
Yoga is both a practical and culturally familiar method to improve your access to sattvic states, and find inner peace. For the best practical guide to yoga, I recommend the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. 📖 Simple yet profound, this book lays out the basic limbs of yoga to bring you closer to self-realization and unity with ultimate reality.
