In fact, someone would probably be right if they said Yoga was just stretching after seeing a student leave a class and then eat at McDonald's or something.
Why?
Well, a healthy diet is part of Yoga as a whole. Both are needed for the other to exist. This is THE thing that anyone who wants to do yoga seriously needs to know. If you want to do yoga, you must follow all of its rules.
When I started doing yoga about six years ago, I did a lot of research on how diet and yoga fit together. Maybe it was fate, because around the same time, a friend told me to look into fasting and a natural diet as ways to get rid of the terrible acne I had at the time.
I found a book by Swami Vishnu-Devananda called "The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga." It had a whole chapter on what to eat. What he said here made it clear that most, if not all, yoga poses can be good for your overall health. However, if you eat unhealthy foods all the time, it defeats the purpose of working out.
In the case of Yoga, this may be even more important.
Why? Well, Yoga is more than just a physical workout. Meditation, breathing exercises, and poses like the Peacock, Shoulder-Stand, and Sun Salutations are known to have an effect on the spiritual core of a person's being. This comes from the solar plexus and is the source of the Kundalini, or life-force, power that everyone has. Don't forget that we are mostly physical bodies that live in a spiritual world.
Now, keep that in mind as I tell you this famous quote and law of the universe: "You are what you eat." Now that you know the main points of both, you should be able to see how what you eat affects your whole life, both physically and spiritually.
When you start to take Yoga seriously, it's a good idea to also start to watch what you eat. ALL of Yoga's wise people and founders, such as
Swami Sivananda, Swami Vishnu-Devananda, and BKS Iyengar have all said that this is true.
Here is what Sivananda said about diet and yoga (keep in mind that he is arguably THE guru when it comes to who is who in yoga):
"The inner nature is cleaned up by the purity of the food..."
Swami Sivananda.
Also, here is another quote that backs up what he said.
"If someone does Yogic practises but doesn't eat in moderation, he won't get any benefit and will instead get sick."
(Ghe. Sam. V-16).
Since yoga is bad for both you and the spiritual forces around you, the best thing to do is eat what yoga sages call the Sattvic Diet, which is also known as the mucus-free or alkaline diet in the alternative health community.
Simply put, it's your raw and "properly cooked" fruits, roots, and leafy greens. This is the Yoga diet, and if you really want to practise Yoga, you have to include it in your daily life.
Is it a coincidence that this is exactly what the Bible says to eat in Gen. 1:29?
Is it a coincidence that Hippocrates said, "Let your food be your medicine," which is based on this diet?
Is it a coincidence that this is the same diet that the drug-free fraternity says is the best for delaying ageing, having brighter eyes and skin, better muscle tone, and other things?
I doubt it.
Even if you don't want to do yoga, but just want to work out in general, you'll still get a lot out of this way of life.
I've read about raw vegan or vegetarian bodybuilders like Stephen Arlin, David Wolfe, Scott Brodie, and Bill Pearl (a 4-time Mr. Universe winner) who do very well on a similar diet, so if you eat like that and do any exercise you want, you'll be on the right track.
So, do you want to try everything Yoga has to offer? Then don't forget to use what may be Yoga's most important health tip: the Yoga diet.
Your friend in the mirror will appreciate it. Trust me
In the book Friendship,
Foras Aje
