Yoga Food

Is there such as thing as a Yogic Diet? 

You may be curious about Yoga Food and Yoga Food Recipes.  You may even have thought about a Yoga Diet Plan.  

Yoga Food or a Yoga Way of eating is not about diet culture though. The purpose is way more important than weight loss.  In fact, it isn't about weight at all. 

The Reason to follow the Yoga Food Recommendations in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika is if you are feeling mentally:

• Sluggish, Unfocused, Un- Motivated, Depressed (Kapha)
• Angry, Irritable,Critical, Low Self-Esteem (Pitta)
• Feeling Unmoored, Restless, Anxious (Vata)

Or you may physically feel or have:

• Congested, bloated, sleepiness, diabetic  (Kapha)
• Acidic, heartburn, hot, diarrhea (Pitta)
• Dry skin, arthritis, osteoporosis, insomnia, constipated, headaches (Vata)

Can a Yoga Way of Eating Help?

Perhaps.

Today we will explore Yoga Teachings on Food or Diet in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika which we've been exploring.  Our last series was on the  first 11 Hatha Yoga Poses, and the 4 most important  Hatha Yoga Poses  and Ha and Tha of Hatha Yoga.

What is a Yoga Diet? What is the Purpose?

Yoga Food recommendations are to create a Sattvic Diet.  Hatha Yoga is all about balancing our energies, our tendencies which are called Doshas in Yoga.  You can take our Dosha Test here. I unlocked three lessons for a limited time.  If you are reading this at a later date please contact me Kim@lifefullyoga.com

Hatha Yoga Pradipika explains the energies and how the purpose of Hatha Yoga is to balance them.  It first covers Yoga Poses or Asanas to help balance the energies.  The next section of Yoga Teachings is about Food and Purifications. 

The Three Energies are Kapha, Pitta, and Vata. You can see some of the mental and physical symptoms of when those energies are imbalanced above.  

We want to balance our Energies/Tendencies so that we can feel Peace/Bliss/Enlightened

After Yoga Poses, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika covers Yoga Food and Purifications  (ShatKarma/6 Actions).

In verse/sloka 1.38  discussing a seated pose says: 

Just as moderate diet is the most important way/ethic/habit and non-violence is the most important moral, Siddhasana is the most important pose.

After the all the 15 poses are covered the Hatha Yoga Pradipika goes on to cover the 

Importance of a moderate diet/way of eating and how to have a moderate way of eating.

I prefer to use the term "way of eating" rather than "diet" because Diet Culture has taken over the word "diet" and it is now a toxic triggering word for may people.  The word "diet" in its purest form just means the way one habitually eats.  The idea of "diet" as restriction and deprivation is not moderation.  

So much of Yoga is about a Way so We will talk about the Yoga Food Way or Way of Eating

Hatha Yoga Pradipika covers the Yoga Way of Eating in Chapter 1.57-63 and as we've seen the Yoga Way of Eating is mentioned through out the book. 

Chapter 1.57 says, One who is practicing Yoga as walking  in the Way of the Divine (Brahmachari) takes moderate and pure food,  (more on Brahmacarya here)

Chapter 1.58 says, The food is Mitahara meaning smooth, gentle, lovely (sometimes translated as sweet but not as ins sweets but like when we say "isn't that sweet" is pleasant).  Additionally 1/4 of the stomach is to remain free as an offering.

Swami Muktibodhananda, a commentator we've been using says:

"Mitahara means ‘sattwic food,’ light food which is easy to digest. ... A yogi should always regard food as a medicine which will purify and fuel the body and mind for the maintenance of life and progress in sadhana."

When we are Sattwic it means our energies are balanced as well, the purpose of Yoga.

Prohibited Foods

1.59 The foods which are prohibited (for the yogi) are those which are :

• bitter, 
• sour, 
• pungent, 
• salty, 
• heating, 
• green vegetables (other than those ordained below), 
• sour gruel, 
• oil, (greasy)
• sesame and mustard, 
• alcohol, 
• fish,
• flesh foods (meat), 
• curds, 
• buttermilk, 
• horse gram (a type of legume for horses), 
• fruit of jujube, 
• oil cakes, (cakes made with oil rather than butter)
• asafetida (like a cross between fennel and garlic) 
• and garlic.

1.60 Unhealthy diet should not be taken, that which is: 

• reheated after becoming cold, 
• which is dry (devoid of natural oil), 
• which is excessively salty or acidic, 
• stale or 
• has too many (mixed) vegetables.

1.61.  The part that applies to food says fasting should be avoided. 

Best Yoga Foods

1.62 The most conducive foods far the yogi are: 

• good grains, wheat, rice, barley, 
• milk, 
• ghee (clarified butter even found in local grocery stores now), 
• brown sugar, 
• sugar candy (crystallized sugar), 
• honey, 
• dry ginger, 
• patola fruit (species of cucumber), 
• five vegetables, (see below-- lots of research on these)
• mung and such pulses( mung beans, red lentils, legumes), 
• and pure water.

What are the 5 Vegetables? 

This is what I think based on the research below. 

1. Mallow -- balasaka
2. White Jute -- kalasaka
3. Squash or Gourd -- Patola 
4. Artificial Salt Powder -- vastaka 
5. Warm Bread fired in Ghee -- himalochika

Swami Muktibodhananda comments that in the Gherand Samhita/another sacred text (5:20) the "‘five vegetables’ are said to be balasaka, kalasaka, patolapatraka, vastaka and himalochika. These are – leafy vegetables which are similar to spinach."

1.63 The Yogi should take nourishing and pleasant/Mitahara/Sattwic food mixed with, ghee and milk; it should nourish the dhatus (basic body constituents) and be pleasing and suitable.

The Dhatus are: skin, flesh, blood, bone, marrow, fat and semen/ ova.

Chapter 1 ends with just a couple more verses about the importance of practice. 

Lets look at a couple of verses in Chapter 2.

2.1 Thus being established in asana (the poses) and having control (of the body), taking a balanced diet; pranayama should be practiced according to the instructions of the guru.

Here we learn how important, again, a balanced diet is.  It goes along with the physical poses and is even recommended to establish before practicing breath practice. 

2.14 In the beginning stages of practice, food, consisting of milk and ghee is recommended. Upon being established in the practice such restrictions are not necessary.

There is an acknowledgement that this Yoga Food Way can be restrictive but even that is in moderation.  Its purpose is to balance the mental and physical energies once the beginning stages of practice helps us feel more balanced restrictions are not needed.   

Main Goal of Yoga Food

The main goal in a Yoga Diet/Yoga Way of Eating is to help balance our energies.  I hope this is helpful in countering Diet Culture's way of deprivation for the sake of idealized body image.  A Counter-Diet Culture movement is to practice Intuitive Eating (see link below).  

This ancient Yoga list of Foods and Practices is, again, serving the purpose of Food as Medicine.  

My story

I know the effects all too well.  The short story is, I have a high IQ.  However, I made Cs, Ds, and even Fs in school and felt dizzy and tired all the time.  Turns out I had low blood sugar. I craved sugar because it brought me up.  But, then it slammed me down because I couldn't process it.  Once, I found out and changed they way I ate I couldn't believe a person could feel so good.  And, I started making As and Bs and ultimately went on to study at Harvard.  

Now, I also know I have gluten issues which was causing a whole other set of issues. I also know  I am a Vata/Kapha and I can help myself feel even better when I keep in mind the types of foods and times to eat that help me feel my best.  I do not believe in deprivation and I don't 100% believe in Intuitive Eating because my intuition told be to eats lots of sugar and wheat to feel better.  So, what I do believe is in moderation, balance, on all sides.  And, I believe Yoga Lifestyle Science helps with that so much.  

If you'd like to learn more or work with me please reach out. I provide Yoga and Wellness Coaching and have programs and courses too so that people can balance their energies through Yoga Poses, Meditation and Breath Practices, and Ways of Eating.  I love providing recipes and I will be working on some with these Yoga Food/ Sattwic Foods Recipes too.

You can leave a comment here or contact me with the form in the side bar or directly kim@lifefullyoga.com

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References:

balasaka

https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/bala 

https://www.ediblewildfood.com/mallow.aspx

https://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers-solutions/benefits-common-mallow-malva-sylvestris

kalasaka

https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/kalashaka 

https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/white-jute/

 Patola is called Silk Squash or sponge gourd 

https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/patola

vastaka -- salt 

https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/vastaka

https://herbsforever.com/product/vasaka-powder/

https://www.netmeds.com/health-library/post/vasaka-health-benefits-usage-dosage-and-side-effects-of-malabar-nut

himalochika

https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/himala -- warm

https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/locika -- A thin bread of wheaten flour fried in clarified butter

Overall

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317687842_Nutritive_investigation_of_plants_used_in_dietetics_with_special_reference_to_Yoga

http://ijhbr.com/pdf/January%202017%2059-71.pdf

Intuitive Eating Rather than Diet Culture 

https://www.intuitiveeating.org/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/

Hatha Yoga Pradipika

https://terebess.hu/english/Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika-Muktibodhananda.pdf

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.This is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases.