YOGA LIFESTYLE

Yoga does not start on the mat but on your plate! With the right food, your yoga and meditation practice becomes much easier. With the right food, you can become more healthy and the effect of your yoga practice can become even deeper.

The ancient science of yoga teaches us to live in balance with our natural surroundings and with our natural self. All is energy. When the energy inside of us is light, we attract more of that into our lives. This starts with light and happy thoughts. Thoughts become words and words become actions. All starts with our inner energy of thoughts. If those are light, we will be able to feel light and happy.

What many of us don’t know is that our food is energy as well. The energy of food influences our thoughts. When we eat an animal, we get animal-ish energy. If food is prepared with negative feelings, we receive those when we eat it.

According to ancient texts we eat to clean our energy. So our food needs to be of light energy, containing a lot of prana (life giving energy). That is Sattvic food: natural, organic, non processed, soft, juicy, vegetarian and healthy food. The greener, the better.

Light food gives light thoughts. Becoming light from the inside and merge with the light of the higher energy is the goal of every yoga practice. We do this with the proces of Jnana, Karma and Bhakti yoga, and with the yoga lifestyle of the 8 limbs of yoga or Raja Yoga. With this, we learn how to get control over our inner energy, like our thoughts and senses.

Our energy turns into fluids and becomes part of our physical bodies. Energy is what really feeds us. The first and most important energy that enters our bodies is of food. This energy goes to our mind and soul as well. All is connected. We are one huge cloud of energy. What we think we become. What we eat we become. Having healthy, light and positive energy can heal our minds and bodies as well. Actually, it is the flow of prana that heals us.

When you eat Sattvic (with a lot of prana), according to the yoga diet, it is so much easier to become in between thoughts in a state of samadhi while doing yoga and meditation. Light thoughts are easier to move aside, so the mind gets clear much faster. This helps the practice of yoga.

Ancient science tells us that yogi’s who lived a long time ago, didn’t need food: they filled their energy only with pranayama. Though the same life giving energy (prana) is to be found in Sattvic foods. Specially raw foods and shortly steamed veggies: the less time you cook it, the better. The less you do with your food, the more prana keeps in. Eating from your own garden or straight from the tree, would be best.

Gardening is also a way to learn more about nature, and to respect her: we kind of forgot how to do this with our modern life styles. The same life giving energy that flows through our chakras (energy centers), is the same energy that flows through nature. We are all connected, everything is connected and should be in balance with each other.

If we take something from nature, we should also give something back in the form of loving work the help others for example. Or to protect nature and her animals. Whatever feels best for you. Energy needs to flow always. The more it flows, the more you receive, the happier you feel. Prana is of the same energy vibration as love and happiness. The more love and happiness, the healthier we become. Love heals. Nature heals.

So the right food can make you feel happy and ancient vedic science tells us how this is possible. Curious? If you want to know more about living in balance with nature and your natural self (body, mind & soul), I can recommend to read our latest book The Yoga Diet! It’s as much an eye opener as a practical guide to help you live a more conscious and happy life.