The Role of Art & Movement in Balancing the Gunas

I’ve come to notice that many Yoga teachers and wellness practitioners are highly artistic like myself. Many of us move our bodies in more ways than one, be it dance, cardio, or intuitive movement! Also, we may have more than one method of artistic expression. I would argue that movement is itself a form of artistic expression. In other words, we’re highly creative beings. But how and why is that?

The energy housed within us all is primal. Primal energy is the utmost creative force– we make babies with it and we manifest ideas out of it from businesses to a dream life come true. In many people, some of that energy is somewhat dormant or mostly contained and thus harder to access. In a highly creative person, this energy is very much awake and it needs to be expressed regularly. Energy in movement in Yoga philosophy (more specifically the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy) is categorized as Rajas, one of the 3 fundamental qualities found in nature known as the Gunas. When this creative force doesn’t move, the energy becomes stagnant. Stagnation breeds depression in the mind and tightness in the body. These manifestations can be categorized as Tamas– the inactive, still, and stale aspect of nature. Unfortunately, too much tamasic energy leads us astray from just feeling good and our life path. The latter happens because we tend to get confused due to our foggy state of mind, so we’re not sure of ourselves anymore. So then, we don’t know what our truth is and yet we’re stuck with a longing desire to go after it and live it.

So, to express oneself through art and movement is to be our true selves which results in balance and harmony, In other words, it results in Sattva. Sattvic energy is the equilibrium between Rajas and Tamas. In any spiritual practice, it’s what we strive for in order for our spirits to be liberated from illusion.