Yoga means “union” in Sanskrit, and The Natural Yogi lives connected with nature. The only way someone can live in harmony with nature, is to align with a natural diet. Being vegan is the ultimate expression of respect for animals and nature.
You are what you eat
Yoga teaches us that we are a unity of body, mind, and spirit. Health cannot be separated from the spirit and the food that we are eating, can affect our bodies.
Food literally can keep us moving, allowing us to think and feel. It helps us to connect with family and friends. Also, the things you choose to put directly in your body, can say a lot about your beliefs.
Many of the principal teachings of yoga, especially Ahimsa or non-violence, promotes a plant-based diet. Some ancient Indian texts can affirm, that a plant-based diet is aligned with a spiritual path and cultivating a sense of unity.
Increased energy and physical well-being
Many people choose to practice vegetarianism to improve their health, in addition to other spiritual or emotional reasons.
Eating healthy vegetarian foods can reduce the risk of various diseases, such as heart disease and cancer. Plant based diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, are linked to longevity and mental health improvement.
According to Ayurveda, food plays a significant role like how we tend to feel, what affects the energy we have, our way of thinking, and the impact we can have in the world. It also describes the various effects of different foods in body and mind using three qualities: sattva, rajas, and tamas.
Heavier foods, including meat, create tamas, which are low, lazy, or slow energy. On the other hand, foods that come directly from the earth, like sattvic foods, create extra energy, positivity, and lightness.
Better mood
A vegetarian diet means good karma, avoiding guilt, pain, and suffering.
Choosing to abstain from animal foods and obtain sustainable plant foods, offers you numerous benefits such as: improving your physical health, gaining confidence in your yoga skills, being able to support other people in their practice and feeling proud by saving an animal’s life.
Eating meat can provoke opposite feelings. Some of those are: disconnection, shame or guilt for the life that these animals had, limited energy, and the sensation of being blocked to deepen your practice.
In other words, food, like yoga, is just another way you can harmonize and connect with your body. It may seem difficult to change your eating habits at first, but as you deepen your practice, it becomes easier and your self-awareness increases.
Vegetarianism improves the Yoga Asana practice, which strengthens the mental willpower. They’re both spiritual practices and both align with nature. The vision we should have as a Yogi, is that we are one with the planet and we’re part of nature’s laws.