Food and Yoga

[Guest guest]

Some time ago there was a debate about food -

some things which were said were misleading - here are

some results of my own research:<br><br>As far as food

goes, I can only tell you what I have learned from my

own personal experience. <br><br>As you know we all

have different constitutions, heredity and character

which influence our dietary needs.<br><br>While you can

figure out your dominating constitution, you need to

figure out through trial and error what works for you in

terms of diet.<br><br>There are different schools of

philosophy as to the ideal diet. In general, what you can

read about diet in the ancient texts on yoga like the

Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Gheranda Samhita, are

intended for practitioners devoting their full time to

yoga practice which involves primarily pranayama and

meditation - in other words, someone who is not very active.

In the initial stages while the emphasis is on a

vigorous physical practice and a full working life in the

western world, the recommended diet of a little rice and

some ghee (clarified butter) and curds (yogurt) is not

sufficient. <br><br>From my own experience, a balanced

combination of brown rice, vegetables and salad is an ideal

meal. Ayurveda recommends sipping a little water with

each mouthful of food. Other systems, like

macrobiotics recommend drinking after the meal. In any case,

water is the best fluid, and plenty of it - up to 2

liters per day.<br><br>With all these recommendations,

it is advisable to make your own judgments as to

what is best for your system - brown rice is too heavy

for some, but in my own experience it is ideal and

helps enormously with regular bowel movements, which

are essential for good yoga

practice<br><br>Vegetables should be relatively less in proportion to

whichever grain you choose as the base of a meal, as they

are said to be the cause of disease when in

excess.<br><br>You are advised to eat sattvic (pure) foods - fresh,

organic, not re-heated, not spicy, salty or bitter- food

which has a sweetish taste and is satisfying. Anything

pre-packaged, re-heated or stale has a tamasic energy - it

makes you heavy or sluggish. Spicy foods and stimulants

have a rajasic energy - make your system speed up too

much and your mind unsteady.<br><br>The physical

substance of your body is built out of the food you eat -

if you eat alot of meat you will get one result, if

you eat alot of pastries, another.<br><br>Do not

practice yoga after eating. 4-6 hours should elapse after

a full meal and at least 1-2 hours after a snack.

Ideally, one should not snack during the day, but eat one

good size meal in the middle of the day and one

lighter meal in the evening.<br><br>A vegetarian diet

significantly improves yoga practice, in fact, from a certain

point of view, a vegetarian diet is essential. If you

are just beginning practice and are regularly eating

meat, it is advisable to make a gradual transition:

e.g. initially only eating white meat and fish, then

gradually eliminating meat and fish all

together.<br><br>More important than figuring out whether you are

getting enough protein/carbohydrate etc is to think of

food in terms of how it affects your digestion - does

it cause irritation? Does it pass through easily?

And is it clean and fresh and balanced? An advanced

yogi digests food in 4 hours - that is he excretes the

waste from his meal after 4 hours. Meat can take

several days to digest, during which time it is slowly

rotting in your gut. <br><br>Finally, it is said that the

two things which destroy yoga above all else are

excess eating and excess talking.<br><br>I hope this

helps.

[Guest guest]

So you're another one who is great fun at parties...

[Guest guest]

I love rice!...<br>Japanese Sweet Wild

Rice<br>Thai Sticky Rice (Khao Niew)<br>Basmati Rice<br>Brown

Rice<br>Jasmine Rice (Khao Hom Mali)<br>Japanese Rice

Noodles<br>Sushi Rice<br>Japanese Short-Grained Rice<br>Minnesota

Wild Rice<br>Purple Thai Rice<br>Thai Heavy Rice (Khao

Nak)

[Guest guest]

i was gonna let someone else have the first shot

at this but no takers so...<br><<regular bowel

movements, which are essential for good yoga

practice>><br>so that's the key, maybe that's why i can't get down

in marichy a. now that you mention it, there's

really not too many other times in our busy days when we

would have the time to approach the more

'contemplative' aspects of yoga. gives you lots of time to think,

doesn't it?<br><<Does it pass through easily? And

is it clean and fresh and balanced? >><br>i

think i know what you meant by the second half of this

phrase (you did mean the diet, didn't you??) but the

editors and wordies here must really like

you.<br><<Meat can take several days to digest, during which

time it is slowly rotting in your

gut.>><br>nothing wrong here. it is just such a compelling thought.

makes me feel like an anaconda or boa constrictor

slowly dissolving a rabbit or monkey or whatever they

eat<br><<Finally, it is said that the two things which destroy yoga

above all else are excess eating and excess

talking.>><br>say la vee, (don't know how to spell in french). i

guess there's no hope for you and me, blondie. we're

wordy wastrels

[Guest guest]

You're slipping stiffy... I got the first shot in. And I think you'll agree with

my response.

[Guest guest]

"Finally, it is said that the two things which destroy yoga above all else

are<br> excess eating and excess talking."<br><br>What exactly do you mean by

excess talking? <br><br>Yogangel