Yoga and Diet

In the Yoga and Tantra traditions you find that the issue of diet is very important. In the hatha yoga pradipika it is said clearly that a yogi must avoid certain types of food and keep to a sattvic diet. Also, in the bhagavad gita krishna gives some advice regarding diet to Arjuna, saying that correct diet is necessary for the success in Yoga.

The question is why do the yogis put so much emphases on diet? In Agama Yoga school in Thailand, we teach that diet is a the first step in human health or in the case of wrong diet in disease. By learning the effects food has on the body, the energy different food types carry, the yogi can actually control not only his level of health but also what energy will enter his system and consequently what will be his predominant type and level of energy (see the Yin Yang diet and Yoga), and most importantly how the food effect the mind.

This gives you control over many aspects of your life, it will start from control over the physical level, the energy level, the emotional and finally the mental. Most people are not familiar with how far reaching effects the diet has on our body. The adage: you are what you eat is understood literally by the yogis.

So where to start? well, I would say the best way to stat is by studying your body and realizing what fits best for it's structure. What is your body type? Since there are so many different types of diets and health systems out there, we need to decide which system to follow, which fits to our body type and will have the best effect.

Start by looking at your body (this must be an honest look at your body and without getting upset from the ego...) and answer the following questions:

1. Do I have a big body type? (that is am I a heavy person, big bones, big muscles, easy to accumulate fat, or small structure, thin bones etc.)

2. I am oily or dry? (that is my hair, scalp, skin etc.)

3. Am I constipated? and generally how are the bowel movements?

4. Do I feel tired most of the time or full of energy?

5. How is the quality of my sleep?

6. Do I feel happy?

In this way, we can get a very good picture of our current state of health and our body type. Next step is to look at the yogic dietary answers to your body structure and current state of health.

Yoga offers many solutions, modern yogis are using diet from the traditional ancient yogic texts and all the way to modern diets based on PH levels.

Now that you have an idea on your body type and state I would suggest to begin with the yogic first solution and that is to change your diet into a sattvic diet. What is a sattvic diet? well this is a diet which is based on the understanding of the tendencies (gunas) in Yoga. The three gunas are: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. These are the basic 3 qualities or tendencies in the Universe. You can find them in any aspect of the universe and in the qualities of human beings:

• Sattva (originally "being, existence, entity") has been translated to mean balance, order, or purity. This typically implies that a person with more of Sattva has a positive or even orderly state of mind. Such a person is psychologically kind, calm, alert and thoughtful. Compare also the bodhisattvas in Buddhism.

• Rajas (originally "atmosphere, air, firmament") leads one to activity. Rajas is the force that creates desires for acquiring new things and fears for losing something that one has. These desires and fears lead one to activity. (Rajas is etymologically unrelated to the word raja.) Feuerstein translates rajas as "dynamism".

• Tamas (originally "darkness", "obscurity") has been translated to mean "too inactive", negative, lethargic, dull, or slow. Usually it is associated with darkness, delusion, or ignorance. A tamas quality also can imply that a person has a self-destructive or entropic state of mind. That person is constantly pursuing destructive activities. Feuerstein translates tamas as "inertia".

The Yogis studying the gunas realized they also manifest in the food and therefore teach us which food items are producing which guna in our body. The most important quality the yogi must pursue is Sattva guna. This must be cultivated in your system and become your predominant guna. Logic dictates that the more Sattvic food we'll eat the more we gain that guna in our structure. This will help achieve inner peace, lucidity, calmness, happiness and spirituality.

For a detailed list of Sattvic foods recommended, read the hatha yoga pradipika, by Yogi Swatmarama. (I recommend the translation by Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, India).

That is the first step. Next there are other teachings and system that can give great help in understanding diet and health. The most comprehensive and natural system I recommend is the Ayurvedic medicine of India. This is a vast subject in itself, therefore I will elaborate on it and on other systems of diet and health (like the Yin Yang famous healing Diet) in my next post.

For more info. on Yoga and Diet check out: Agama Yoga school.

Daily Yoga practice

Yoga can be done in various ways. You can be a hard core Yogi, and do Yoga practice for hours every day or you can just practice a few times a week. It off course depends on how much free time you have or how serious you are with your practice.

Most Yogis try to keep a regular practice to build up the energy and cultivate more their inner force to gain better effects.

My personal advice on this would be to try and get a daily practice that you enjoy doing and can easily manage to do and stick to it, this way whenever you find you have extra time - that day you can add more to your practice and enjoy deeper effects. If not, then you can always fall back to your basic practice which will keep you strong and focused.

Good luck with your practice!

What is Tantra?

When first hearing about tantra, most people usually react in the same way... that it's something to do with sex or smut. It is unfortunate that most people get the wrong impression about Tantra.

Tantra actually is something completely different. Tantra is an ancient system of spirituality which is based on a unique understanding of the Universe.

The word tantra translated from Sanskrit means "weave" or "web" denoting continuity, Tantra in its various forms has existed in India, China, Japan, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Korea, Cambodia, Burma, Indonesia and Mongolia.

Tantra actually is that Indian system of beliefs and practices which, working from the principle that the universe we experience is nothing other than the concrete manifestation of the divine energy of the Godhead, under the form of Shakti, that creates and maintains that universe. Tantra seeks to appropriate and channel that energy, through specific esoteric practices and techniques, to awaken within the human microcosm, the inner force to bring the human being to unite with The supreme principle, Shiva or pure consciousness.

Sounds like a mouth full, I know. But actually it is a beautiful idea and even more so, it's very practical and life transforming.

Tantra needs to be studied from a true teacher (or Guru), one that has already succeeded to awaken the energy in himself and reach true accomplishments. I found such a teacher 8 years ago in India. His name is: Swami Vivekananda Saraswati.

It is amazing to see though, how a teacher that dares to teach the true, esoteric and powerful teachings of Tantra and thus help thousands of people to better their lives and shake down ignorance will sometimes be misunderstood by others. It is not a surprise really that Swami Vivekananda Saraswati (Swami for short), had to face many times in his life the anger of those who try to fight against these powerful teachings.

Tantra is based on the 64 Agamas (The traditional Tantric texts). When you read those texts (not all available in English and not all accounted for) you will find that they deal with many of the aspects of the Universe, like: Astronomy, mathematics, aesthetics, alternative healing, the science of sounds and vibrations and much more. The interesting thing is, that the ancient Tantrics, understanding the close relationship between the human being and the Universe, also knew that it was essential to study sexuality, as it is an integral part of any living organism's life. And that is why some 5% of the Tantric texts also deal with the issue of sexuality.

Tantra is a very vast and fascinating subject, I will post much more information about it in the near future.

In the mean time - you are welcome to read more practical information on the Agama Yoga website: www.agamayoga.com

Yoga, the path to happiness.

We all hear about Yoga, meditation and other similar disciplines or philosophies. Some of us think it's good exercise and some that it's good for dealing with stress. Well, actually it is much more.

Yoga is something that can quite literally change your life. It starts by showing you what is really going on with your life, you see truly how your body functions, how your energy flows, how your emotions can be out of control and most importantly how your mind really works. And then you understand yourself much more. You can suddenly see clearly why you behave as you do and how blind we are most of the time.

Actually Yoga can do much more for you. It is a system so ancient and magical, it will touch your soul and transform your perception of reality; you will be one of the few who can truly see. (as said in Zen: Satori, which simply means direct vision).

Of course, at this point the biggest question most of you will ask is: so which Yoga is the real Yoga? I mean, there are so many styles of Yoga out there, which should I choose?

There is no one answer to this question. Most Yogis (adepts of Yoga) will obviously vouch for their style. But the question you need to ask yourself is not which Yoga path is right for you, but actually to look inside and try to feel your own heart and soul and simply answer this question: What do I want from my life?

When you ask Why? you will discover that the answer is not as clear as you thought all along. Because if you are sincere with yourself, you will realize that most of life's so-called objectives are actually just cravings of your ego and what you really want in life is something else. Not a firm sexy body, not a lot of energy, not to be rich and famous etc. but actually one simple thing: To be truly happy.

That should be the first step. So how does that relate to Yoga? Well, it does very much. You see, when you truly understand what it is that we all need and ask for, to be happy, then you can make your choices in life much easier and with much more clarity. So which Yoga style is good for you? It is that style of Yoga that when you try practicing it, you find it gives you an inner feeling of touching your heart. That you have finally reached home.

Agama Yoga is, in my opinion, exactly that kind of Yoga school. I have seen countless people coming to Agama Yoga school confused, troubled, angry, pleading for help and after just 1 month of Yoga course turning into centered and clear minded human beings. It is a little bit like waking up from a dream (or a nightmare in some cases) and realizing for the first time what the true purpose of life is. (if you are interested to learn more check out: www.agamayoga.com).

Much more about Yoga, Tantra and spirituality coming soon.