Food for Prana

There was an interesting article in the NYTimes a few days ago titled, “When Chocolate and Chakras Collide” that discussed the new trend of merging food and yoga for marketing, demonstrative purposes, and the pure yoga of food. This trend seems to buck the previous tenant about the spiritual, but restrictive diet of yogis. Foodies are now doing yoga, Yogis are becoming foodies. It’s a great combination. Tempting people to a yoga class with wine and chocolate brings in more yoga curious, food centric people. It makes yoga more accessible to those who were afraid that they have to give up tasty treats in order to do Eka Pada Koundiyanasana II.

As someone who loves to cook and explore raw or vegan versions of my favorite “killer” comfort foods, I’ve had to resist the urge to bring in my new favorite concoction to my Sunday night yoga class (to share and hopefully convert a few friends to the “light” side) for fear of disrupting the sacred vibe. I’m not a strict anything, but I am always looking for ways to be healthier and earth-friendlier.
I love the idea of combing food and yoga since food is a vital part of life. The NYTimes article focused on eating for taste and desire versus spirituality, i.e. the taboo of eating our furry friends. I would like to suggest, that while we keep both in mind, we should also consider how our food makes us feel. Especially before, during, or after a yoga class.

Over the summer I hit a slump in my weekly practice. It became torture instead of delight. My muscles felt like they were cracking not yielding, breaking instead of strengthening. I felt like I was moving and breathing through mud. I got headaches, cramps, dizziness and a bad attitude. I was crippled by sore muscles and fatigue for days after class. I started resenting the class, making up reasons to not go (er, I still make excuses, but that’s for another post). I couldn’t figure out what was happening so I took it personally. It was me – I sucked. Then I remembered something I read about how eating alkaline foods can help relieve physical stress, reduce inflammation and improve recovery. Even though I was obeying the “Don’t eat 3 hours before class” rule, what I was eating was interfering with my practice. Here’s an example: Saturdays I would have drinks with friends, then enjoy brunch late Sunday morning with lots of coffee and maybe get in a light lunch or snack around 2 or 3 and then yoga at 6. To reward myself after class I would eat something heavy and meaty, drink some wine and end it with a gooey chocolate cupcake. Nothing terrible (no fast food), just your average weekend fare.

Desperate not to be beaten by a bad attitude towards yoga, I tried an experiment. Two hours before my class I had a coconut water, a banana, an orange and an apple. I made sure that I drank lots and lots of water for a few days before the day of class too and I limited acidic foods like meat/dairy/wheat.

Wow! It was an immediate improvement. The extra electrolytes from the coconut water refreshed my body; the sugar from the fruits gave me a light kick; and the minerals from the banana all gave me what my body needed to get through one of Ginger’s challenging classes. I used to feel so heavy in class and now I was feeling lighter. I then skipped the “reward” after class and opted for vegetarian soup or salad instead. I didn’t feel so crappy the day after. So for me what I was eating was/is an important part of my practice. My practice tells the truth of my eating habits as well as where I am emotionally, mentally and physically. The mat doesn’t lie.

So savor your food. Get religious with it. Get political with it. But also be aware of how it makes your body feel. Get connected to it the way yoga connects us to our mind, body & breath.

How does your diet play with your practice? Does it enhance it? Or sabotage it?

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