TRADITIONAL &

MODERN
Balance Your Body & Mind
Basis of Yogic Diet
DIET AND IT’SIMPORTANCE
IN YOGA
•‘Annam Brahmeti
consciousness)
vyajanaat’ i.e., food is Brahman (Universal

•Because it is food from which all beings are born, sustain and lastly
merge into

•Food therefore plays an important role in health and disease

•Yogic concept of food (AHARA) has a broad connotation which not only
nourishes the gross body but also the subtle body as the sensory inputs are
also considered as food and therefore, food has been recommended on the
basis of its source and effects.
CLASSIFICATION OF DIET
CLASSIFICATION OF DIET
According to BHAGAVAD GITA
SATVIKĀHARA: Foods dears to those in the mode of
goodness increase the duration of life, purify one’s
existence and gives strength,health,happiness and
satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, Succulent with natural
fat, wholesome nourishing and pleasing to heart. ll17/8ll
•Increases energy, produces happiness, calmness, and
mental clarity.

•Enhances longevity, health, and spirituality

•Diet is fresh, juicy, nutritious, and tasty

CLASSIFICATION
RAJASIC ĀHARA
OF DIET
Kaṭvamlalavaṇātyuṣṇatīkṣṇarūkṣavidāhinaḥ|
Āhārā rājasasyēṣṭā duḥkhaśōkāmayapradāḥ ||9||
Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, pungent, dry and
hot, are liked by people in the modes of passion. Such
foods cause pain, distress, and disease. These are Rājasik
foods (Bhagavadgitā, Chapter17/9)

•Over stimulating
•Produces jealousy, anger, unfaithfulness, fantasies, and
selfishness.
•Recommended to leaders and fighters since it may cause
CLASSIFICATION OF DIET
TAMASIC ĀHARA

Yātayāmaṃ gatarasaṃ pūti paryuṣitaṃ ca yat|

Ucchiṣṭamapi cāmēdhyaṃ bhōjanaṃ tāmasapriyam ||10||
The food cooked for more than three hours before being eaten,
which is tasteless, stale, putrid and unclean, is food liked by
people in the mode of ignorance. It is called Tāmasik food.
(Bhagavadgitā, Chapter17/10)

•Weakens and makes someone sleepy

•Is believed to increase pessimism, weakness, laziness, and
doubt
•Makes one dull, enhances anger and criminal tendency and
REFERENCE OF DIET ACCORDING TO
THE CLASSICAL TEXT OF YOGA
 REFERENCE OF DIET ACCORDING TO
THE CLASSICAL TEXT OF YOGA
Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a medieval scripture written in 1350 describes in
Chapter 1, Verse 58, the verse defines Mitahara/moderate food.

Food should be sweet to taste, should leave one fourth of the stomach
free (quantity), and consumed as an offering to Shiva (with
gratitude).This is most agreeable for the body
•Gheranda Samhitain Chapter 5, Verse 16 says In the initial phase of
yogic practice, if one does not observe moderate diet, one may suffer
from a host of diseases, and therefore success in Yoga will not ensue
PATHYA
 PATHYA
Chapter 1, Shloka 62 of Hata Yoga Pradipika adds The Shloka
explains the most conducive foods for yogi are: good grains, wheat,
rice, barley, milk, ghee, brown sugar, butter, sugar candy, honey, dry
ginger, patola fruit (species of cucumber), five vegetables, green
gram and such pulses and pure water
•Chapter 5, Verse 17 in GherandaSamhita goes on to list the foods to
consume. A Yogi should eat rice, barley (bread/roti), or wheat
bread/roti. He may eat mudga beans (green gram), masha beans
(black gram), and gram. These should be clean and free from
chaff/husk.
 PATHYA
•Chapter 5 verse 18 & 19 of GherandaSamhita, explains: A yogi
should eat patola (kind of cucumber), jack fruit, manakachu(arum
colocasia), kakkola(a kind of berry), jujube, bonduc
nut(bonducellaguilandina), cucumber, plantain, fig, unripe plantain,
the small plantain, plantain stem, and roots, brinjal, medicinal roots
and fruit.
•Chapter 5, Verse 20 of Gheranda Samhita further explains about the
five green leafy vegetables fit for Yogis. He may eat green, fresh
vegetables, black vegetables, the leaves of potola, vastuka leaves,
himalochika leaves.
 PATHYA
•Chapter 5, Verse 29 of Gheranda Samhita reveals the selection of
food. Among these whole foods, selection should be made on the
basis of food properties like easily digestible, agreeable to the body
and imparting cooling effect, foods which nourish the humors of the
body, a Yogi may eat according to his desire.
APATHYA
 APATHYA
•Foods prohibited are extreme bitter, sour, pungent, salty, hot, green
vegetables (unripe), sour gruel (fermented grain), oil, sesame, mustard,
alcohol, fish, flesh foods, curd and butter milk (not fresh ), horse gram, fruit
of jujube, oil cakes, asafoetida (hînga) and garlic.

•Chapter 5, Verse 24 of Gheranda Samhita says, kulattha and masur beans,

pandu fruit, pumpkins and vegetable stems, gourds, berries, katha-bel
(feroniaelephantum), kantabilva and palasa(Butea frondosa).
 APATHYA
•Chapter 5, Verse 25 of Gheranda Samhita says So also Kadamba
(Naucleacadamba), jambira (citron), bimba, lukucha(a kind of bread fruit
tree), onions, lotus, Kamaranga, piyala (Buchanamalatifolia), hinga
(assafoetida), salmali, kemuka.

•Hata Yoga Pradipika explains about unhealthy foods in Chapter 1-

Unhealthy foods are those which are reheated after becoming cold, dry
(devoid of natural oil), excessively salty and acidic, stale and has too many
(mixed) vegetables or ingredients
 MINDFUL EATING
•Avoid eating when stressed or upset
•Eat only when hungry
•Appreciate food
•Sit down free off distractions
•Bring all senses to the meal
•Chew your food slowly & thoroughly
•Stop eating when you are 75 % full
WHY IS RIGHT DIET AND
LIFESTYLE IMPORTANT
Yuktāhāra-vihārasyayukta-ceṣṭasyakarmasu |
Yukta-svapnāvabodhasyayogobhavatiduḥkha-hā|| B.G. 6/17 ||
The Gita, explains that the one who follows right diet, lifestyle,
does proper actions, whose hours of sleeping and waking up are
regulated can mitigate pain (disease) through Yoga.
 CONCLUSIO
N
Quality,quantity,attitude of mind during meal have been given
sufficient thought.
Mitahara should be cultivated as regular habit. Food is not merely a
physical substance. Rather, it has been accepted as one of the
important contributors towards shaping our personality as a whole.
Thus yogic diet tremendous potential for healthy body, mind and
living but one has to walk through it.
"EAT LESS - STRETCH MORE - FLY
HIGH" - Dr. Ramya B H

SHUBHAM