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The Yoga of Nutrition
by Nina Beucler RebstockCertified Health Planner, Nutrition Coach
Certified Kripalu Yoga Teacherwww.BigPictureLongLife.com
October 2011
Nutrition
The Science of MaintainingHealth and Creating Vibrant Longevity
Thought is also “Food”
Tapas, Svādhyāya, and Iśvara-Pranidhāna Are Kriyā-Yōga
• In Yogic Philosophy, Kriya yoga is comprised of:
•Tapas – Austerity of Sturdy Self-Discipline-Mental, Moral and Physical
•Svādhyāya – Repitition of Sacred Mantras or Study of Sacred Literature
•Iśavara – Pranidhāna – Complete Surrender to God
The Bhagavad Gītā
The Bhagavad Gita
The Gītā promotes a Sattvic Life
•The Bhagavad Gita describes the sattvic diet as:
•Promoting life, virtue, strength, health, happiness and satisfaction.
•Sattvic foods are easily digestible, savory, smooth, and firm.
•Sattva is one of the three qualities of prakrti responsible for clarity and lightness
•“When sattva predominates, the light of wisdom shines through every gate of the body.” (BG 14:11)
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra’s
Kriyā yoga is the yoga of purifying action
Yoga Sutra 1:1 states that yoga is defined as those practices that lead to anuhāsanam, the governing of one’s subtle nature
Asattvic diet to supports these goals
The Three Gunas
Sattva – means Essence, corresponds to Pitta
Rajas - means Activity, corresponds to Vata
Tamas – means Inertia, corresponds to Kapha
Āyurveda-The Three Dosas and Five Elements
Āyurvedic theory
Build a healthy metabolic system
Attain good digestion and proper excretion
Exercise, yoga and meditation
Use of medicinal herbs and foods
Nagarjuna
150-250 CE
What is a yogic diet?
The Bhagavad Gita says:
Sattvic food is considered ideal
Whatsoever you eat, eat in moderation
Educate yourself on proper nutrition, be sensitive to your body, and see what foods work for you
Emphasize fresh vegetables and fruits.
Eat a mostly plant based diet
Ahīmsa
Non violence to all sentient beings
Ahimsā is a Yama : noninjury, consideration, love
The Yamas are discilplines concerning our dealings with society and the world
The Niyamas are personal discipline
All sattvic foods should be as a result of Ahimsā
It is the yogi/yogini’s goal to rise above attachment
to both good and bad, wrong and right.
21st Century
Applying yogic principles now
Balance is the Key
Rajasic foods
Are bitter, sour, salty, pungent, hot and dry
Increase speed and excitement
Foundation of motion, activity, and pain
Examples: sattvic foods that have been fried in oil or cooked too long, or foods eaten in excess. Heavily spiced or salted food.
“When rajas predominates, a person runs about pursuing selfish and greedy ends,
driven by restlessness and desire” (BG 14:12)
Rajasic foods have the essence of stimulation
Give us motivation
In excess may cause excitation leading to negative emotions
Suggested to eat Rajasic when need energy
Eating quickly is Rajasic
Examples of Rajasic
Peppers, tomatoes, avocados, garlic/onion
Eggs
Coffee
Salt
Vinegar
Pickles
Chocolate
Tamasic
The foundation of ignorance, doubt, pessimism
Tamasic foodshould be avoided!
Tamasic Foods
Foods lacking in luster and life
Excess creates weakness and inertia
The most challenging to digest
Dry, old, decaying unpalatable
Strongly processed, canned or frozen food
Consume a large amount of energy to digest
Avoid
Fried foods
Processed foods
Margarine
Fake sweeteners
White sugar and white flour
Cheese (processed and homogenized)
Meat
Drugs and alcohol
Sattvic Foods
Sattva is defined as the quality of purity and goodness
Sattvic food gives life, strength, energy, courage and self-determination
Subtle nourishment for vitality and consciousness
Full of prana
Sattvic Foods Savory, smooth, firm, light and pleasant
Organic foods
Prepared with love and awareness
Easily digested – chew well
Eat to only 75/80 % full, never more
Eat quietly with reverence
Basic Sattvic Food
Grains – 3-5 serving a day (whole)
Legumes – 3-5 servings a day (organic)
Vegtables – 4-5 servings a day (organic)
Fruits – 4-5 servings a day (organic)
Dairy – 2-3 servings a day (raw unpasteurized)
Nuts and Seeds – 1-2 servings a day
Oils – 1-2 servings a day (coconut/olive)
Honey – 1-2 servings a day (raw/organic)
The Jagadguru Kripalu Pyramid
Sattvic Herbs & SpicesHerbs
Ashwagandha,Calamus gotu kola,Gingko
Jatamansi,Purnarnave,Shatavari
Saffron,Tulsi (holy basil) ,Rose
Spices
Turmeric, cumin, cardamom
Coriander, fennel, fenugreek
Fresh ginger, cinnamon
“The persons having the sattvic essence are endowed with memory, devotion, gratitude, learned, pure, courageous, skillful, resolute,free from anxiety, having well directed and
serious intellect and activitiesand are engaged in virtuous acts.”
(Charak Samhita III-8:110)
“Never give up yoga. Never eat unhealthy, heavy food. Always
practice pranayama.”
Sri Krishnamacharya (Slōka 31, Yogān Jalaisāāram)
Stoking your Digestive Fire
Different foods requiredifferent enzymes to digest
Combining food properly
is essential!
Separating your foods at mealtime
Eat proteins and sugars at separate meals
Eat starchy foods and sugars (fruits) separately
Eat protein and acid foods separately
Eat proteins and fats separately
Melons should always be eaten alone
Drink liquid before meals, not during, unless warm tea such as tulsi tea
Proper combinations
Eat protein with non starchy vegetables or ocean vegetables
Only one kind of protein per meal
Eat grains and starchy vegetables with non starchy or ocean vegetables
Fats and oils combine with vegetables, grains, and proteins
Combine fermented dairy products with sour fruits, seeds, nuts, and non-starchy vegetables
Food combining continued
Combine legumes with non-starchy or cultured vegetables
Cultured foods and drinks combine with everything including fruit. Examples are:
a. cultured veges
b. raw kefir or yogurt
Use good quality sea or mountain (rock) salt
Hydrate with pure, filtered, un-bottled (plastic) water
Acid/Alkaline Balance
The body should be 65% alkaline and 35% acid
Alkali’s are soluble salts and acids are corrosive agents
A balanced condition helps us think, act and decide well. Creates health and longevity.
A balanced food plan also creates ph balance of the blood
Balanced ph helps prevent disease in the body
Acid-Alkaline Chart
Recommended Reading The Bhagavad Gita
Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras
Yoga Philosoophy of Patañjali, Swāmi Hariharānanda Āranya
The Practices of Yoga for Your Digestion, Swāmi Satiyananda Saraswati
The Body Ecology, Donna Gates
The Second Brain, Michael D. Gershon, M.D.
The Yogān Jalaisāāram, Krishnamacharia
The Yoga of Nutrition, Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov
Nāmaste
by Nina Beucler RebstockCertified Health Planner, Nutrition Coach
Certified Kripalu Yoga Teacherwww.BigPictureLongLife.com
Blessings for a long and joyous life!