Yoga is not only an exercise practice, it’s also a way of life that engage health and vitality. One of the most important parts of keeping our bodies ready to do the physical side of a yoga practice is to follow a healthy eating plan, and if possible a yoga diet. This is a vegetarian diet that is full of pure and simple foods. The yoga diet focuses on natural foods grown in fertile soil free from chemicals and pesticides. These types of food provide our bodies with the nutrients that we require. It also educate us to keep calm.
The yoga diet is vegeterian, and the philosophy behind this focuses on the origin of all nutrients. The sun is the source of all energy that exists on this planet. The golden rays from the sun nourish the plants, which are then eaten by herbivores. The herbivores are then eaten by the carnivores, creating the cycle that we know as the “Food chain.” The tenets of the yoga diet tells us that the food at the top of the food chain is the plants (not usually what we think of as being at the top!) because they are directly nourished by the sun. These foods have the greatest nutritional content and life promoting properties. They are the best things that we can put into our bodies.
The flesh of the animals that we consume are also full of nutrients. However, the yoga diet philosophy is that these foods are secondary sources of energy, because the nutrients they contain come through the food the animals eat and are absorbed into their body, before they are passed on to us when we eat the meat. The nutrients we get from the flesh of animals are “second-hand” and thus inferior.
Yogis strive to eat natural, unprocessed foods such as seeds, nuts, grains, fruits and vegetables. These foods provide us with the protein and nutrients that our body craves. These are simple foods, and the body is able to easily digest them.
When you start eating meat, the second-hand source of nutrients and protein, the body struggles to digest these foods. This is less valuable to our body’s metabolism and will leave you sluggish and fatigued.
Today even elite athletes are turning to a vegetarian diet to fuel their bodies for high performance. Some of the most notable athletes following the vegetarian diet are ultra athlete Rich Roll (one of the worlds fittest men) and Tim Shieff (professional Free Runner).
Going vegetarian is a good first step in your quest for health and fitness, but the yoga diet is even more structured. In addition to being concerned with the effects of foods on the body, the yoga diet is focused on the effect that food has on our mental state. There are three types of food that that yoga diet recognizes, Sattvic food, Rajastic food and Tamasic food. The philosophy of the yoga diet is to keep the body and mind sharp, we must avoid foods that are over-stimulating.
Sattvic Food
The foods that are sattivic are the purest that we can eat, and they include cereals, whole grain breads, fruit and vegetables, milk, pressed fruit juices, cheese, butter, nuts, legumes, seeds, sprouted seeds, honey and herbal teas. These foods nourish our minds and bodies and keep them in a peaceful state. A strictly sattivic yoga diet is believed to be the best way to achieve the ultimate health of the mind and body, and allow both to reach the ultimate potential. These foods increase the mind-body connection, and support a flow of energy between the two.
Rajasic Food
Rajastic foods are foods that break down the mind-body balance that we seek to create with yoga. These are foods that stimulate the body negatively and excite the passions, which leads to an uncontrolled and undisciplined mind. These are foods that are extreme in any way. For example they are very hot, bitter, sour, dry or salty. Foods to avoid include strong spices and herbs, coffee and non-herbal tea, fish, eggs, salt and chocolate.
Eating quickly is also considered rajasic, and the yoga diet emphasizes that it is important to slow down while consuming nutrients. Its important to give your body adequate time to encourage proper digestion.
Tamasic Food
Tamasic foods are foods that not only do not benefit the mind and body, they actually actively cause damage. These foods include meat, alcohol, onions, garlic and fermented foods. These foods cause prana (energy) to withdraw from the body, which causes the mind to become clouded. These foods increase fatigue and sever the strong connection between mind and body. This causes a drop in immunity, and can cause mood swings. Overeating is also considered Tamasic, and we should strive to only consume what our body needs.
If you are seeking to bring your diet in line with the principles of the yoga diet, remember that changes can occur gradually. Start by designating a day or two of the week to avoid meat and other tamasic foods.
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