Our body is in constant interaction with the external environment, which is composed of changing seasons, physical and mental stress as well as encounters with numerous microorganisms. The food we eat can bring in an array of chemicals, which can be nourishing, depleting or sometimes toxic to our existence. Thus, being in the midst of this constant flux, both internal and external, the body needs to maintain a state of balance so that it can grow, replace the old tissue elements with fresh ones and reproduce, thereby enabling the continuity of life. The sum total of all the processes that maintain the body is termed ojus in Ayurveda. This is another example of the way Ayurveda approaches life processes in an organic and wholesome way, rather than turning them into pieces and studying the individual functions.
Ojus manifests in the body in different ways. It sustains all the important physiological functions of the body, thus allowing the life to sail ahead. In another way, it organises and propels the defence and attack mechanisms of the body, once threatened by agents outside. For example, when there is an infection, it is the same ojus that carries out these kinetic strikes on the micro-organisms but keeps it in restraint in such a way that minimal harm happens to our systems. Moreover, it orchestrates the healing processes, which will bring back the lost harmony after these retaliatory attacks. Ojus manifests as the endurance of the body to adjust to different external environments, infections and illnesses and even as the capacity to withstand the treatment procedures. This endurance is termed as Balam in Ayurveda. Ojus manifests as our capability to prevent the onset of an illness, and if illness happens, as our ability to defend it. This capability is termed as vyaadhi-kshamatvam in Ayurveda.
Ojus is formed in the body as an output of the metabolic processes that happen inside. The sum total of all the metabolic processes is termed in Ayurveda as Agni. If there is a metabolic dysfunction in your body, like that in the case of diabetes, thyroid disorders, dyslipidaemia, etc, there definitely will be a reduction in the level of your agni and ojus and its robust functions. Underlying causes will be many—improper food intake, lack of physical activity, injudicious use of medicines, especially antibiotics, lack of proper sleep patterns and mental stress.
Observations from many researchers point to the fact that all these causes will surely disturb the gut microbiome, the friendly bacterial population in our gut, thereby disturbing the entire metabolic platform of the body. Thus, when the ojus is disturbed, neither are you capable of enduring a disease process nor taking steps to fight it back. A more catastrophic event also awaits. When you are challenged by an infection, there will be aberrant counterattacks in which the immune system will be destroying not only the infectious agents but our own tissues and organs. This situation we faced during the pandemic, where the aberrant immune responses lead to massive inflammation and hardening of the lung tissue and death of patients, especially those with long-standing metabolic disorders. Autoimmunity,
the terror phenomenon wherein, in the absence of any infectious challenge, our own immune cells may turn on our organs, is also the result of a weakened ojus.
There’s a military saying: Sweat more in peace and bleed less in war. It also applies to body systems. So, make efforts to keep your ojus robust, and live your life to the fullest.
The author is a Professor at the Department of Panchakarma, Ashtamgam Ayurveda Medical College, Kerala