On Eating – The Ayurveda Way
Whether it is the human body, mind or spirit, an animal or a plant, a car, a residence or a business, all respond positively to mindful efforts that enhance the pranic flow of energy. Regardless of the object and its animate or inanimate nature, sustenance with pure materials represents an investment in wellbeing and longevity.
In Ayurveda and yoga we learn of the concept, saucha, purity. Purity supports and enhances prana, life force. When we consider food, we are discussing the quality of all that goes into the actual meal to be consumed. This entails all that came before, from conceiving, to growing, to harvesting, to transporting, to storing, to selling, to preparing, to serving, to consuming and ultimately to digesting. All along this path there are instances where a breakdown in the quality of the prana introduces negative energy.
To care for oneself attentiveness is key. Ayurveda emphasizes being mindful of what and how one eats. Mindfulness entails choosing vegetarian and vegan cuisine, selecting Non GMO foods without preservatives, consuming simple foods, selecting local and seasonal items, understanding the six tastes and the doshas, choosing herbs and spices to enhance the assimilation of nutrients, sitting in a calm environment without distractions, chewing thoroughly, eating at consistent times and only to 70-80% full and acknowledging the food and all that has gone into it.
At the core of our daily lifestyle is the idea we eat to live. We don’t live to eat.
