I woke up this morning from a deep, restful sleep. It had been so long since I slept so well. I glided about my activities effortlessly and efficiently like a very precise instrument of action. I had no pulls or cravings throughout the day and felt satisfied and complete. Then, as I was washing my face before bed, I noticed a radiance. Not the dewy kind that you get from face serum or after a good facial, but something deeper — a clarity beaming outward from within. Then (of course) like any good Ayurvedic practitioner, I stuck out my tongue and I saw the elusive rose petal tongue I’d read and heard so much about — smooth, pink, and free of ama!

I had just completed an Ayurvedic cleanse known as panchakarma, or PK. It takes discipline, but it was all worth it. My agni was stronger and I had purged myself of ama. Now all I had to do was maintain my new-found balance. But, how? I remembered that I know; we all know. We just have to let agni be our guide.

Agni (directly translated as fire) yields intelligence via its primary action of transformation. On a chemical level, it’s apparent that fire has the power to transform — converting paper, wood, and even a body to ashes. Biologically, agni is metabolism transforming our food into heat and energy. Ayurveda even takes it a step further. Agni is responsible for converting our food to pure consciousness or supreme intelligence. If our agni is strong, then it burns through indecision, cravings, and attachment (which are all evidence of mental ama, the waste created by improperly digested thoughts and emotions). When working as it should, agni also prevents the formation of physical ama (the waste created from improperly digested food). So we never get sick! Our cells, tissues, and organs are intelligent. When agni is strong, all of these elements of our bodies communicate and do what they are supposed to. This is the reason that a synonym for Ayurveda is “kaya chikitsa” which means “treatment of agni.”

This healthy communication within us is the source of our inner wisdom, which directs us to pay attention to what we actually need. When ama isn’t clouding our perception, what we really need is actually what we want! When our inner channels of communication aren’t clogged with ama, the divine intelligence within us speaks loud and clear at every moment.

There are actually 40 different types of agni, all fed by jathara agni, which is the central agni located in our stomachs. If jathara agni is strong, all the other glandular, tissue, and cellular agnis at least have a burning chance. So now, it probably makes sense why Ayurveda focuses so much on what we put in our stomachs. When our agni is strong, we are clear. We crave the foods that our bodies need. We know in the core of our stomachs what’s right for us physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Could this be — at least in part — what it means to realize oneself?

On the other hand, if we get into the habit of ignoring the signals of our bodies, the less agni speaks to us. Each time we overeat, eat inappropriately for our dosha or the season, or use poor food combining, we tax jathara agni and allow ama to accumulate. This becomes a cycle — agni’s voice and action become weak, ama builds, our cravings lose touch with our inner intelligence, and we perpetuate bad eating habits that feed the diseased state into which our bodies have devolved.

Agni and ama have opposing qualities. Agni is light, clear, dry, hot, sharp, and fragrant. Ama is heavy, cloudy, sticky, cool, dull, and foul smelling (these opposing attributes make agni well equipped to burn or “cook” ama). The qualities of agni manifest as clarity of perception and thought, radiance and lightness of the mind and body, sharp intelligence, and fragrance of the body and breath. Strong agni actually improves taste perception and makes food taste better! Excess ama is evidenced as fatigue, heaviness, a foul odor to excreta including sweat, a sticky quality to excreta (i.e. streaks on the toilet bowl after a flush), perverted taste in the mouth, and the infamous sticky coating on the tongue.

So how do we strengthen agni? Cleansing such as panchakarma is a great way to strengthen agni and rid the body of accumulated ama, which can make you feel like a new person! It is generally recommended at the change of each season. Although some travel far to special centers for PK, you can perform a simpler home version. Lightening the diet, with a fast for ½ to a full day per week is another way to strengthen agni. The type of fast would depend on your constitution: taking nothing by mouth would rarely be recommended to a vata predominant constitution, but may be ideal for a kapha constitution. Interestingly, mental agni can directly strengthen jathara agni. So, increasing one’s will power can actually improve digestion in the stomach! Sun bathing and sauna are also effective methods (but can be pitta aggravating). Also, agni sara pranayama is a quick and easy breath exercise to build agni. In fact, exercise in general — especially any yoga posture that compresses or strengthens the abdomen — is also agni building. This means asanas like locust, spinal twists, and boat pose, but also sit-ups!

And how do we get rid of ama? Again, the foundation is nurturing a strong agni by eating appropriately for our constitution and the season, proper food combining, and avoiding overeating; these will prevent the build up of ama. Panchakarma will cleanse accumulated ama. Drinking hot water with lemon, apple cider vinegar, honey, or just plain will scrape ama from the system. There are also certain spices that kindle agni and burn ama such ginger, cumin, and coriander — all staples in Indian cuisine. Indian cooking in its pure form is Ayurvedic cooking! But, don’t start sprinkling these spices on everything without minding your dosha, the season, and the form in which you consume such spices. For example, fresh ginger is less heating and sharp than dry ginger and therefore better tolerated by pitta types (though still best minimized altogether during the summer).

So, in the Ayurvedic “science of life,” a strong, well-balanced agni is the key to health, happiness, and longevity. Agni frees us from ailments of the body and mind and enables us to attain the ultimate aim of life: moksha or liberation. Five thousand years ago, the sages recognized the importance of agni, which is why mandala one, hymn one (actually the first word!) of the Rig Veda is dedicated to Agni personified as a deity responsible for the transformation of not just of our bodies, but our souls. Agni transforms and elevates consciousness, which explains the central role of fire at Indian weddings and housewarmings.

Meals are the perfect times to honor your agni. One day, while I was eating a particularly delicious lunch I had made (incorporating all 6 tastes), triumphantly spooning each bite into my mouth, I started thinking about the fire ceremonies I’ve attended. How the performer of the ceremony feeds the fire, bite by bite, with each oblation punctuated with a “svaha” or “hail” at the end of a mantra. Extrapolating a little, I thought this is similar to eating mindfully and with ritual. Each meal is our own internal fire ceremony, and each bite carries a mantra. So like a prayer, perform the ritual of eating patiently, with your full attention, and with hope for transcendence and transformation.

– Nisha Khanna, M.D.

P.S. For those interested in learning more about panchakarma, I’ll go into more detail in a future newsletter. I plan on leading a group through a fall cleanse this September!

Let Agni Be Your Guide

HEALING COURSES