Guna – tendencies 

«The modes have a joyous, grievous, and stupefying nature. They serve for manifestation, activity, and restraint: they mutually subdue and support each other, produce each other, consort together, and take each other’s condition» (Sāmkhya-karikā, 12).

According to the sāmkhya, the basic philosophical ground for yoga, there are three fundamental trends or principles that operate in nature. Their names are: sattva, rajas, tamas. The same three are the constituent elements of primordial matter (prakrti), in a certain sense the substantial “quality” of things. Thus one can be of a tamasic nature, very indolent, or have a rajasic tendency, a tendency towards action.

You can’t enjoy this August holidays as you would like, Scorpio, and in fact it’s not even the case. You still have a lot to do. Though you would like to let yourself go, you should keep the reins of your activities steady, otherwise dreams remain such and reality slaps you with its harshness. Therefore it is useless to get angry if you feel annoyed, you need to know how to take moments for rest, as I advised you last month, and those for action. Now is the rajas moment! Better yet if you know how to direct yourself towards the sattva, continuing to act, but in a much more relaxed manner.

IN PRACTICE  

Pārśvakona-āsana, side angle. 

A stimulation for the heart, this pose makes your body flexible and dynamic. Practice it every day this month for at least one minute per side. It will make you feel fit!

    Awareness exercise:

Set an alarm clock at 10 am, at 5 pm and at 9 pm for three days. In these three moments he observes that the tendency prevails in you: sattva, rajas or tamas.

Mantra of the month:

“I react with calmness.”