My Yogi life and my food choice.

I have been living a life of a Yogi for a long time now. In Yogic life or a
spiritual life, there is a lot of importance given to “satvic” food or Pure
food or in other words on spiritual food. .

So, what does it mean to spiritualise our diet?

According to my understanding, It's much more than just following an

ancient or modern theory of what we should eat. When we plug into our
life force and true self, we realise that life is all about relating. Whether
we relate to a soul, or we relate to the body or to the natural world, the
art of the yogi is to infuse all relationships with integrity, care and
wisdom.

Though tasty food is a treat, eating is more than pleasure. It is the

utmost care for the instrument of the body, the natural world and the
delicate balance of all living beings. Below are a few thoughts of mine on
the yogic diet.

‘Ahimsa' or non-violence

The yogi understands that pure and virtuous actions create freedom and
peace within. Love is the highest intention behind any action. As we
raise our vibration spiritually, our conscience won't allow us to harm any
living thing on a subtle or gross level. We become mindful of where our
food has come from and whether it was cultivated with care and
respect.
A life of ‘ahimsa' or non-violence sweetens the mind and calms the soul.
It can be a challenging leap for those new to the spiritual path but one
worth at least trying. Through experimentation, we can see for ourselves
the calming effect a kind diet has on the mind.

Thats why I suggest all new comers to me to try a natural diet which is
free from “Tamsic” Food or impure foods, for a period of 1 week and see
if it brings any changes to your life, to your behavior, to your inner
stability and strength, to your own existence itself. If yes, then you have
a choice to follow it further or leave it all together. Its all upto you, but it
is all upto you only after you make a conscious choice at the first place.

I made this choice to live a natural life based on natural diet and I saw
immediate results inside me within just a few days. I was amazed how
my thoughts became more stable, more relaxed and my decision making
became more firm and clear. Its like a new source of inner energy being
activated. Once I tasted this new form of living, I never looked back
towards any other form of diet.

Close to nature, close to home

Naturally grown food

In spirituality I have noticed that the deepest truths of life are often the
simplest. As we return to our real nature, it makes sense to return to
real food also. The universe, the elements of nature and our bodies are
infinitely intelligent. Fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts in their natural
form align us with that intelligence and nourish us with its benefits.

This is like tuning a radio station and tuning it to the right frequencies.
Food has a huge impact on our mind, body and soul. The universal
energy is aligned with nature. When we are in nature, we are in our
natural state of being. Which means we are aligned with universal life
force, the unified field. The connection between the soul and the
universe becomes a natural state of existence. Tamsic food blocks this
life force to enter into us and takes us away from the unification with
the universe.

Locally grown food

I have made a point in my life to buy locally grown foods only. Thats why
I buy from local markets only, directly from the growers. Also I find that
Local foods are seasonal and often taste better. But eating locally is
mostly a gift to our environment and community. By buying foods grown
and raised close to where we live, We help to build our local economies
and support small businesses rather than large corporations. Knowing
where our food comes from, connects us to the people who raise and
grow it. And where there is connection, the chances for accountability,
care and integrity increase.

Intuitive eating

I am not here to advocate which foods are good for you and which are
not.
There are countless theories about the ideal, healthy diet. How do we
know which one to listen to?
The good news is we need only turn within. As we deepen the power of
stillness, our intuition raises its volume. With each meal, we can observe
the effects of certain foods on our mood and energy.

As we listen, we hear what the body truly needs. It then becomes an act
of care to respond and nourish the body and soul with those foods that
uplift the spirit, sing into the cells and restore the life force. Each of us is
unique, and the map to our highest destination of health, wealth and
happiness lies within.

As is the food so is your destiny

I have been brought up in a very religious family. The first lesson in a

spiritual culture is on the importance of food. I remember going to a
market along with my mother and picking a packet of chips. The packet
was marked- “made and packed by criminals in jail”.

My mother asked me- “You think it’s okay to eat snacks made
by criminals?” my mother whispered, picking up one of
the packets with great hesitation.

I said that mom there are several outlets in the city like this who are
selling snacks made by criminals. Moreover nobody is a born criminal.
Also many of these jailed inmates are not even convicted criminals. They
are still awaiting trial…. and as fellow human beings, shouldnt we do our
bit to help rehabilitate them so that once they are out of prison, they
can be pat of the mainstream? I tried to reason with her. But she wasn’t
the only one, but there were many others like her who had similar
doubts.
I learnt it later through experience of life that how much effect thoughts
have over our thinking and our subsequent actions in life. And repeated
actions create our destiny. We all know that water responds to our
thoughts. Dr Emotto from Japan has demonstrated this fact through
various experiments. Food is also made of huge amount of water. So
when a criminal cooks food, would not some of his criminal tendencies,
get transferred to the food and would not the person imbibing that food
get affected as well?

We may well ask: What about the food we eat at a restaurant or the
snacks we buy at the confectioners? Are we aware of the state of mind
of those who contributed to making these products? What if they were
in an angry frame of mind? What if they were depressed? What might
have gone through their minds while they were baking that cake or
frying that vegetables?

Have you noticed that sometimes when we eat food outside, it might
look good, taste good, but we don’t feel satisfied at all? But on the other
hand food made by our mother is generally simple, normally not tasty,
but is very satisfying! Why is it so? Because the mother makes with the
thought of love and affection and wants to cook the best food for us.
While a restaurant cooks food with the thought that we don’t feel
satisfied and we order more and so it becomes in the same way.

Ahar tat tvam asi — ‘You are what you eat’, says Ayurveda, as do ancient
Chinese and other wisdom traditions. India scriptures say that food plays
an important role in the way we feel, react and behave; it reflects in our
personality. Some faiths believe that only the food that is prepared in
consideration of “hit” or what is good for the self, “mit”, in proper
quantity and satvik or food that has positive effects are considered good
enough to eat. Some spiritual practices even abstain from onion and
garlic because they are considered tamasic or negative foods. Negative
food is that food which increases heat in the body and thus increases the
speed of our thoughts.

The world Spiritual University in India, for instance, eat only what they
have cooked with their own hands. They do not eat food prepared by
any other. I have been following this University for 10 years now and I
always tell this to everyone that “The feeling with which the food is
cooked impacts the health of those who consume it. So, it’s important
that food be cooked with positive feelings.”

The Bhagavad Gita talks of amedhya or impure food. Amedhya food is

that stored in a dirty place, cooked by an unclean person in an
unhygienic manner and with an impure mind, with emotions of
unhappiness, tension, anger, and dislike. “Food cooked by such persons
should not be eaten. It would contain lots of negative energy and this
could get transferred to the one who eats the food” .

When I went deeper into this spiritual study and its deeper depths of
energy and how everything we eat has an impact on us, I asked myself-
“Why single out prisoners? Even We don’t always feel elated when we
are cooking, do we? Besides, a prisoner would be eager to get back to
normal life; so I believe they would have carried out their duty in the
kitchen with a positive mind” inst it?

So its our overall discipline that plays a crucial role in what we manifest
in our lives. The purpose of such discipline is to purify mind and body.
Food is a crucial aspect of the purification process. Through food, we
channelise our energies to our inner cosmic order.

Spiritual masters recommend that we offer food to the Divine before

eating. This would help rid the food of negativities. Another way to
remove negative energy from food is to meditate or chant while cooking.
Thats why when I went to give classes to prisoners in India I
recommended the Prisoners on kitchen duty, be encouraged to sing
devotional songs or any feel-good song so that the positive vibrations
get infused into the food being prepared by them.

PS: The High Down Prison in Surrey, UK, runs a fine-dining restaurant
called The Clink. Most of the ingredients are fresh from the prison
gardens and all meals are cooked and served by inmates. You need to
book well in advance to get a seat!

Why is it so? Simply because the inmates love to cook for people and
that loveful feeling is what the visitors “feel” in the food being served.