Flowing With The Gunas

April 1, 2026

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. — Lao Tzu

Greetings yogis,

This morning, in a place I often go to sit quietly and observe my own nature while immersed in the big nature, I noticed something in the hand-hewn cedar shingles of the tiny hut. Over time, the denser, rigid layers have stayed pronounced and sharp while the softer parts have all but worn away — and it made me wonder: Why are the harder, more rigid patterns of our human conditioning the ones that persist?

As if in answer, a perfectly drawn v-shaped formation of pelicans flies due west, skimming tightly across the lightly textured surface of our cove without a single flap. Hovering just above the water, their direction is instinctual and precise. With only the occasional drag of their webbed toes trailing a wake behind them, there is clear focus and determination. It's only as they approach a rock exposed by the low tide that they break formation, scattering in a dozen different directions before softly alighting, balanced on the rugged sandstone jutting up from the ocean.

I watch it all — life's ceaseless, dancing flow. Sometimes streamlined, direct and sensible; other times splashing into chaos and cacophony. Then there are moments that are heavy, dense and uncertain. In yoga, we have a term for these different qualities of energy: gunas. The three states that move through all things — rajas, passionate and charged; tamas, slow, heavy, even lethargic; and sattva, the state of homeostasis, clarity and balance.

Nothing stays in any one state for long, and that's the beauty of it. When we try to force our energy in any one direction, we are usually moving against the dynamic flow of life. Through practice, we can learn to observe our tendencies — noticing where we resist rather than flow, where we push against rather than move with. When we align our energy with what is actually unfolding, rather than what we wish were unfolding, we find the synergy to harness it.

So wherever you are, whatever is currently pulling you in many directions — let that be okay for a moment. Notice what is true, and what is being asked of you. The pelicans stayed the course until the natural flow called for something else and then they responded. On our mats and in our lives, all things are always moving and we get to decide how we meet it all.

May your practice teach you to flow with it...

Nat K

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

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