01. Sattva (Consciousness, harmony and clarity of mind).
Sattva is experienced as clear, calm mind with stillness, balance, harmony, and clarity. Emotional states associated with sattva include clarity, light, happiness, joy, peace, love, freedom, friendliness, openness, intelligence, creativity, fulfilment and inspiration.
When the jnanendriyas of a person (Jnanendriya combines Jnana and Indra. Jnana means wisdom and Indra is the God of the sensory heaven in Hinduism) reflect pure, unconfused knowledge, then we can conclude that in the case of that person, sattva predominates.
If the sattva is the dominant quality in a person, the rajas and the tamas are suppressed.
Eating fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, oils and non-meat proteins helps us get into this state.
02. Rajas (Activity, energy and action).
Rajas is experienced as an energetic mind with movement, activity, agitation and desire. Raja conditions include energy, passion, alertness, movement, determination, self-centeredness or egotism, activity, anxiety, restlessness, desire, agitation, anger, greed and worry or anxiety.
In these states for example you might be unwilling to spend your money even to the deserving. In these states you may indulge in aimless activities and not do things with a view to reaping rewards in future in your life and in the next life, you may become restless.
A person with rajas also exhibits a desire for sense objects.
If the rajas dominate, then the sattva and the tamas remain subdued, if you have a surplus of the rajas then you could find yourself restless, overactive suffering with stress and ready for a burnout.
Eating too much of onions, garlic, spiced or salty foods, sugar, chocolate, caffeinated drinks and soft drinks helps us to get into this state.
03. Tamas (Stability, dullness, laziness).
Tamas is the densest of the three qualities and experienced as a dull mind with inertia, obscuration, inactivity and fear. Tama conditions include laziness, doubt, sadness, hurt, shame, boredom, apathy, delusion, depression and ignorance.
Tamas are responsible for sleep, so it does serve as a necessary function but too much tamas, however, and then we experience inertia, laziness and apathy.
It makes us dull physically, mentally and emotionally. It obscures the mind like a thick cloud and makes it difficult to think clearly. Even the simplest action can become an inordinate struggle.
With tamas predominating, you may lacks knowledge and excess sleep may be a condition, lacking concentration you may not be able to distinguish between good and bad, right and wrong.
If the tamas dominate, then the sattva and that rajas are subdued, if you find yourself with a surplus of the tamas you many become depressed, have apathy and suffer from inertia.
Eating too much meat, fish, poultry, eggs, pastries, bread, fermented foods, sugary foods and alcohol helps to get into this state.