Meditation and Time of Life

NOTE: This piece has not been meticulously reviewed for diacritics and should not be considered an authoritative source on Latin-Sanskrit spelling. Furthermore, the topics discussed here could be explored in far greater depth—this piece could easily be two or three times its current length. For the sake of brevity, dear reader, I have chosen to be selective rather than exhaustive. Please keep in mind that this is not a comprehensive exploration of all the concepts presented below.

No matter where you turn, someone is extolling the virtues of meditation.

Maybe it’s just me—I do work in this field, so I could just be inundated with it. An issue I often see in my clients is a great deal of “shoulding” around a meditation practice. While I highly recommend that people meditate in one form or another, I think it’s also important to talk about the stage of life you are in and how that impacts your ability to meditate.

In Vedic thought, life is guided by the Purusharthas, the four aims of living: Artha (wealth), Kama (enjoyment of life), Dharma (purpose in life), and Moksha (liberation from life). While all four are important and can inform how often we should meditate at different life stages, for simplicity, brevity, and clarity’s sake, we’ll focus on Dharma.

Understanding Dharma

Dharma means purpose, but it is also tied to duty, ethics, and cosmic order. It is the path each individual must walk to fulfill their role in the greater balance of life. If you need a more in-depth understanding, I highly recommend looking at a synopsis of the Bhagavad Gita.

Dharma is not about leading a globally renowned organization. It does not need to be something grand or visible. It can be as simple as baking really good bread, nurturing young minds, or praying for those who have lost hope. What is your purpose? Not just here, reading this post—why are you on this planet?

Meditation can help uncover your purpose, but Dharma is action. As Bhagavad Gita 3.35 states, "It is better to live your own Dharma imperfectly than to live another’s perfectly." To follow our Dharma, we must be clear about who we are and where we are in life. This brings us to the four stages of life, which provide a framework for understanding how meditation fits into our journey.

The Four Stages of Life (Ashramas)

In Vedic philosophy, life progresses through four stages, known as the Ashramas:

• Brahmacharya (Student)

• Grihastha (Householder)

• Vanaprastha (Forest Dweller)

• Sannyasa (Renunciate)

Where you are in life can shape your meditation practice.

If you are in Brahmacharya (the student stage), this is a time of learning and growth. Meditation at this stage should be about exploration—trying different techniques and finding what works for you. It’s a time for curiosity, study, and practice, laying the foundation for a lifelong relationship with self-inquiry.

In Grihastha (the householder stage), responsibilities grow, and meditation may not always be a priority. This stage is about building stability—creating a career, raising a family, and engaging with the world. This is exactly the dilemma Aang faces in Avatar: The Last Airbender during his conversation with Yangchen on the lion turtle. His duty as the Avatar is to the world, meaning he cannot fully renounce it for spiritual enlightenment. His spirit is tied to the world, just as ours is during this phase of life. For those of us in our 30s and 40s, this is where we are—balancing worldly responsibilities with personal growth. Renouncing the world in favor of strict meditation would be a misunderstanding of wisdom at this stage.

Vanaprastha (the forest dweller stage - or retirement) comes when worldly obligations begin to lessen. This is not about running away from problems but rather being called inward. As children grow and careers settle, there is often a shift toward seeking deeper meaning. Meditation at this stage naturally expands, with more time available for self-reflection, study, and spiritual practice. Some withdraw from the demands of the external world and turn toward teachers, scripture, and solitude.

Finally, Sannyasa (the renunciate stage) is a phase of full spiritual surrender. This is the stage closest to death, where meditation becomes not just a practice but a way of being. It is a time for letting go of all attachments and purifying the soul in preparation for what comes next. As my mother would say, it’s about getting ready for the great beyond.

Balancing Meditation with Life

These stages are not rigidly linear. While life generally progresses through them, they can overlap. Some individuals feel called to spiritual enlightenment early and renounce worldly possessions for monastic life. This isn’t wrong—it simply brings us back to purpose.

What is the thing that lights you up? At the end of the day, what makes you say, “I did this” with a sense of fulfillment?

Our meditation practice depends entirely on the context of our lives. This reminds me of Aang’s conversation with Yangchen—his struggle to balance duty to the world with spiritual enlightenment. If your purpose is in the world, renouncing it is not to your benefit. If we understand what stage of life we are in—and where we are heading—we can create a meditation practice that truly serves us.

This isn’t about being perfect; it’s about showing up. Meditation isn’t just sitting still and doing nothing. It’s a practice that helps us uncover the essence of who we are.

Simply put, if you have time to meditate, do it. If it’s only one day a week, let it be one day a week. You don’t need to sit for 30 minutes or an hour—five minutes is sometimes enough. If that is too much, 30 seconds can be just as good.

Balance your practice with your stage of life and level of health. This isn't an excuse to avoid meditation—but don’t let meditation become one more thing to stress about.

Find time when you can—and let the universe take care of the rest.

Ojas: The Bridge Between Spirit and Body

Introduction
In the realm of Western medicine, the body and spirit often stand apart, treated as separate entities. Ayurveda, however—literally meaning “the science of life”—sees them as indivisible. Health is not merely the absence of disease, but the preservation of the vital connection that sustains the ātman, or soul, within the body.

At the heart of this connection is ojas, the vital essence that binds spirit to form. In Ayurveda, ojas is the container that allows prāṇa, the life force, to flow freely. Without ojas, prāṇa cannot sustain the body. When ojas is strong, the body remains resilient, the mind clear, and the spirit deeply rooted. When ojas is depleted, vitality wanes, and disconnection sets in. Ultimately, the body can no longer hold the soul. In this way, preserving ojas is not merely an act of maintaining health—it is a sacred practice, one that ensures our very connection to life itself.

Defining Ojas and Its Role in Spiritual Embodiment

Ojas, though it has a biological component, transcends the physical. It is the final, most refined product of digestion and metabolism. There are two forms of ojas:

• Apara Ojas—the more accessible, circulating form of ojas—fluctuates with diet, lifestyle, and mental state. It is the more transient type, sometimes referred to as the “half an añjali” (a handful), as it manifests throughout the body.

• Para Ojas—the subtle, irreplaceable essence—resides in eight drops within the heart. It is the core of vitality. If lost, the body cannot hold prāṇa, and death follows.

The creation of ojas begins at the end of dhātu pariṇāma, the metabolic transformation process. To nourish ojas, our food must be dense, wholesome, and capable of sustaining all seven layers of our tissues: rasa (plasma), rakta (blood), māṃsa (muscle), medo (fat), asti (bone), majjā (marrow), and śukrā (reproductive tissue). A diet that supports this process is crucial to the proper creation of ojas, as is a lifestyle that avoids excess and stress. Excessive strain depletes ojas, hindering our ability to create and sustain it.

“Ahamkara, the ‘eye maker,’ when in contact with food or experiences, creates ojas when it is calm. Ojas manifests as vitality, resilience, stability, and immunity—qualities that allow an individual to hold prāṇa, and, by extension, remain connected to their spiritual essence” (Svoboda, 1998, p.80).

In this sense, ojas is the bridge between spirit and body. Just as a flame cannot burn without oil, life cannot continue in the body without ojas to contain it.

Ojas as the Foundation of Spiritual Health

In Ayurveda, health extends beyond the physical body to include the mind and spirit. The state of ojas influences not just physical health, but mental and spiritual well-being as well. The concept of prasanna ātman indriya manaḥ—where the soul, mind, and senses are filled with bliss—echoes this holistic view (Suśruta Saṃhitā, Sūtrasthana 15/41). By nourishing and preserving ojas, we are not just caring for the body—we are tending to the very capacity to hold the spirit within it.

Conversely, deranged ojas manifests as:

• Fear and anxiety

• Sleep disturbances

• Distraction and mental fog

• Vulnerability to illness and exhaustion

• Feelings of alienation from the self and the world

Signs of stable ojas include:

• A strong immunity

• Sturdy musculature

• Efficiency in actions

• Strong memory and clarity

• A healthy voice, complexion, and glow

(Warner, Foundations of Ayurveda 2022)

Maintaining ojas allows the spirit to move freely within the body, creating a sense of wholeness. When ojas is depleted, we experience fragmentation—between body and mind, between self and world, between life and spirit. Thus, preserving ojas is more than a health practice; it is a sacred duty, as Caraka Acarya wisely states:

tanmahat tā mahāmūlāstaccōjaḥ parirakṣatā

Parihāryā viśēṣēṇa manasō duḥkhahētavaḥ

hṛdyaṁ yat syādyadaujasyaṁ srōtasāṁ yat prasādanam 

tattat sēvyaṁ prayatnēna praśamō jñānamēva ca

"Those who want to preserve ojas and maintain the heart and the vessels attached to it in good condition, should avoid such factors as may lead to unhappiness (mental worries). Diets and drugs conducive to the heart, ojas, and channels of circulation should be taken. Tranquility and wisdom should be followed meticulously for this purpose" (Caraka Saṃhitā, Sūtrasthāna XXX:13-14).

Practical Steps for Preserving Ojas

To support the preservation of ojas, here are some simple but powerful practices. These are not exhaustive prescriptions, but gentle guidelines to restore balance:

1. Favor Nourishing Foods – Whole, unprocessed, and cooked foods strengthen ojas, ensuring the body has the nutrients it needs to sustain life.

2. Prioritize Deep, Restorative Sleep – True rest allows the mind and body to settle, regenerating ojas and preventing its depletion.

3. Practice Energy Management – Avoid overexertion, excessive stimulation, and emotional turmoil—these weaken ojas. Balance is key.

4. Engage in Breath and Meditation – Practices like pranayama and stillness foster tranquility and wisdom, essential for ojas preservation.

5. Surround Yourself with Love – Good company—whether human or animal—nourishes the soul, strengthening ojas and supporting spiritual health.

Every meal eaten with presence, every moment of true rest, every act of balance, every moment filled with love strengthens ojas—and in doing so, ensures that the body remains a suitable dwelling for the soul.

Ojas and the Evolution of Medicine

While modern medicine does not entirely reject the concept of vitality, it often lacks a unifying term or framework for understanding it. Terms like resilience, immunity, and stress adaptation reflect an awareness that health transcends the physical, but they remain fragmented concepts. Ojas, by contrast, offers a holistic model that weaves together body, mind, and spirit into a single, coherent thread.

This paper is not a rejection of Western medicine, but an invitation to consider how this ancient model can enrich contemporary healing practices. What if we could measure a patient’s strength or resilience through the lens of ojas? What if, in assessing a patient’s ability to heal after surgery or manage mental health challenges, we first considered whether they had the vitality (ojas) to do so? Such a perspective could deepen our approach to wellness, informing more personalized recommendations and interventions.

Conclusion

Ojas is not simply an ancient health concept; it is the very foundation of our embodiment. Without ojas, prāṇa cannot remain in the body, and without prāṇa, spirit cannot animate form. In this way, preserving ojas is more than a health practice—it is a sacred act, a commitment to nurturing the conditions for consciousness to remain fully present within us.

Through nourishing food, deep rest, and balanced energy management, we fortify the vessel that allows us to experience life. These are not just health habits—they are acts of devotion. For as long as ojas is strong, we remain connected—to our bodies, to the breath of life, and to the eternal essence that moves through all things.