There was an interesting article recently in the NYTimes, about a workshop that combined yoga and a rich meal afterwards. The idea was after the yoga class, you would enjoy the flavors more in your heightened sense of awareness.
Then the article delved into whether you needed to be a vegetarian in order to be a devout yoga practitioner. About once a year, I see an article talking about this. Last year, it was Sadie Nardini “coming out” as a meat eater in the Huffington Post.
Over the years, the owners of the largest yoga studio in NYC have written books and countless articles about their vegan diet, and their belief that everyone should adopt that diet. I learned from the NYTimes article that they require their teacher trainees to become vegan.
What I LOVE about yoga is that it makes you aware of everything. Yoga is about relationship – to yourself, your family, and yes, with your food. I think any regular practitioner of yoga thinks about what they eat in relation to their practice, at some point. We know that eating a large meal is going to make our practice difficult, but we also start to realize what kind of food makes us feel energized and what doesn’t.
But you get to pick. To me, it is so clear that some people just can’t be vegetarian and healthy. It’s also clear that overall, Americans eat too much meat, from both a health and environmental perspective. Wouldn’t it be incredible if there could be less judgment and more balance around this very personal topic of food choices? That seems like the “yogic way” to me.
I recently picked up an old Yoga Journal magazine and found this article.
I think it offers some refreshing perspectives from several yogis about their decision to eat meat, or not.
Enjoy eating, today, with awareness, with love and appreciation for all that you have, and with no guilt!!
Barrett
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