Reflections on immunity (ojas) from my Week of Sattva

As part of June's "Eating for Joy!" Sattvic Diet workshop, I was much more selective about the foods I consumed, and more involved in the preparation of each meal I ate during that week. I must note that I had had symptoms of allergies or a cold for a little over a week, leading into the workshop -- which also happened to follow a vacation that threw off my sleep schedule (not to mention my daily eating habits!); these symptoms were likely a result of the 'come-down' from that fun and lively Memorial Day road trip. Luckily, the Sattvic diet (aka the Yogic or Ayurvedic "pure" diet) calls for lots of fruit and vegetables, as well as of course tea, rest and peace&quiet, so I'm glad to say I was feeling much better at the end of the Week of Sattva than I did at the start. :)

But this 'cold' got me thinking about my immunity (ojas)*, or, they body's ability to maintain a healthy balance and protect itself against viruses, bacteria, improper food or environment, and other pathogens (i.e., disease or cellular dysfunction).

  * The term OJAS is technically or traditionally discussed in relation to an individual's sexuality, e.g., as "the subtle energy resulting from the preservation of sexual energy" (from Sri Swami Satchidananda's glossary in his The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali). This is mostly because ojas is related to the water element in the body (Kapha dosha), or our bodily 'juices' such as our reproductive secretions, and sex is seen as one of the quickest ways to deplete the body of this essential 'sap', though for those of us with drier constitutions (usually Vata types), this sap is less readily available in our natural states.  Kapha (the dosha dominated by Water and Earth) is a cohesive and nurturing force, and indeed, Svoboda describes ojas as a "subtle glue that cements the body, mind and spirit together, integrating them into a functioning individual" (Ayurveda: Life, Health and Longevity by Robert E Svoboda). He later underlines its importance by saying that ojas is "the apex of the body's nutrition pyramid... [Ojas is] both the cause and the effect of good digestion, and its conservation is essential to good health because it controls the immune system and generates the body's aura, ...a subtle shield against the entry of dangerous ethereal forces." As health relates to the state of our energetic and mental bodies as well as our physical body, this essential 'juice' is required for our well-being on all levels.

For most of my life I've been able to boast that I only get "sick" once or twice a year (I would sometimes wave it off as allergies rather than a common cold) - usually during the juncture of the seasons, whenever I got really stressed (remember how finals began in May?) or had a chaotic schedule - and that it only lasted two or three days, tops. Usually I was well enough to take the remedial measures that I knew to work best, avoiding the prescription and OTC drugs suggested or offered to me. With my body guiding my choices, I would take: plenty of water and tea; the purest fruit juice I could find (which means no sugar, and no caffeine!) and perhaps some kind of vitamin C or herbal supplement; soup and other light-yet-nourishing, simple and warming foods; and as much rest as I could. I would also generally catch it early enough that I would still have the energy to do a big cleaning of all my stuff and the spaces I was in most often, getting rid of any remaining bacteria and also making myself  - in addition to the air I was breathing and the things I was touching - feel cleaner and clearer. In no time at all the cold was a thing of the past and I was back to my regular, energetic self.

However, in the five and a half years I've been living in New York City (Brooklyn to be precise) I've noticed an increase in the frequency and duration of these 'allergy attacks' or colds, or whatever you prefer to call them. Sometimes the sneezing/congestion, brain fog, sore throat, and itchy eyes have lasted so long that I really did think I had developed seasonal allergies (I never had those as a kid). But whatever the symptoms add up to be, the "sickness" is a result of the environment and habits that now (or recently did) comprise my daily life: with waitressing came an upside-down sleep/wake cycle and a lack of access to proper meals and mealtimes; with the office job came the long cross-borough commute and late nights, eating lunch in front of the computer and taking dinner at midnight; and with the city of course comes opportunity and longing, temptation and distraction, stimulation and sensory-overload. Not to mention the overall pollution levels we encounter in New York -- from noise pollution to water pollution to plain ol' trash on the street -- as well as the onslaught of images that affect our mind's sense of harmony -- seeing impoverished populations first-hand, alongside media images of sexy indulgences. In Ayurveda our "diet" includes not only the food we eat, but also everything that we take in through all of our senses; needless to say the "Big Apple" diet is not generally considered the most nourishing or supportive, according to Ayurvedic recommendations.

Of course, I wouldn't trade my life in the city for anything (at least, not right now, when I'm still having such a good time!) nor do I intend to rant about the state of our society today.  I'll likewise spare you a soliloquy on my love affair with Brooklyn, and suffice it to say that I'm still on the quest that I began in the fall of 2007: to attain Zen in a subway car. My underlying goal is to find ways to stay in balance, despite the urban affront to my ojas (immunity).