Have you noticed how the food you eat affects your yoga practice or vice versa? Some foods cause more internal disturbances than others. Bloating and digestive problems are common. It is also interesting to note how certain foods can have subtler effects on your mind and mood. Ayurveda is the sister science to yoga and offers an in-depth understanding of how food affects our health, our mental well-being, and our spiritual strength. Ayurveda explains that Sattva refers to the pure quality and equanimity of spiritual goodness. It manifests as intelligence, awareness and virtue. Sattvic food promotes purity in both the body and the mind. A sattvic food diet aims to cultivate a calm and clear mind.
Sattvic food is nourishing, soothing and helps to maintain a calm, steady mind. It also sharpens your intellect and gives you a better sense of empathy. Sattvic food is vegetarian and does not contain any foods that are derived from animals who have been injured in some way. Foods should be grown without preservatives or artificial flavors and additives.
A sattvic lifestyle requires that your kitchen be calm and peaceful, with a pleasant and calm atmosphere. When you prepare your food with love, mindfulness and care, it will produce energetic vibrations which will be absorbed by your food and enter your body when digested. Love enhances the quality of food, such as how vegetables are chopped, spices are ground, and how you add ingredients.
A sattvic or mind-enhancing diet is recommended by an Ayurvedic practitioner. Ayurvedic practitioners may recommend a specific diet for your Dosha, or to correct a doshic imbalance. According to Ayurveda, the sattvic or sattvic-like diet is different from rajasic, which is food with a spicy, salty, and sour taste, and tamasic, which is food that’s stale, oily, heavy, and often canned. Some aspects of each diet may be prescribed to correct a physical or doshic imbalance. Ayurveda, however, recommends a sattvic-style diet to people who are generally healthy and balanced.
