Tejas (TAY-JUS) is the illuminating light that comes from your inner radiance. It is the healing and subtle energy of Pitta. It is the fuel of transformation, the fiery essence behind all of our thoughts, and the force that brings out our light. In your body, it is the subtlest aspect of your digestion that can turn food into nourishment. It is also the energetic force behind the body’s ability to see and process light. It is the glow that loving people emit. When we say, “She has a light in her eyes,” it is the energy of tejas we are seeing.
Tejas is also the subtle force of the Divine living inside us that truly changes who we are. For example, we all know that the positive outcomes of a good yoga class, a retreat to the mountains or an amazing church service are short. You leave feeling better. You leave with a shift in perspective. But how long does it last? It only takes one traffic jam, one argument with a spouse or one hectic work schedule to send us right back into the old patterns of our life. Sometimes it can seem that the positive effects have gone right out the window and we quickly slip back into old mind patterns and feelings.
Tejas is the empowering force that transforms who we are. One translation of tejas is the “shininess” that is the result of being heated or burned from within—a Divine spark or flame. Think of this flame as the fire that burns your ego. This fire consumes old patterns of behavior, dissolving the mindsets that hold us back from purposeful living. Tejas experiences make us a different human being. People may experience the power of tejas when they have a near-death experience. Life itself is a sort of fire if we allow its hardships, as well as its beauty, to melt us
and modify us through its lessons. When we experience tejas, there is a physical result: a resplendence and radiance of personality that draws and melts the hearts of all who draw near.
A person with good tejas has radiance, a twinkle in her eyes, clarity, insight, courage, compassion and fearlessness. You can increase your tejas through meditation, by bringing awareness to the navel (the seat of fire), doing certain breath practices, eating a cleansing diet and using warming, pungent spices.
Find a comfortable position and close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths. Relax for a minute, allowing your breath to deepen and smooth out. Now slowly start to draw your attention away from your thoughts, emotions or aches and pains, and drop it down into your belly. Bring your awareness into your navel. Moving your attention is prana. Sustaining your focus there is tejas. Now hold your focus on your navel. Every time a thought or emotion arises, draw your attention back to your belly.
The simple rule is this: The radiance of your tejas is the result of sustained focus. By sustaining a loving gaze, for example, you build the power of transformative fire. You boost the power that allows you to remain in the fire of life’s trials and triumphs. Rest in your tejas, watching how you can stay focused and experience your inherent transformational power.
Read more in Healthy, Happy,Sexy!
Katie Silcox 