faq: What should I eat?

Short answer:

Eat what inspires you! No rules— just freedom to be your best.

Long answer:

Just the way we are cognizant of our actions and their effects on the mat, be sensitive to the “how” of eating. Notice not only what you eat, and how much, but the energetics of the food, of your digestion, and of your mood later.

You can think of this in Ayurvedic concepts of pitta, vata, and kapha; and you can think of the Vedic concepts of rajas, tamas, and sattva.

What foods make you feel strong (pitta), light (vata), and balanced (sattva)?

Overeating any foods will make you feel heavy, dull, sluggish (kapha and tamas). Remember that the human body has evolved to do well in times of scarcity, but has not yet evolved new mechanisms to handle our new living conditions of abundance/affluence.

So if you do feel confused about what to eat, know that this is natural. Confusion always arises when we have too many options and a lack of singular purpose. You can pull back on the range of foods you eat, and eat less, knowing that you can adjust later as needed— this will help with the “too much” feeling of confusion/heaviness. You can also set your yoga practice as your priority— giving you a singular (and healthy!) Intention for your nutrition.

Daily yoga practice increases our sensitivity, so you will be able to increasingly trust your inner intuition. You will also be able to match the surface appearance with the substance of what you eat. Your foods should be beautiful! High quality ingredients will be vibrantly colored, fragrant, fresh, and reflective of their (ideally) local, organic origin. The taste of your food is correct when you feel both refreshed and relaxed while eating. You’ll know that that the good taste means that he food has been not only well prepared but also what your body needs.

And one last point: remember that your mind is the top of your body’s food chain! When you cook peacefully and sit down to eat with a clear mind, your body will also be relaxed and receptive.

So don’t stress. Enjoy your life, and all that sustains it.