Honouring Agni Beyond Food

I was supposed to teach one final in-person class on agni yesterday—a class about digestion, transformation, and the potential in asana practice to support those concepts. Instead, I spent the day on the couch, fevered, achy, and with a massive headache I’m sure due to coughing. It wasn’t lost on me how fitting this was. Here I was, having spent the past month teaching about the importance of tending our digestive fire and personal power, only to find myself completely burned out. My ojas—which is the Sanskrit term used to define one’s reserves of vitality and immunity—had been depleted, leaving me wide open to and susceptible to catching something.

I knew it was coming, too. I could feel it brewing on Monday when I spoke with a client about this very thing. The body always whispers before it shouts, and I (somewhat unconsciously yet fully consciously) have ignored those whispers for the last week or more. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends, moving through a busy start to the year, taking on a little too much, a little too fast. And so, my body did what it needed to do—it forced me to stop.

Digestion is More than Food

When we talk about digestion in Ayurveda, we’re not just talking about food. Yes, agni governs how we digest, assimilate, and eliminate the food we eat. But it also governs how we process everything we take in through our senses—what we watch, what we listen to, what we put on our skin, the conversations we engage in, the thoughts we entertain.

I talked about this on one of my recent classes, especially about the energy drain of doom-scrolling and how it wastes our mental fire. But it goes beyond just screen time. Every input we take in has to be processed. Too much, too fast, too intense, and agni struggles—just like it does when we overeat or consume foods that are too heavy or incompatible. And when our fire is overwhelmed, it either burns too hot, leading to depletion, or it dampens, leaving us sluggish, uninspired, and vulnerable.

Recognizing the Signs of Depletion

Burnout and depletion don’t happen overnight. They accumulate. A little too much work, a little less rest, a few skipped meals, a few social drinks leading to a few late nights, and suddenly, the fire that was meant to sustain us starts consuming us instead. The body always gives us signs:

• Fatigue that rest doesn’t quite fix
• A racing or foggy mind
• Digestive discomfort, bloating, or irregularity
• Irritability or heightened emotional sensitivity
• Body aches and pains
• Sleep disturbances
• A weakened immune system (hello, fever and chills)

And if we don’t listen, the body makes sure we do!

Tending the Fire, Not Just Feeding It

Like any fire, agni needs balance. Too much fuel too quickly, and it burns too hot. Not enough air or space, and it suffocates. This is why resilience isn’t just about how much we can take on; it’s about how well we manage what we take in. It’s about making sure we’re feeding our fire with the right things, in the right amounts, in the right container.

So today, instead of pushing through, I’m letting myself, and my fire, rest. I’m nourishing myself with warm, simple foods, staying wrapped in blankets while I journal and reflect, and reminding myself (as I remind you) that honouring agni isn’t just about discipline and effort—it’s about knowing when to surrender.

If you’re feeling drained, take this as your invitation to pause. Rest is not weakness. Replenishment is not indulgence. Tending the fire means knowing when to feed it and when to let it breathe.

And with that, I’m going to go drink some warm honey ginger tea and let my body do what it does best—heal.

Be well, and tend to your fire wisely.

With love and rest,

xoM