Kundalini Yoga Glossary
Tamas
The heaviest of the three Gunas: inertia and decay, a time to rest and recuperate.
Meaning
What Tamas Means
Tamas is one of the three Gunas, the conditions of matter in yogic philosophy, alongside Sattva and Rajas. It is heavy, confusing, hidden, slow and persistent: the guna of inertia or decay.
In personal terms, Tamas shows up as thoughts that are less clear and lacking insight, or as laziness or a stage of retreat. Rather than something to eliminate, Tamas is described as something to learn from, teaching how to relax and recuperate life energy, as long as its force is used rather than abused.
In Practice
How It’s Used
Among the three functional minds, Tamas rules the Negative Mind, which is balanced through Yamas and Niyamas among Patanjali's Eight Limbs.
Symbolically, Tamas is one of the three forces Shiva's trident cuts through and renews, alongside Sattva and Rajas, clearing away what has decayed so that new forms of life become possible.
