Best Foods for Yogi’s

Extend your yoga practice to the table by applying Ayurvedic principles to keep your body nourished and your mind clear.

Ideally a yogic diet would be rich in sattvic foods. Sattvic foods are generally fresh vegetables, grains, and legumes, mild spices and mildly sweet foods. Yogis generally believe in a vegetarian diet hence, they prefer eating high-quality protein, which is obtained from legumes, green leafy vegetables and for some that may even include dairy products.

Eating is perhaps the single most important act for one’s yoga practice, because nourishment of the body’s tissues forms a foundation for nourishment of the mind and emotions.

In this way of thinking about nourishment, what you need as an individual may be very different from what someone else needs. And what you need at this moment in your life may be very different from what you needed five years ago or will need five years from now. Perhaps the ancient sages were relying on wisdom when they chose not to lay down a yogic diet for all to follow. Just as you learn to listen to your body on the mat, so you must listen to your body at the table. Beyond the basic needs of the body, many modern yoga practitioners suggest that a yogic diet should take into account the values and philosophical teachings of yoga. For yogis, food choices reflect personal ethics.

The Yogic Diet Philosophy

There isn’t one real yogic diet, but the common diet tends to follow the philosophy of Ayurveda, one of the oldest holistic healing systems in the world, dating all the way back to 5000 BCE. The yogic diet isn’t about shedding pounds or looking good; it is about creating balance and strength in your body and choosing foods that help heal your organs and bloodstreams. The yogic diet is similar to a vegan diet, but with a few more guidelines.

In the yogic and Ayurvedic philosophy, all things are categorized into three qualities: Sattva, raja, and tama.

Sattva means clarity, purity, and wholesomeness. Sattvic foods are the foundation of the yogic diet and preferred by yogis, and include foods that are nourishing and easy to digest, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and herbal teas.

Raja means power and force. Rajasic foods encompass flavors that are hot, bitter, spicy, dry, and salty, which are avoided by yogis, as these foods tend to be overly stimulating, agitating, and cause restlessness. Deep-fried sattvic foods are also considered rajasic and are not recommended.

Tama means inertia, instinct, and ignorance. Tamasic foods include meat, eggs, tobacco, garlic, onion, and fermented foods, all of which are also avoided by yogis as they tend to be heavy and distracting for the mind. Meat is slow to digest and contains uric acid, which makes it difficult to achieve a meditative state for yogis. Overeating tamasic foods also causes lethargy and a depressed feeling.

Beyond choosing sattvic foods, yogis also favor whole, fresh, and unprocessed foods that are obtained ethically. Anything that is processed, artificial, or genetically engineered should all be reduced. Dairy is more of a blurred line for yogis, because although it is an animal by-product, it is accepted as long as the animal is ethically raised and no harm is caused to the animal. Yogis also stay away from caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and artificial sweeteners, which can all stimulate the brain in a problematic way.

You will change, you will grow and you should never feel guilty about changing things in your life that feel right for you, including what you eat. Trust your intuition as it guides you on your journey.

Start to truly connect and have awareness to how you feel after eating, truly checking in with what feels good and above all right to you at this time.