The nine Rasas are "the essences of emotion", while Rasa also has meanings that are more literal in Sanskrit such as taste, water, juice, essence and ultimately bliss.
It is really as simple as that, provided you learn to achieve more control over your emotions or rasas. That is a matter of understanding as well as excercise.
The nine Rasas are the essential aspects or energies that define a set of emotions and moods that thus belong to the same "family" or Rasa. While the nine Rasas themselves are clearly defined energies affecting body and mind, the resulting emotions (Bhavas) manifest in many varieties and their understanding is affected by personal and cultural backgrounds. Knowing the nine Rasas helps us understand why a certain mood comes and stays even though it's original cause may be long gone and how to use that knowledge in achieving more emotional control.
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Rasa Sadhana is an ancient Tantric tradition of emotional fasting. We promise ourself that for a day or a week or longer we will not get involved with one of the less desirable Rasas or will fully focus on one of the more agreeable Rasas. When doing Sadhana of Anger for example, whenever some irritation comes, just remembering our promise not to give in to Anger will create a distance between us and the angry feeling. That is often enough to dissolve the anger and if not, other tricks can be used to help dissolve it. Through such regular exercise, we learn that we really can master our nine Rasas, which rapidly will happen quite effortlessly. In order to perform this Rasa yoga, we need to understand what Rasas are and how each Rasa functions.
The Tantric tradition recognizes nine Rasas that relate to quite clearly defined basic moods or emotions (click the individual Rasas for more details) :
All desires for ownership, security, enjoyment, recognition, Love, knowledge, enlightenment, etc. are all desires for the happiness that we hope to feel by fulfilling them. We desire the happy feeling to own, to be secure, to be recognized as somebody valuable, to enjoy, to Love, to know. Feeling happy Rasas is all that we ever really desire. Should happiness then not be pursued more directly and durably ? That is the essential objective of Rasa Sadhana. Stop being unhappy and enjoy your happiness in a way that does not lead you back to unhappy Rasas.
Rasa Sadhana is a powerful yoga of our emotions that anybody can learn and teach. It may not bring enlightenment, but gets us quite a bit closer to happiness. It is a Wonderfully simple kind of magic. Rasas fasting can be easily integrated with other yoga paths and spiritual rituals to the benefit of both. Art and drama also have an important role to play in the communication of the nine Rasas on a feeling level. In case of emergencies, here are some tips for dissolving a bad mood.
An Interview with Peter Marchand 
