A person who starts to practice yoga regularly and intensively, at some point comes to the realization that many old habits nullify the effect of the practice and prevent progress. One realizes that many old habits negate the effect of the practice and hinder progress. The same is true of dietary habits. The diet associated with the practice of yoga promotes both physical and mental development.
Yogic nutrition is inextricably linked to the performance of asanas and lifestyle. The yoga food system is a unique way of human interaction with food. It is important not only what exactly you eat, but also how the food is prepared (including the psychological state of the cook) and how it is consumed. Proper nutrition allows you to maintain strength and endurance not only of the physical body, but also stability, stability of the mind and psyche.
In yoga, the whole variety of foodstuffs is usually divided into three main categories called gunas. This classification is based not only on the biochemical characteristics of products, but also on the ability of certain substances and subtle substances to influence the state of mind and consciousness of a person. The properties of products by the nature of their influence on consciousness are divided into:
Tamas – waves of potential energy. It is manifested in consciousness as inertness. Its predominance causes lack of activity.
Rajas are waves of kinetic energy. They manifest as movement. An excess of rajas gives rise to restlessness, dissatisfaction, passion.
Sattva arises from the balance of tamas and rajas. The state of sattva is clear understanding, balanced, unclouded perception.
Tamasic food includes food that is unbalanced, stale, fried, roasted, decaying, burnt, unclean, and over-dried. Such food is the worst for human nutrition, creating a predisposition to disease and plunging the mind into a state of dullness and inertia.
The category of rajas includes bitter, too salty, too hot food, as well as all narcotic substances that enter the human body: tobacco, tea, coffee and others. It should also be said that some methods of preparing sattvic food can turn it into rajasic food (for example, adding a lot of spices). Rajasic food does not bring quick and obvious harm, but by constantly agitating the mind and bodily dissatisfaction, it does not allow a person to achieve a balanced and equilibrated state.
One who seriously thinks about preserving his own physical and mental health should stick to sattvic food in his diet. Proper yoga nutrition with the use of live and fresh foods builds a strong immunity, preserves the strength and health of the physical body and psyche.
According to the recommendations in the classical yoga treatises, sattvic food is the most appropriate diet for human beings and the most proper food for practicing yoga. Such food maintains peace of body and mind. Sattvic food is the key to health and longevity. The basis of sattvic diet is vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, cereals, legumes, dairy products. In other words, yogic diet is lactovegetarianism.
As mentioned above, it is not only the composition and quality of food that matters, but also the principles of its preparation and consumption. The classical yogic diet assumes minimal thermal and culinary processing of foods. A balanced, meditative state of mind when preparing food, chewing it thoroughly to an almost liquid state is extremely important. Nutrition should be sufficient. This means eating a little and only the essentials. It is undesirable to mix heterogeneous food. Different foods produce different gastric juices and enzymes and take different amounts of time to digest in the stomach. An important point for the full functioning of the body is to drink enough clean water. Any other drinks in the yogic food system cannot fully replace water in terms of cleansing the body. They are digested like food, causing the release of gastric juice.
It should be noted that the system of nutrition in yoga was formed in special cultural and climatic conditions, which are not typical for European man, modern inhabitants of megacities. Despite the food abundance, the quality of products is often questionable, and year by year systematically decreases. It can be difficult to adhere to the principles of healthy eating in conditions of high pace of life or colder climate. On the other hand, it is the influence of negative external factors that leads us to realize that we need to change our attitude to our own physical and psychological health. And here the tools of yoga, such as working with the physical body through asanas, cleansing the body and proper diet, can become a panacea for those who strive for a high quality of life.