What is a Sentient Diet?
Food For Body
Vegetarian diets have become popular during the past 40 years, but the vegetarian diet that is important to those who practice yoga and meditation is still not well understood.
The yogic vegetarian diet is centred around foods that affect the mind as well as the body, which makes it different from other types of vegetarian systems.
Gauging the effect of food on the mind requires an understanding of the philosophy behind yoga. According to yoga philosophy, the force of nature works in three primary styles, and the different foods are governed by each one of these alternating styles. Thus the yogic diet has three food classifications:
Nature’s sentient principle dominates foods which are beneficial to both the body and the mind. These foods include most fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes (beans), organic milk products, nuts, herbs and mild spices. Note that there are some vegetable products which are not sentient: lentils (taken at night are static, during the day they are mutative), red lentils, onion, mushrooms, garlic and white eggplant are static; the durian fruit (of South East Asia) is also static.
The natural force that creates motion and change in the universe is predominant in some foods. Mutative foods are beneficial to the body and may or may not be beneficial to the mind. These foods are stimulants, and some examples are: coffee, tea, chocolate, ginseng, carbonated drinks, and strong spices. Taken in moderate amounts, mutative foods are not harmful to spiritual progress.
There is a static force that creates inertia in the universe. This force solidifies and binds consciousness. A static quality characterises some foods, and when eaten, they make the mind dull and drowsy. These foods are detrimental to mental concentration and meditation. They also stimulate the lower chakras (psycho-physical controlling points) of the body and the mental propensities controlled by these centres, making it more difficult for the aspirant to maintain mental purity.
In terms of vital energy static foods are harmful to both body or mind, and they are not eaten by yogis. Static foods include meat, fish, eggs, onions, mushrooms and garlic. Alcohol, tobacco, drugs, as well as rotting or spoiled foods, also are static.
Those who want to succeed in meditation and yoga will get significant benefits by following a diet that includes foods from the sentient category, and by avoiding the static foods. A sentient diet is especially important for those who wish to perform yoga postures on a daily basis.
In terms of vital energy static foods are harmful to both body or mind, and they are not eaten by yogis. Static foods include meat, fish, eggs, onions, mushrooms and garlic. Alcohol, tobacco, drugs, as well as rotting or spoiled foods, also are static.
Those who want to succeed in meditation and yoga will get significant benefits by following a diet that includes foods from the sentient category, and by avoiding the static foods. A sentient diet is especially important for those who wish to perform yoga postures on a daily basis.
Benefits of a Sentient Diet
Food For Body
A Sentient Diet, is plant based and avoids consumption of all plants family onion, garlic. All forms of mushroom, egg and meat. Ayurdeic and Yogic principles, is definitively good for your body, mind and soul. Traditionally yogis only consume sattvik (sentient) diet for spiritual development and insights.
Among the many benefits of a sentient diet, we can mention the following:
Spiritual aspirants eating a sentient diet will experience faster and deeper progress than with other diets.
Among the many benefits of a sentient diet, we can mention the following:
- It provides a balanced nutrition for the body.
- It is generally good for people experiencing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
- It is low in FODMAPs given that it contains no onion, no garlic and no mushroom, three highly offensive FODMAPs. FODMAPs are short chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine. FODMAP restriction has been found to improve symptom control in people with IBS and other functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID).
- It helps mitigate inflammatory processes in the body, through frequent use of beneficial ingredients, such as turmeric (curcuma).
- Sentient food is alkaline. Alkaline food is the opposite of acidity-forming food. Eating more alkaline food is an excellent way of cleansing the body and curing it from boils, acne, flue and many other diseases. Nearly all fruits and vegetables are alkaline and very good for your health.
- It can generally be gluten-free.
- In most cases it is appropriate for vegan diets (in cases when we use milk or honey, we try our best to suggest alternative vegan ingredients).
- It is a true yogic diet. The yogic vegetarian diet is based on how foods affect the mind as well as the body, and that’s what makes it a different from other types of vegetarian systems.
Spiritual aspirants eating a sentient diet will experience faster and deeper progress than with other diets.
As a result of eating sentient food and performing spiritual practices, the cells of the human body become sentient. Naturally, an effulgence emanates from these cells creating an aura around the physical body of the spiritual aspirant. This is the reason why many pictures of mahapurushas [highly-evolved persons] show them with radiant auras.”— Shrii Shrii Anandamurti