There is no moral question about our food consumption

 Our choice of food should not be defined by any moral or social needs, it should be according to the needs of the body. Whenever we consume any kind of food, we should be able to pay attention to how the food behaves within us, by observing exactly how it makes us feel.

The yogic system categorizes food into 3 different types, namely: Positive pranic, negative pranic, and zero pranic foods. let's take a look at each of them individually;

positive pranic foods

‘Prana’ is the Sanskrit word for ‘Life energy.’ Therefore, positive pranic foods are the kind that impacts our life energies positively, in other words, they make energy reverberate in a dynamic way. There is a whole variety of positive pranic foods available to us, some of which include: honey, black pepper, fruits, nuts, dried fruits, sprouted green grams, whole grains, legumes, cereals(rice, millet, oats, etc), and winter melon.

zero pranic foods

These are the kinds of foods that have no impact on the energy body, they only bring lethargy or sluggishness. This category includes Potatoes and Tomatoes.

Negative pranic foods

These are the kind of foods that take away or bring certain fluctuations in the energy system. Foods in this category include garlic, onion, coffee, tea, green chilies, eggplant, meats, fish, nervous stimulants, and intoxicants.

Paying attention to the body is not easy as it sounds. It is something we have to cultivate because the activity of the mind usually keeps us so preoccupied that we largely operate unconsciously. In order to be self-aware, we have to find ways to quiet the mind so we can effectively listen to the body and all it communicates.

When I introduced a yogic practice into my life,(Shambavi Mahamudra kriya) I found myself dropping certain kinds of foods. I used to be a huge fan of indomie, a certain type of instant noodles available here in Kenya. I remember eating them and swearing to myself that I will never eat them again. My body felt horrible after eating, I almost made myself vomit because of too much discomfort in my body. Naturally, I stopped eating them altogether.

Alcohol was the next thing I dropped. This one was easy because when drinking, instead of feeling ‘High’ I felt Low in a huge way. As soon as I started drinking I wished I hadn’t, because I realized I was better off sober and much more energetic without alcohol. Pork was next on the list. I remember craving pork, my sister had taught me a great recipe and I was eager to cook for myself and enjoy my delicious meal. Funny enough, even before eating the pork, while cooking it I felt very nauseated. I wondered if it was the pork that was making me feel like that. I felt as if the food in my stomach was rising up towards my chest bringing a lot of discomfort and dizziness. I still ate the pork after all this. But I vowed never to eat it again because I felt much worse in my body.

Recently I had some beef and rice, and I’m actually still recovering from it as I write this article. I have realized that the more we teach the body and mind to be attentive, the more we actually realize the impact that food has on our bodies. I have always been a huge fan of beef, until recently. As we deepen our ability to be attentive, the body will easily communicate to us which foods are best to eat. Food is like fuel for us, we need it to enhance our energy, not to deprive it of energy. One can only realize this if they are constantly working on their perception of life.

For those on a spiritual journey, we know that doing yoga on an empty stomach is best. Actually, having the stomach empty most of the time is good for alertness, productivity, and maintaining high energy. Therefore, eating foods that stay in the stomach for short periods of time is the best practice. For seekers who intend to practice yoga twice a day, it's best to eat positive pranic foods that will take approximately 4 hours to digest and be ready for defection. This way we can comfortably do the 2nd yoga practice with much more ease. I realized that eating heavy foods like rice and meat will take a long time to fully digest even if it's taken at night before sleeping. This tampers with our experience negatively while doing yoga.

There is literally no moral question about the foods that we eat. The carnivorous animals in the wild will exercise their strength and eat whichever herbivorous animals they come across, and as human beings, we do the same, because we have the capability. However, because we are human, we always have a choice. We can either learn to be attentive and conscious enough to give the body exactly what it needs, or operate unconsciously and eat whatever we want, but remain in the dark and think we are ok.

That’s it for now, feel free to comment and tell me about your experience! I’d love to hear it :)