Yoga is a way of life that allows you to create a union with body and mind. As you begin to enter into the world of yoga, a Yogic diet becomes an essential part of any yoga practice. However, it is not a plan to conquer over weight loss, but an ideal way to imbibe the emotional and spiritual balance. Yoga diets are about how you eat the food to attain spiritual goals. A healthy diet is also crucial as much as the right posture for yoga asanas.
Ever wonder what the diet of a yogi is like while in yoga training?
They believe that a healthy diet is an integral part of yoga to attain a balance between the mind, body, and soul. So the type of food you devour has an abrupt effect on you.
In the philosophy of yoga, eating the right food is an ideal component to achieve emotional and spiritual balance.
The yogic literature speaks the three primary gunas, which means “tendency of energy.”
The three Gunas are classified into rajas, tamas, and sattva. These tri gunas are always present in all beings and object surrounding. However, they cannot be removed, but we humans tend to act upon to encourage their increase or decrease consciously. A guna can be altered the levels through a healthy diet plan.
Following are a yogic diet according to Tri Guna that a yoga practitioner should follow.
Tamas
Tamas is a state of gloom, impurity, and inactiveness. According to Ayurvedic beliefs, students who are willing to mastery in yoga must avoid Tamasic foods to attain spiritual balance. The tamasic qualities comprise all negative emotions like shame, addiction, sadness, etc.
In tamasic diets, energy is diminished and brings inactivity that neither benefiting the mind nor the body. Overeating is also considered as tamasic.
Examples of Tamasic foods
Fried foods
Stale food
Junk food
Alcohol
Onions
Garlic
Meat
Frozen and preserved foods
Rajas
Rajas is a state of power, act, transform, and movement. When in excess, rajas can create anxiety, fear, worry, restlessness, courage, chaos, etc. Indulging too much Rajasic food will over-stimulate the body and makes the mind restless and uncontrollable.
Examples of Rajasic foods:
Coffee, tea, and other stimulants
Salt
Hot spices
Fish
Eggs
Chocolate
Spicy herbs
Sattva
Sattva is a state of harmony and balance between body, mind, and spirit. The Sattvic is believed to be the purest diet, the most suitable, or those who follow a yoga regime. The sattvic guna includes happiness, peace, focus, self-control, and imbibe all positive energy.
Most yoga teacher training schools follow only the sattvic way of eating in order to train students. Some yoga schools also follow a vegan diet in order to achieve Moksha. Therefore, yoga practitioners easily reduce rajas and tamas and thus make liberation possible.
Examples of Sattvic foods:
Legumes
Fresh fruit and vegetables
Herbal teas
Milk, butter, and cheese
Nuts & seeds
Honey
Whole grains and cereals
Pure fruit juices
In Short
Based on the sattva diet, it is conducive to eat fresh and natural in order to achieve emotional and spiritual balance. In the ideal yoga diet, both Tamasic and Rajasic food gradually diminished and thus moves towards liberation. Moreover, the sattva diet also a path to attain enlightenment.
Join our Mantra Yoga & Meditation School to learn more about the yogic diet. Please don’t hesitate to call us at 91-9958672399 or drop an email to us at mantrayogmeditation@gmail.com.
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