Guest guest Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 Sat Nam Chandru, you see, here we are ;-) To be vegetarian is not a must, it is more a should and could. It is always your personal decision. According to Patanjali (yoga philosopher, approx. 200 bc) one of the 8 limbs of yoga is yama, the code of behavior. There it is written, to be non-violent - which is often interpreted as not to kill. This would mean in the broader sense, that a yogi is not supposed to eat meat (cause the animal must have been killed first), but also could mean, that a yogi is not supposed to serve in the armed forces or armed police. Coming back to food: according to modern science the human body is designed to eat almost all kinds of food. Jaws, teeth, digestion system and metabolic system are capable of processing fruits, vegetables, animal products and meat. Society and cultural education is setting some taboos - not to eat insects, worms, dogs, cats, etc. This is varying greatly all over the world, from country to country, from society to society. According to the yogi philosophy it is wise to avoid meat, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, fish, eggs, salt, refined sugar, white flour and oil. Look into the Indian, Mediterranean or Mexican kitchen - they have plenty of healthy (and tasty!) vegetarian dishes. I personal believe, that the selection of food according to the classic 'food-pyramid' indicates quite well the kind and amounts of food to eat. If you are able to select your food according to your dosha (look into Ayurveda) and your very personal specific needs (work environment, climate where you live, personal taste, availability of food, eventual allergies, etc) you are able to nurture your body to its best. In general I would advise to eat as much as possible quality and natural food - avoid junk food and soft drinks, be critical with supplements, be moderate and take your time for eating. You are what you eat - eat healthy. From my own experience I can tell, that your eating habits are changing over time. The cravings (chocolate, burgers, etc.) are fading away, you feel no more good after having eating a 'half-pounder' with a heap of fries and your body becomes more and more sensitive for 'not-so-good-food'. It is a natural process. By becoming more and more aware your body tells you, what kind of food it needs and what is good for you and what not. Sending blessings from Shanghai, Adarsh S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 Sometimes vegetarianism _just happens_ rather than is a planned event. In 1974, I had returned to my apartment in New York on a sweltering hot evening in summer. My wife had prepared my _up till then_ favorite dish: a London Broil. As she carried the platter in, I said, almost unaware of what I was saying, "I can't eat that." Then she asked why not. I really didn't know. I was as surprised by what I said as she was. After a moment of awkward silence, mentally fumbling for an explanation, I explained, "Because I'm vegetarian." That was the last time I ate meat, fish, fowl, etc. I had been studying hatha yoga for about a year prior to that moment, but with no propensity toward vegetarianism that I was aware of. I hardly ever ate vegetables at all, only meats, chicken etc. My sense is that sometimes people just get some form of intuition, which if followed, leads to vegetarianism. It needn't be followed as an ascetic practice, penance, or spiritual quest though there's certainly nothing wrong with these spiritual avenues. Later, I read a great deal about the reasons and rationales for a vegetarian lifestyle. Logically, I remained (and remain) unconvinced, but still I find the practice so satisfying that I doubt that I'd ever willingly return to a nonvegetarian lifestyle. All best wishes, Stan On Wed, 14 Apr 2004, [iso-8859-1] Jürgen Laske wrote: > Sat Nam Chandru, > > you see, here we are ;-) > To be vegetarian is not a must, it is more a should and could. It is always > your personal decision. > > According to Patanjali (yoga philosopher, approx. 200 bc) one of the 8 > limbs of yoga is yama, the code of behavior. There it is written, to be > non-violent - which is often interpreted as not to kill. This would mean in > the broader sense, that a yogi is not supposed to eat meat (cause the > animal must have been killed first), but also could mean, that a yogi is > not supposed to serve in the armed forces or armed police. > > Coming back to food: according to modern science the human body is designed > to eat almost all kinds of food. Jaws, teeth, digestion system and > metabolic system are capable of processing fruits, vegetables, animal > products and meat. > > Society and cultural education is setting some taboos - not to eat insects, > worms, dogs, cats, etc. This is varying greatly all over the world, from > country to country, from society to society. According to the yogi > philosophy it is wise to avoid meat, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, fish, > eggs, salt, refined sugar, white flour and oil. Look into the Indian, > Mediterranean or Mexican kitchen - they have plenty of healthy (and tasty!) > vegetarian dishes. > > I personal believe, that the selection of food according to the classic > 'food-pyramid' indicates quite well the kind and amounts of food to eat. If > you are able to select your food according to your dosha (look into > Ayurveda) and your very personal specific needs (work environment, climate > where you live, personal taste, availability of food, eventual allergies, > etc) you are able to nurture your body to its best. > > In general I would advise to eat as much as possible quality and natural > food - avoid junk food and soft drinks, be critical with supplements, be > moderate and take your time for eating. You are what you eat - eat healthy. > > From my own experience I can tell, that your eating habits are changing > over time. The cravings (chocolate, burgers, etc.) are fading away, you > feel no more good after having eating a 'half-pounder' with a heap of fries > and your body becomes more and more sensitive for 'not-so-good-food'. It is > a natural process. By becoming more and more aware your body tells you, > what kind of food it needs and what is good for you and what not. > > Sending blessings from Shanghai, > > Adarsh S. > > Kundalini Yoga - for the best online selection of Books, Videos and DVDs on Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. Also a great range of beautiful Meditation and Mantra CDs, all with RealAudio sound clips. > - visit > Links > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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