Yogic Eating In Non Yogic Times!

Convenience. Fast Food. Eating in front of the television. No awareness of what our bodies need. Is it any wonder, then, that we are so dis-eased and prone to many more chronic illnesses much younger than our earlier generations?

The mind-body-spirit connection has been researched and written about extensively. We all believe in the powers of self affirmations and healing. So people proudly enroll for yoga and meditation classes to tone the body, calm and still their minds and feed their spirits, but keep eating the wrong foods! Because the food-mind-body connection is not as discussed, perhaps?

Food is integral to life. We know it affects us when we pick up a cup of coffee to get a buzz or eat a bar of chocolate to get the brain to feel happy! So, why, when we get unwell with a serious or chronic illness, don't we turn to food for healing? Having khichdi (mushy rice and lentils) and drinking oral rehydration solution when we have heat exhaustion or diarrhoea seems to be extent of using food for healing...

I have been using food for managing my depressive illness, bipolar disorder, for over two years now. I know the foods that perk me me up, like sour and acidic fruits, tomatoes, chillies, etc., and use these through the winter when I am in my depressive state. In the summer, when the longer days make me manic, I eat very sweet and alkaline foods like bananas, potatoes, honey, rice and papaya and steer clear off caffeine, and any other stimulants. To me, it seems very logical. And when I see someone who's hyperactive, and keeps drinking a coffee after another, and fills themselves with sugar, I wonder what they're thinking!

Awareness. Be conscious. Before we we put anything in our mouths, think, do I really want this now? Is it going to heal and soothe me? Or is it going to just aggravate already aggravated intestines and systems and is it just going to go straight to my hips? The answers are all so easy, so yogic in their simplicity!

Here's to you: yogic eating in these non-yogic times!