Ayurveda and Your Libido

Ancient knowledge gives us insights that we can’t glean from a modern perspective. Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga has given me many such insights. I credit Ayurveda for curing my rheumatoid arthritis. Not only do I owe a great portion of my medical perspective to Ayurveda, I owe it my very health.

Ayurveda understands that your libido level is a direct measurement of your level of digestive fire and vital energy. In Sanskrit, the language Ayurvedic texts were written in 10,000 years ago, the word for fire is Agni. Agni should be concentrated in your center, not spread out of control throughout the rest of your body. If your libido level is too low, your fire will be too low. If your libido is out of control, so is your fire…which puts you at risk for inflammatory disease.

Agni

From the perspective of Ayurveda, low libido could result from any number of causes: stress, diet, overwork, emotional strain, your belief system, your digestive health to name just a few. (Much like the factors described by Functional Sexology.) Essentially, when the system goes out of balance, a chain reaction occurs that inhibits the production of vital energy, or Ojas as it is called in Sanskrit. Low libido is sure to be an eventual result if imbalance continues.

According to Ayurveda, the first key in this chain of events that impacts libido (for better or worse) is Agni.

Agni is the “digestive fire.” In the broadest sense, it is by virtue of Agni that we digest not only the food we eat, but all of life’s experiences. Agni allows us to fully experience life, and in this full experience lies passion and desire. So Agni is a principle closely related to passion for life and libido. Also, on a purely physical level, it is by the power of Agni that we digest our food and our life experiences and thoughts and absorb nutrients—which imbues us with vitality—as well as burns off waste products (detoxification).

If our Agni is strong, we’re able to digest food efficiently and easily assimilate our daily experiences. In such strong digestion, the products of digestion will give us vital energy. On the other hand, if Agni is weak, digestion will be inadequate. The result will be a toxin known as ama, which will cause, among other things, low energy and fatigue.

Ojas

One particularly wonderful product of good digestion is ojas, a subtle life-sustaining substance that is the very “juice” of life. In fact, it is what makes life “juicy” and even blissful. It is vital nectar and certainly a powerful tonic to reinvigorate the senses, mind, body, and, yes, libido.

The production of ojas is essential to enjoy life. In fact, without ojas there is no life, because without vital energy you cannot manufacture new cells for yourself. With ojas, your senses are strengthened and cleared. You feel more alive. You feel passion for life as well as natural sexual vitality. Without ojas we cannot experience vitality in any sense, sexual or otherwise. So the question is: How do we optimize the functioning of Agni to produce ojas?

Increasing Ojas

You can increase ojas in a number of ways. Here are just a few:

Lifestyle

• Keep a regular daily routine; be in bed by 10 and wake up with dawn
• Meditate daily to increase vitality and clarity
• Pranayama (yogic breathing) to burn off accumulated ama
• Adequate exercise without overdoing it; include yoga in your exercise routine
• Do not smoke or drink alcohol

Diet

• Eat pure, fresh, organic foods
• Avoid foods to which you have allergic reactions
• Avoid canned and processed foods
• Eat sattvic (pure) foods (foods conducive to clarity, such as nuts, fresh organic seasonal and local veggies, sesame seeds, fruit, etc.)
• Do not overeat
• Avoid alcohol
• Eat in a calm environment, while you feel calm
• Eat only while seated and focus on eating
• Eat only when hungry

Detox

• Detox regularly to eliminate accumulated ama
• Do Pancha Karma (the Ayurvedic therapy for detoxification and rejuvenation) regularly
• Make sure your detox regimen is overseen by a medical provider who knows your Ayurvedic constitution and can read your pulse.
• Your thoughts also need a detox regularly. If you are having thoughts that pull you into a victim mode of thinking or are not serving your highest purpose, think them over and come up with a new thought. You might need the assistance of a trained therapist to help with this.

One of the goals of the Libido Cure Program and understanding your Libido Story is to build ojas, release ama and re-kindle agni. Ayurveda knew the importance of libido and the proper maintenance of a healthy level over 10,000 years ago.

Here’s to your Libido Level!