Agni, our digestive fire...

In Ancient Sanskrit Agni means Fire..

In Ayurveda Agni more closely represents the digestive fire. Our digestion is the key to our health. More important than what we eat is how we digest what we are eating and Agni is our digestive force. It oversees all forms of transformation in the body including digestion, absorption, digestive enzymes, metabolism, body temperature & the tissues ability to assimilate the nutrients in our food.

Proper digestion & absorption will result in healthy organs, radiant skin, strong vision, increased energy, sounder sleep & mental clarity.

There are four states of agni

"Samagni" - balanced agni

"Tikshagni" - overactive and Pitta dominant

"Mandagni" - sluggish and Kapha dominant

"Vishamagni" - variable and Vata related

Think of a fire burning perfectly. Just the right amount of fuel, burning straight & steady, little to no smoke. Balanced, beautiful - This is Samagni

A fire blazing hot, heat radiating so strongly you can barely go near it. Fuel disappears, you cant feed it fast enough - This is Tikshagni.

A fire smouldering, barely able to burn its fuel. smoking and maybe even damp. If you keep feeding this fire it couldn't possibly use the fuel. This is Mandagni

An erratic flame sometimes shooting high in the air and burning wildly, then dying down to barely be seen. This fire, hard to manage and so variable it's qualities are difficult to harness or understand - This is Vishamagni

Agni also governs the intake of our impressions both emotionally and visually. Agni exists in every cell of our body & a balanced Agni will go a long way to ensuring good health both physically & emotionally. A huge amount of a humans serotonin is produced in the gut & the relationship between our gut health and our state of mind cannot be underestimated.

So while the gut is absolutely the best place to begin working with our Agni, this force is responsible for more than just our digestion of food. Understanding your digestion & taking charge of your health is surprisingly simple and nurturing this flame will leave you with a clear calm mind & glowing with health. This is where much of our work starts with our memberships or lifestyle consultations. When Agni is balanced our bodies can most often do the rest!