Building Ojas, Feeding the Soul
- Jennifer Peck, RYT500, e-RYT200, YACEP, AHC, RM
- Oct 13
- 5 min read
Continuing our exploration of ojas as the essence of vitality, this reflection dives deeper into how nourishment becomes our greatest medicine. If you missed last week’s post, Ojas October: Nourishing Your Inner Radiance and Resilience, I invite you to read it first for a deeper foundation before continuing here.
It’s Sunday morning, and my kitchen smells like home — warm, earthy, alive. A baked chicken from earlier in the week has become two gallons of golden broth simmering on the stove, bubbling with fennel, apple, and garden roots. This, to me, is more than cooking. It’s the practice of rebuilding ojas — that deep, radiant essence of vitality that keeps us grounded, content, and strong.
Over the years, I’ve come to realize that ojas isn’t built through supplements or quick fixes. It’s cultivated through rhythm, rest, and the simple act of nourishment — in body, mind, and spirit. For me, that often starts right here, in the kitchen. One baked chicken becomes a week (or two) of nourishment: broth for sipping at breakfast, grains cooked in it for extra depth ad nutrition, and soups that feed both body and soul. This is Ayurveda in practice — taking what’s already available and transforming it with love, time, and intention.
Lately, my favorites have been my Cardamom Butternut Fennel Soup — sweet, grounding, and gently aromatic — and my Hingvastak Apple Bone Broth, a simple crockpot recipe that fills the house with comfort. Most recently, I created a Hingvastak Chicken & Garden Root Soup with fennel, rutabaga, and cabbage — a true bowl of autumn nourishment. Each dish is rich in warmth and prana, deeply supportive to digestion, immunity, and the building of ojas through the dhatus (tissues).
But before we dive deeper into the practices, let’s pause to understand what ojas really is and how it’s formed.
How Ojas is Built
In Ayurveda, every bite of food we eat becomes part of something greater. Nourishment moves through seven transformative stages — the dhatus, or tissues — each feeding the next in a clear hierarchy. It begins with plasma (rasa) and blood (rakta), then moves through muscle (mamsa), fat (meda), bone (asthi), marrow and nerve (majja), and reproductive tissue (shukra), eventually refining into the deepest essence of life: ojas.
When the food we eat is full of prana and wholesome qualities, each tissue is properly nourished and ojas is strengthened. But when we rely on processed or depleted foods, the chain of nourishment weakens. Sometimes the flow skips or stagnates — certain tissues may receive little nourishment while others, like the fat tissue, absorb what they can. This understanding was profound for me when studying in my Ayurveda Health Counselor program: the realization that every meal can either build or diminish our ojas. It’s this final stage, the subtle nectar of vitality, that gives us our glow, resilience, and grounded joy.
Ojas can’t be rushed. It’s built through consistency, warmth, and care — when digestion is steady, the mind is calm, and the heart feels content. Foods that are gently cooked, unctuous, and filled with prana — like soups, ghee, milk, and well-spiced grains — feed the process. Rest, love, meditation, and time in nature also act as invisible nourishment. Conversely, overstimulation, processed foods, irregular eating, and too much doing can dry up our reserves and weaken ojas.
When we eat slowly, breathe between bites, and cook with intention, we create the conditions for ojas to form.
Beyond what’s on the plate, certain herbs and tonics can further support ojas. One of my favorites is Chyavanprash, a traditional Ayurvedic rasayana — or rejuvenative formula — that has been used for centuries to strengthen immunity, energy, and vitality. It’s especially supportive during perimenopause and menopause, the Vata stage of life when ojas becomes more fragile and our bodies crave deeper nourishment. A spoonful each morning feels like feeding my nervous system from the inside out— and it’s one of Jackson’s favorites too, especially when I turn it into Chyavanprash chocolates (recipe coming soon!).
Alongside this, I often use Hingvastak, a digestive spice blend that keeps agni (digestive fire) steady, ensuring that the nourishment I take in is well assimilated. Both of these are staples in my autumn and winter rhythm and are part of my daily nourishment, not trendy add-ons.
I order mine through Banyan Botanicals, where I source many of my herbs and oils. If you feel called to try them, I invite you to order through my link by clicking on the banner below— your purchase helps support my efforts to continue sharing Ayurvedic knowledge and inspiration.
And nourishment doesn’t stop at the kitchen. Beyond food, ojas is also nourished through touch, rest, and energy flow. I’ve been leaning into my own self-care practices lately — slowing down, offering myself the same nourishment I guide others toward. Abhyanga and Vishesh treatments are some of my favorite ways to restore ojas on a cellular level. The rhythmic strokes of warm herbal oil not only feed the skin (our first line of defense) but calm the nervous system and deepen our capacity to receive. I have a few openings this week — Wednesday and Friday — for those ready to experience this grounding reset firsthand.
And this Sunday, October 19th at 3:00PM, I’ll be guiding another Reiki Restorative Yoga class — a blend of gentle movement, deep rest, and energetic nourishment. Reiki and restorative yoga together are like feeding ojas at the subtle level — where prana meets stillness and the body remembers how to repair itself.
As I continue leaning into these rhythms, I’m reminded that in the end, building ojas isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing less with greater presence. It’s found in the broth that simmers slowly, the oil that’s warmed with care, and the moments we choose to pause and receive. It’s a quiet, daily devotion — to the self, to the season, to the art of being nourished. And once again, I come back to "Less is More".
If you’re feeling called to explore your own path to rebuilding ojas and would like guidance tailored to your unique constitution, I invite you to schedule a virtual mini-consultation with me. These short sessions are a wonderful way to receive personalized support, Ayurvedic recommendations, and simple practices to help you strengthen your vitality and bring your system back into balance.
May your week be filled with nourishment, steady energy, and the quiet joy that comes from truly feeding your soul.
With warmth and gratitude,
Jennifer
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