Post by sparklekaz on Aug 4, 2016 23:44:43 GMT
This article introduces the Yogic concept of The Three Gunas:Satva, Rajas, and Tamasas they apply to food.
What is a Guna?
The three Gunas are classifications of quality of energy in all things used in Yoga Science and Ayurvedic medicine. A Guna is one of three "tendencies" of the mind, body and consciousness. The three gunas are called rajas, tamas and sattva. These categories describe our behavior, thinking, health and diet.
Rajasic means activity, restlessness, stress and anger.
Tamasic means lethargy, dullness and laziness.
Sattvic means balanced, harmony, purity, health and well-being.
In each of us there is a proportion of each Guna. Without Tamas we would not sleep and without Rajas we would lack dynamism and without Sattva life would be uninspiring and without the higher human qualities. A yogi is aiming to increase sattva to raise consciousness through a healthy body and a peaceful mind.
The food we eat has an enormous influence on us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. A serious student of yoga aims to increase Sattva Guna though all aspects of life and diet plays a major role in progress on the spiritual path.
What is a Rajasic, Tamasic and Sattvic Diet?
A Rajasic diet is one which is overly spicy or hot, includes food with onion and garlic, coffee, fizzy soft drinks, tea, sugary foods and too much chocolate. These foods may give us a lift in energy but ultimately we experience a low or increased stress. A prodominately rajasic diet destroys the mind-body equilibrium, feeding the body at the expense of the mind.
A rajasic person will eat on the run, rush food and experience poor digestion and health as a result.
If your children where to eat only these foods you would be quickly looking to change their diet.
A Tamsic diet consists of dead food such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, stale food, processed food full of chemical additives, take away fast foods, reheated food, alcohol, cigarettes and drugs of addiction. A sattvic food can become tamasic when processed, old or fried.
These foods and substances do nothing to lift our energy and consciousness, if fact they pull us downward into laziness and inertia. Living on tamasic food and substances will lead to complaints such as obesity, diabetes, heart and liver disease. We will feel unmotivated, be careless, unaware of ourselves and others.
A Sattvic diet is pure vegetarian nourishment and includes fresh fruit and vegetables, fruit and vegetable juices, wholemeal bread, pulses, grains and sprouts, nuts, seeds, honey, herbs, milk and dairy products which are free of animal rennet. These foods will raise our consciousness, inspire us to positive action, deeper meditation and unleash our hidden potential and creativity. Sattvic food is cooked with love and eaten with full awareness and gratitude.
Yogis are vegetarian for several reasons. Apart from the health aspect, the main reason being the principle that “all living beings are my Self” therefore all creatures need to be treated with respect and love.
What is a Guna?
The three Gunas are classifications of quality of energy in all things used in Yoga Science and Ayurvedic medicine. A Guna is one of three "tendencies" of the mind, body and consciousness. The three gunas are called rajas, tamas and sattva. These categories describe our behavior, thinking, health and diet.
Rajasic means activity, restlessness, stress and anger.
Tamasic means lethargy, dullness and laziness.
Sattvic means balanced, harmony, purity, health and well-being.
In each of us there is a proportion of each Guna. Without Tamas we would not sleep and without Rajas we would lack dynamism and without Sattva life would be uninspiring and without the higher human qualities. A yogi is aiming to increase sattva to raise consciousness through a healthy body and a peaceful mind.
The food we eat has an enormous influence on us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. A serious student of yoga aims to increase Sattva Guna though all aspects of life and diet plays a major role in progress on the spiritual path.
What is a Rajasic, Tamasic and Sattvic Diet?
A Rajasic diet is one which is overly spicy or hot, includes food with onion and garlic, coffee, fizzy soft drinks, tea, sugary foods and too much chocolate. These foods may give us a lift in energy but ultimately we experience a low or increased stress. A prodominately rajasic diet destroys the mind-body equilibrium, feeding the body at the expense of the mind.
A rajasic person will eat on the run, rush food and experience poor digestion and health as a result.
If your children where to eat only these foods you would be quickly looking to change their diet.
A Tamsic diet consists of dead food such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, stale food, processed food full of chemical additives, take away fast foods, reheated food, alcohol, cigarettes and drugs of addiction. A sattvic food can become tamasic when processed, old or fried.
These foods and substances do nothing to lift our energy and consciousness, if fact they pull us downward into laziness and inertia. Living on tamasic food and substances will lead to complaints such as obesity, diabetes, heart and liver disease. We will feel unmotivated, be careless, unaware of ourselves and others.
A Sattvic diet is pure vegetarian nourishment and includes fresh fruit and vegetables, fruit and vegetable juices, wholemeal bread, pulses, grains and sprouts, nuts, seeds, honey, herbs, milk and dairy products which are free of animal rennet. These foods will raise our consciousness, inspire us to positive action, deeper meditation and unleash our hidden potential and creativity. Sattvic food is cooked with love and eaten with full awareness and gratitude.
Yogis are vegetarian for several reasons. Apart from the health aspect, the main reason being the principle that “all living beings are my Self” therefore all creatures need to be treated with respect and love.
