Yoga Diet & Lifestyle
Exploring Yoga Philosophy and Spirituality: A Guide to Yoga Diet and Lifestyle
By Dennis Bluthardt, Namaste Studios
In addition to the physical poses, yoga is an ancient philosophy and a spiritual system. It began in India thousands of years ago and includes a complex model of living a fulfilling life.
Incorporating some of the leading yoga philosophy principles into your life can add depth to your experience on the yoga mat. Every yoga posture, or asana, can then become a pose of mindfulness, a pose of non-attachment, and a pose of self-awareness, as well as other philosophical concepts. A clear understanding of yoga philosophy can help you carry the same mental state you develop during an asana class.
Many yoga students also find themselves becoming peaceful activists. Along with the principles of non-harming (Ahimsa) and truthfulness (Satya), many oppose the socio-political systems in place and shift into a space of personal non-compliance. Some even find themselves being more active in community and social change projects.
Once you have embraced a yogic lifestyle enough, you will want to consider your yoga diet.
Understanding Yoga Philosophy
In yoga philosophy, the foundation is the Yoga Sutras. The eight limbs include Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi. Each limb is not separate but rather a part of the others, and together, they serve as a roadmap to living a balanced and purposeful life.
Applying oneself to this philosophy means to “do the work” physically and, to a great degree, mentally. “Doing the work” for some yogis may mean tackling a difficult or uncomfortable pose on the mat (Asana). For other yogis, it may mean tackling a difficult or awkward situation at work, home, or within with the tools learned on the mat (applied concepts of Yama/Niyama relating to self-awareness, discipline, and relationships).
The spiritual element here is the connection to the self and, quite possibly, to the universe. “Oneness” is a concept often bandied about in conversations about yoga and meditation. Yoga allows the practitioner to get to the heart and the mind of who they are. It’s quiet, still, and peaceful. Yet, it enjoys its ability to shine.
The Connection Between Yoga and Ayurveda
Ayurveda, an ancient and wise alternative medicine system from India, teaches that health is a state of balance and harmony in the body, mind, and spirit. Ayurvedic medicine utilizes the three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Everything and everyone uses all three doshas but in different combinations, which gives us our uniqueness. We each have our special recipe.
In Ayurveda, the three doshas determine everything about us, from our physical characteristics and how our bodies function and react to the environment to our emotional tendencies and overall psychological health and well-being. When we know a bit about the three doshas or the physical and emotional characteristics they imbue, we become attuned to our differences and work skillfully with those traits rather than against them.
In other words, for those of you who are yoga practitioners, Ayurveda adds a whole new dimension to your practice. It gives you the information and insight to take the “physical therapy” side of your yoga practice to another level. Just as you can’t lump everyone’s likes and dislikes into one general category, you can’t lump everyone’s yoga needs into one practice.
However, you can break down those differences to some extent, generalizing them according to the three doshas. Once you understand the concepts of the three doshas, you can fine-tune your diet, exercise, and yoga practices to support your dominant doshas and promote optimal health and well-being.
Yoga and Ayurveda are forever linked, two long-separated siblings reuniting to guide and direct us to health and enlightenment. A well-defined way of life is emerging between the two, and if you look closely, it is beginning to take on the look and feel of an “enlightenment tool.”
As you work to develop and define your own yoga or Ayurvedic practice, look deeply at their path and read between the lines. Don’t reduce yoga to physical postures and breath control; it’s much more than that. With the addition of Ayurveda, it has become more of a complete home health care or wellness system.
Ayurveda and yoga make an excellent team. As the saying goes, they complement each other, going together like peanut butter and jelly. Incorporating them into your workout regimen is like adding 2 + 2 and getting 5.
Consider that what you do or don’t eat, for example, Kapha’s stasis or stagnation, could become a deciding energy when and if you get off your duff and do that early-morning workout. It’s hardly a stretch to imagine that lifestyle-induced delusion could become a deal-breaker.
At this deeper level of practice, diet, and yoga are interdependent. Beyond vegetarianism, Ayurveda offers a fundamental component to your yoga practice that might, considering even the most overt models of food, transform an esoteric ideal into an attainable reality.
A quick note about Vata, Pitta, and Kapha: According to Ayurveda, long-lived health and well-being are all about balance and harmony, or the pursuit thereof, as many suggest, physically, energetically, and spiritually. For those feeling overwhelmed by the task or short of the rather overt demands of more than a few dosha-busting, stay-young-through-the-sweat-of-your-brow yoga, and Kriya postures, chin up, it’s not all about sweat.
The Importance of a Yoga Diet
A yoga diet, based on Ayurvedic principles, emphasizes physical and spiritual well-being. The focus is on fresh, whole, and organic foods that are as minimally processed as possible. Think fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Like other dietary regimens, the yoga diet is designed to create specific energy (or dosha) balances in an individual to sustain peak health and fitness levels. The impression I get is that, in general, the cleaner and more precise your food (think light, easily digestible, and high levels of prana), the lighter and more accurate you will be. Creating a higher energy state and more apparent mental definition/emotional calm.
In preparing your food, a high priority is placed upon a meal’s spiritual/philosophical (energetic) balance. Develop recipes and cooking styles that aim for balance. For example, if you plan a meal like I do, this balance concerns many colors, flavors, and textures. A balanced meal would blend various colors and textures on your plate. So, some completely healthy (but not as exciting) boxed quinoa will not suffice. You’re going to want something that pops a bit more.
On the other hand, preparing a fresh quinoa salad with many fresh fruits in different colors and a citrus vinaigrette is a flavorful dish. For example, something with lentils is always a nice treat for the taste buds. Even a light, seasonal green smoothie (add fresh mango for a unique twist) can be a great choice.
The key is balance and preparation. This helps you sustain a mindfully grateful state throughout the meal’s preparation (and eating).
Your work with food should continue beyond your plate, however. One helpful practice that I’ve recently fallen in love with is “mindful eating.”
Embracing a Holistic Yoga Lifestyle
Bringing yoga philosophy and spirituality off the mat and into your lives will be life changing. Don’t worry about the past or the future; just be present. Start to become more aware of your thoughts and feelings. Practice non-attachment. Practice compassion. These principles can be more than just those we discuss or read about in the Yoga Sutras. Try to implement them into your everyday life.
Yoga is a practice of community. Doing yoga with others will always be more fun than doing yoga by yourself. Doing this also gives you a sense of accountability. You can learn the benefits of a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle together. You can learn a yoga routine together. Having a common goal of maintaining yoga practices can turn strangers into friends.
Maintaining a sense of community may not be possible due to time and schedule constraints, but it should remain a goal despite obstacles. When completed individually, yoga loses some of its spiritual benefits, so the group environment should remain a central goal for practitioners. These goals should be tangible.
Yoga philosophy is a fantastic explanation of the essential human condition of an untrained wandering mind. It provides tools like ethics, mindfulness, non-attachment, and the practices of meditation and movement to help you gain control over your thought patterns. Adopting some of the basic principles of yoga philosophy can lead individuals toward a calm mind.
Spiritual practices often involve seeking through self-study. Daily practices such as writing, studying, meditation, and breathwork can be incredibly grounding and create resilience to life’s constant fluctuations, which our present emotional state is often at the mercy of.
Many forms of yoga philosophy tout a specific type of diet to be in line with yoga values. Many individuals find that when they begin their yoga journey, they transition to a different diet, mainly for the sense of peace that arises when you determine through your practice that you want to live a peaceful life. Additionally, controlling lifestyle patterns is key to dialing in on your new lifestyle. Everything from work, sleep, diet, play, outward demeanor, and thought patterns contribute to your feelings.
