Yogic Diet
Submitted by divine_sysop on June 6, 2009 - 02:08
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Health is fundamental in acquiring the four aspects of life (dharma, artha, kama and moksha).
Therefore, the basics of all aspects of life lie in health, without which, nothing can be achieved or enjoyed.
Health is wealth.
One should know how to maintain health of the body and daily life should be styled to preserve health. Longevity of a person depends on the health of his body.
A diet that is wholly conducive to the practices of yoga and spiritual progress is called a yogic diet. Improper diet brings about ill-health. There is a difference in opinion among the experts when one goes into the details of diet. Proper growth of the body and maintenance of physical and mental health is the aim of yogic diet. Diet is an important aspect of our daily life. In fact, we all work hard for basic needs like food and shelter.This indicates the importance given to diet, which is largely accepted by all.
According to Taittiriyopanishad, the entire universe is a heap of food, our body grows through the medium of food and one day we become as food.
Diet also has an intimate connection with the mind, since the mind is formed out of the subtlest portion of food. As mentioned in Chandogya Upanishad, the purity of food leads to the purification of inner nature. The purification of nature leads to firm and strengthened memory, and a robust memory leads to the loosening of all ties and the wise get emancipation.
Yoga points out that all diseases arise because of less, excessive or abnormal digestive or tissue enzymes. Weak digestive power lowers body resistance and acts as a predisposing factor to all diseases. The entire range of digestive and metabolic activities take place with the help of the biological fire of the body called agni. This agni is a term for various enzymes present in the elementary canal, liver and the tissue cells. The energy or the heat element exists in the body in the form of pitta i.e. various enzymes. Health, vigour, strength and life itself depends on digestive and tissue enzymes. Abnormal activities of these enzymes lead to diseases while the cessation of activity leads to death. A person with good digestive power has good appetite without having any symptoms of indigestion. After digestion of food, it is responsible for the formation of various constituents of the body, namely, various tissues and tissue enzymes.
Yoga therapy and Ayurveda consider the individual as a whole before determining different aspects of the disease. Treatment is fine-tuned taking into consideration the individuals constitution, susceptibility to diseases, mental make up, hereditary factors and lifestyle. This is based on the prakriti. The word prakriti means nature or natural form of the build and constitution of the human body. Disease occurs when there is a change in this original form at the psychological or physiological level.
Therefore, one should first know the nature of his body and the diet required for that particular nature. The constitution of a mans body and mind is determined by the kind of diet he takes. A mans faith corresponds to his mental constitution. Hence, a man can as well be judged by the nature of his diet. The body and the mind work according to the diet.
Each one is different from the health angle; hence, while considering the diet one has to consider two things, the location and the time. People staying at muddy places full of mire, on hills, in humid climate, rainy areas will necessarily have different diets. Not all such people will benefit from a single type of diet. The diet should contain satisfying and growth-related elements. One should confirm that both these qualities exist in the diet before consuming it.
The Bhagavad-Gita has classified the diet into three categories: sattvic, rajasic and tamasic.
Foods which promote health, happiness, longevity, intelligence and vigour are part of a sattvic diet. They are naturally agreeable and can be sweet and/or bland substantially. They serve as antidotes for ones mental and physical ailments.
A rajasic diet includes pungent, sour, salty, very hot, spicy, tasteless food items. They can cause inflammation and generate grief, mourning or diseases.
The food which is stale, tasteless, putrid, decomposed, foul, impure or leftover is tamasic diet. It promotes sloth and slowness of mind.
According to the yogis, half of the stomach should be filled with food, the third part with liquid and the fourth part should be left free for gases to move around. Food stays in the stomach for three to four hours. During this period, it is churned due to the expansion and contraction movements of the stomach. The juices are mixed up and then the process of digestion starts. For this movement, there should be an empty area in the stomach.This is called as mitahara. If the stomach is filled with food completely, there will be no space for proper movement and the food will not be digested properly. This will be the beginning of indigestion.
The food should be pleasing to the senses and nutritive to the dhatus or promotional to the sapta dhatus. The sapta dhatus are fluids, blood, muscle tissues, adipose tissues, bones, bone marrow and generative tissues. When the strength of all dhatus is excellent and working efficiently, it results in a healthy body.
Since time immemorial, we have different combinations of yogic diets which are very delicious and nutritive. These foods can be classified into yogic breakfast, yogic lunch, yogic supper and yogic snacks. These preparations are according to the nature of the body i.e. prakriti and not common to all.
Consequently, modern diet differs in the sense that the nature of the body is not taken into consideration rather the absence or presence of disease is emphasized and dietary regulations are followed.
Modern diet is followed in terms of nutritional guidelines based on carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. The energy of food and the need of the body for food are measured in terms of calories. A balanced diet incorporates eating foods in a complementary fashion from all the food groups such as fruits, vegetables, bread and lentils. Very little attention is paid to the affect of food at the mental level and eating different foods according to region, time and body constitution. This approach is very different from all the above thoughts.
We consider diet mainly from the view of Yoga and Ayurveda, which is based on the nature of the body and seasonal regimen. The physical and mental healths are connected; diet can easily balance that relation. This is sufficient and useful for the yoga sadhaka who will be free from all physical and mental disorders and eligible for the higher spiritual practices.
A yogic diet has numerous benefits, which contributes to a complete health and life satisfaction. This diet especially helps to overcome obesity, arthritis and hypertension. It is very beneficial for cardiovascular disorders. It strengthens and nourishes the cells and tissues of the body. A yogic diet helps to harmonise the tridoshas and trigunas. It calms the mind and emotional imbalances can be controlled. It promotes long life and vigour. A yogic diet develops intelligence and increases the memory. It develops overall wellbeing and sound health.
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