The original, ancient texts of yoga such as Patanjali's Yoga Sutra and Bahgavad Gita do not detail a specific menu plan for a yogic diet. Rather, a yogic diet heightens your awareness about the consequences of food choices for your own body as well as for the society as a whole. Just as there are multiple interpretations of yoga practice, one person's yogic diet may be very different from another's. A yogic diet should embody your own ethics and intentions.
Features
Certain foods and ingredients are believed to enhance mental clarity, notes yoga teacher and expert Gary Kraftsow in Yoga Journal. When foods such as cucumbers, radishes, carrots, tomatoes, sprouts, cilantro and parsley are combined with spices such as ginger, cayenne, cinnamon and basil, they are believed to help clear the mind and fill the body with energy. Meanwhile, foods such as onions, meat, and garlic are believed to encourage dullness and are de-emphasized. Coffee, hot peppers and salt increase hyperactivity and also throw off the body's balance. In general, whole foods like fresh produce, whole grains, beans, raw nuts, ghee, olive oil, natural sweeteners, herbal teas and citrus juices feature prominently in a yogic diet. Processed food, artificial sweeteners, fried foods, animal fats and refined sugars and flour are discouraged.
Vegetarianism
Debate over the connection between vegetarianism and being a true "yogi" rages. Some yogis point to one of yoga's principles, known as "ahisma" or "nonharm" as the basis of their diet. Vegetarian yogis interpret ahisma to mean they should eschew all foods that result from the killing or harming of animals. But different instructors and schools of yoga thought interpret the yoga sutras in varied ways and offer conflicting advice about the need follow a 100 percent vegetarian eating plan. Ultimately, it is a personal, ethical decision as to whether you include any animal products in your yogic diet.
Benefits
Yogis eat to live, rather than living to eat. A yogic diet should form a good basis for your practice, making your body feel unencumbered by digestive distress or heaviness. A yogic diet intends to help detoxify the body and open the channels between the body and the mind. Some very stringent yoga enthusiasts believe that regular fasting and consumption of raw foods puts them more in touch with nature. Other yogis feel that putting love into the preparation of their food---from growing their own gardens to carefully preparing home-based meals---adequately nourishes the body and spirit.
Considerations
A yoga practice encourages you to listen to your body and to perform poses that meet specific physical and spiritual needs that may arise at certain times. Applying this way of practice can translate into the development of a yogic diet. Instead of following a prescribed plan that works for someone else, consider evaluating your personal dietary needs and incorporating them into your yogic diet. Evaluate what yoga teachings most resonate with you---such as ahisma---and incorporate them into your diet.
Strategy
Ultimately, a yogic diet should help you develop awareness about your food choices. The raised consciousness achieved through a physical yoga practice may teach you to become more educated about the origins and preparation of the food you ingest. As you become more in touch with how certain foods affect your feelings and physical being, you can develop a yogic diet that is personally satisfying to you.
Member Comments