Yogic eating
Author: Christophe Mouze

Any dog or horse trainer knows that what you feed to an animal influences their behaviour. Although we tend to forget this when it comes to ourselves, what we eat has huge influence over our thoughts, and ultimately our emotional and spiritual well being. The yogis of old times knew this, and many classical yogic texts, such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, contain advice on yogic diet. However, proper diet is a controversial subject. A subject extensively researched by modern science, there are as many 'proper' diets as there are scientific studies. It is more than a bit confusing for someone to devise their own individual diet amidst so much, often contradictory advice. The advice given below is based on the classical yogic texts and on the author's experience. It also gives pointers for further research and experimentation.

The first issue that I will discuss is that of vegetarianism. Not only are fish and meat specifically listed amongst the "food injurious to the yoga" by the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (I, 59), but eating the flesh of dead animals violates the first principle of yogic ethics (yamas) as laid down by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, that of non- violence (ahimsa). The principle of loving kindness towards every living creature does not agree too well with the idea of killing an animal to eat its flesh, and the fact that the killing is generally the responsibility of someone else is somewhat of a lame excuse. It is most encouraging however that the number of vegetarians is growing rapidly in the western world, and particularly amongst yoga practitioners. Indeed modern research has shown that vegetarians are generally in better health than meat eaters. Protein that can be obtain from nuts, dairy products and legumes is of a better quality than meat.

The traditional yogic diet is lacto-vegetarian and avoids eggs as well as all animal flesh (including fish!!!). Anyone who has lived for a while on a dairy farm might go as far as questioning the morality of eating dairy products when the milk is taken from a cow whose calf has been taken away and slaughtered. This is a valid point, and while milk is not inherently "injurious to the yogi", is may be that in the world we live in, only a vegan diet can really be sattvic, because of the poor treatment of the milking animal, the stress they are subjected to, and the quantity of drugs that they have to ingest. However, I believe that dairy from farms where animals are well treated, such as organic ones, is acceptable.

Food is traditionally classified by yogis according to the three Gunas, Sattva (the quality of love, light and life), Raja (the quality of activity and passion, lacking stability) and Tamas (the quality of darkness and inertia, dragging us into ignorance and attachment) : Sattvic food promotes clarity and calmness of mind and is favourable for spiritual growth. It is "sweet, fresh and agreeable" and includes most fruits, nuts and vegetable, whole grain, honey, pure water and milk (with the reservation that commercially produced milk may not nowadays be so sattvic...). Given the amount of pesticides and chemical fertilisers used on commercial crops, only organic products still qualify as Sattvic.

Rajasic food feed the body, but, because it promotes activity and therefore induces restlessness, it disturbs the equilibrium of the mind and is generally to be avoided. Rajasic foods include most spicy foods, stimulants like coffee and tea, eggs and chocolate. Tamasic food (to be avoided) induces heaviness of the body and dullness of the mind, and benefits neither. It includes meat, fish, alcohol, as well as food that is stale or overripe, and... garlic. Overeating is also tamasic.

Another point to consider is how any particular diet suits the individual's particular constitution. Ayurveda, the classic system of Indian medicine, classifies people, as well as food into three categories according to their nature. These three categories, or doshas as they are called, are Pitta (hot and oily), Vata (dry and light) and Kapha (cold and moist). Some foods which are recommended for a particular ayurvedic constitution may not be suitable for another, for example, while milk is generally good for Pitta constitution, it may not suit someone of Kapha constitution. You will find more information on the doshas and the foods suitable for each of them on the Saffronsoul site, or in any good book on ayurveda, such as "Yoga and Ayurrveda", by David Frawley, or even better, consult an ayurvedic practitioner for advice on what food suit best your particular ayurvedic constitution.

Finnaly, the issue of food combining, which has received some attention in the west in recent years, is also important, for even the right foods taken in wrong combination can cause problems. Without going into too much details, let's just say that some types of food combine well, while others, because of the difference in the digestive process they require, should not be mixed. For example, strong proteins should not be mixed with carbohydrates. See "Food Combining Made Easy " by Herbert Shelton, or "The Tao of health, sex and longevity", by Daniel Reid (also offers a wealth of advice on diet and exercise) for more information on that subject.

They are many more approaches to dieting, and eating the right food, in the right amount, in the right combination, at the right time, is a difficult art, that can only be learned by experimenting to find out what works best. I hope that the recipes from our new recipes section will inspire you as well, for a yogic diet must also be enjoyable!

Christophe Mouze








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Christophe Mouze is the Webmaster of Yoga Online, the Online Yoga Magazine http://indigo.ie/~cmouze/yoga_online/yoga_online.htm He practices and teaches yoga in the West of Ireland

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