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The ideal food should provide arogya (good health); increase ayu (vitality); increase bala or the inner strength that can resist temptations, and supply vīrya (the energy for meditation)
Wholegrains, vegetables, leafy greens, a small portion of pulses, milk, yoghurt, fruits, nuts, ghee, honey, jaggery make up the Yogic diet. (Shutterstock)
Does diet matter in Yoga? Here is a true story for illustration. When Varun*, a 22-year-old, was diagnosed with a neurological disease, treatment at a Yoga therapy centre tremendously helped him, at many levels. So overwhelmed was he by the relief and the hope he got that he decided to totally adopt the Yoga lifestyle.
When it came to diet, his earnestness led him to giving up many food items, including meat. He turned vegetarian, turning down all temptation for over two years. In this period, not surprisingly, he lost weight and even interest in eating to an extent.
Varun’s Yoga therapy consultant doctors would try to persuade him to go slow in making these changes, but he was determined. There came a time, however, when Varun began rethinking his decision. He realised that occasional eating to satisfy his palate was not in opposition to his Yoga practice. By then, he had gained enough willpower to eat in a controlled manner. (Randomised control trials in Yoga have demonstrated that Yoga aids disciplined eating, like this 2023 study that showed how 12 weeks of Iyengar yoga led to a reduction in several types of dietary lapses.)
Diet is an important factor in Yoga because Yoga — unlike other exercise systems — begins with the mind. (Diseases also usually begin with the mind.) To use Yoga successfully to heal the body-mind-whole-being, practitioners have to be mindful about their eating. Yet, Yoga discourages becoming obsessed, fanatical or egotistic about diet choices and diet schedules.
TAKE IT SLOW
The recommended way to go about making changes suggested by pioneer Yoga guru Shri Yogendra** is this: “Any change should be done gradually. Old habits cannot be changed overnight and hastily made changes do not last very long and we quickly revert to our old eating habits. Remind yourself that a calm mind and a healthy body can come in a large way from the right food habits. Gradually increase the changes to reach the ‘proper’ habits and then stabilise there.”
THE PREFERRED DIET FOR YOGIS
Whole grains, vegetables, leafy greens, a small portion of pulses, milk, yoghurt, fruits, nuts, ghee, honey, jaggery (instead of sugar) and sugar candy make up the yogic diet. To avoid digestion issues, food has to be freshly made, properly cooked, and eaten in the right amounts. Stored and reheated food is avoided.
Some tenets to be followed are:
• Eat to only half of the stomach’s capacity, fill one-fourth with water, and keep some space for gases to circulate.
• Drink water either half-an-hour before or one hour after meals, not during the meal.
• With meals, have buttermilk seasoned with ginger and cumin, or herbal milk made with diluted milk and lemon grass.
• Adopt the right posture for eating, relaxed with the back straight.
• Have the right attitude at the time of eating — the mind must be in a ‘balanced’ state and not excited, as emotions affect digestion. Eating slowly and with awareness, and chewing food well are priority.
• A four-hour interval between meals is ideal for the average, healthy person; avoid any kind of fasting.
WHAT ABOUT CALORIES?
Though ancient Yogis knew the word ‘calories’ — they called it Agni-Maatra and measured food that gets converted into fire-energy in the unit of maatra — they did not insist on consuming a certain number of calories because they believed that there can be no one standard diet suitable for all. The same food can result in different effects in two different persons because of the difference in their digestive systems. If one observes oneself, it is easy to know the kind of food required and what food the body cannot digest. This can help one plan diet, says Shri Yogendra.
Food eaten by yogis has a balance of proteins and carbohydrates when eaten in the proper amounts, reportedly. The ideal proportions are: 30 per cent grains, 20 per cent milk and curd, 25 per cent vegetables, 20 per cent fruits and honey, and the remaining part is divided between nuts, legumes, and clarified butter (ghee).
AS THE FOOD, SO THE MIND
Yoga’s primary aim is mind control, and food is seen as a means to this end. According to Yoga scientists Dr HR Nagendra and Dr R Nagarathna, Yoga trains the intellect, emotions and the consciousness. Hence, a “balanced diet” should restore balance at all levels. The ideal food should:
• provide arogya (good health);
• increase ayu (vitality);
• increase bala or the inner strength that can resist temptations, and
• supply vīrya (the energy for meditation).
Ancient Yogis categorised food three ways depending on the effects created in the mind-body whole: Rajasika food, which was high in proteins; Tamasika food that was stale; and Satvika food, consisting of vegetables, grains and fruit.
The quality of food preferred for ordinary people aspiring to yogic gains was Satvika. For the extraordinary — the great Yogis — this is not necessary; they have such strong minds that they can live healthy and undisturbed lives even after eating food considered not-ideal. They know how to harmonise breathing and remove emotional imbalances. Their body functions more efficiently and requires lower calories.
Until one reaches that stage, we need to change habits.
THE FINAL VERDICT
Decide based upon the purpose of your Yoga practice. If Yoga is taken up for therapy, changing the diet to make it disease-specific would be imminent. Support the body by eating easily digestible food at regular intervals. Heavy food that sits around longer in the system weighs it down and interferes with distribution of prana gained from Yoga practices.
If fitness, flexibility, and weight loss are the purpose of your Yoga practice, carry on with what you are used to. Allow your Yoga practice to lead the way, and listen to the body. As one progresses in Yoga, greater awareness and sensitivity to foods ingested shows the way to make changes.
In general, moderation is key. Go with what suits your constitution. Do not allow changes to create disruptions in the body, or in your relationships. Don’t give up anything abruptly, you could simply limit portions. Try to incorporate Yogic dietary principles in daily living, step-by-step. This way, changes become sustainable.
*Name changed
*Refer: Sita Devi Yogendra in `Yoga Physical Education for Women’, The Yoga Institute, 2023
The author is a journalist, cancer survivor and certified yoga teacher. She can be reached at swatikamal@gmail.com.
