Light on Food: The Yoga and Ayurveda of Enlightened Nutrition

• Format: YTT Short Course
• Chose four Short Courses to create an Eclectic Weekend Module
• Also part of “Swasthavritta: The Enlightened Self Care of Ayurveda” YTT Themed Intensive Module
• Instruction Time: 3 hours

Ahara is that which nourishes the body’s life essences (rasa). Food is ahara. Food is also captured prana. Prana is life energy. So our life, intelligence, mental clarity, happiness, and strength are all dependent on the quality of food. Anything we take in will directly effect our yoga practice, and ultimately the quality of the bodymind. The physical body is developed by food, it grows on food, and thus, many physical diseases are caused by inappropriate and sometimes toxic foods. Likewise, the subtle or pranic body is also effected by the quality of our foods. Therefore, we have to be very careful about what we eat. Food is, in fact, so sacred in ayurveda that the preparation, cooking and eating of food is considered a spiritual sadhana (practice), known as ahara sadhana. This course will review the dynamics of ayurvedic nutrition and it’s insights into a spiritual approach to food and eating that can be life changing. We will look at the impact of physical and subtle toxins in our foods, the emotions and how to free ourselves from attachments to inappropriate foods, and how to access and utilize the most prana from a satvic diet. There is no medicine comparable to food appropriate to one’s unique constitution.

Yoga Alliance: This program satisfies Yoga Alliance requirements for anatomy and physiology, philosophy, lifestyle and ethics, and elective hours.

Course Outline

• Definition of Ahara – What is Food?
• Importance of Food
• The Three Gunas and a Sattvic Diet
• Pancha Maha Bhutas
• Six Tastes (Rasas)
• Taking Food as Spiritual Practice (Sadhana)
• Food as Prana, Pranic Foods
• Live Foods, Dumb Foods and Dead Foods
• Ama: Toxins
• Food Trends
• Ayurvedic Guidelines about Food and Eating
• Time of Eating
• Self Control
• Svabhava: Food Quality
• Samskara: Food Processing
• Kala: Seasons, Eating and the Doshas
• Ideal Times to Take Food
• How to take Food
• Foods Which Should and Shouldn’t be Eaten Regularly
• What Not to Do After Eating Food
• The Six Types of Ayurvedic Nutritional Imbalances
• Foods to Avoid During Times of Very Difficult Digestion
• When to Drink Water
• Samyoga: Ayurvedic Concept of Food Combining
• Ayurvedic Food Combining Recommendations
• Incompatible Food Combinations
• Agni: The Digestive Fire
• Agni, Jataragni and The Four Types of Digestive Agni
• Digestion and Culinary Spices
• Sapta Dhatus: The Seven Bodily Tissues
• Malas: Waste Materials
• Rasayanas: Rejuvenatives
• Eating According to our own Unique Constitition (Prakriti)
• Vata Food Guidelines
• Pitta Food Guidelines
• Kapha Food Guidelines