How does yoga affect our eating habits?

Once yoga becomes part of your lifestyle, your body will start to change at a deep level. Regular practice of asanas and specific breathing rhythms bring your body and mind into balance; it improves the functioning of the digestive organs, normalizes the excretory processes, and stabilizes the functioning of the endocrine system glands. The toxins accumulated in the body over years will be gradually removed. In addition, yoga practice restores the nervous system and brings about a balanced state of mind. When you are calm and healthy, you do not stuff yourself with unhealthy food to get rid of stress. Asanas give a sense of inner lightness, and it is unlikely that someone would want to change this condition by overeating.

Upon putting a yoga mat down on the floor for the first time, many people expect instant transformation. But naturally, everything happens slowly, and one needs to become deeply immersed in the practice. It is advisable to exercise 2-3 times a week in yoga class and complement this with home practice. This is important, especially at the beginning of practice in order to “launch” the processes in your body. When you begin to feel the results, the training routine will adjust by itself.

Ancient sources cite specific requirements for yoga nutrition. For example, Yogatattva Upanishad lists specific kinds of products to eat, such as milk and dairy products, cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and berries. According to the yogic concept of Ahimsa (Non-Injury), it is necessary to give up meat and fish. It is also necessary to exclude consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Certainly, it is very difficult to set so many limitations on yourself at once. For sure it is a great stress for the body, which does you no good. Therefore, it is important to do everything gradually. One of the greatest things about yoga is that you will be naturally willing to change. Gradually, as the body cleanses itself, you will see that needs, which have formed over years, begin to change. In addition to your diet, this will apply to your lifestyle in general.

On alcohol

No one will argue about whether alcohol is harmful to our body, but most people will say that it is the dosage that matters; thus, a glass of wine at dinner should do no harm. Others allege that they are stressed and work hard and thus, treat themselves to more than just one glass of wine. For beginners, stress relief and relaxation are the most important scientifically proven effects of yoga. Also (we must repeat it), your body itself will not want to consume alcohol.

What happens to excess weight?

Unlike fitness activity, yoga cannot claim to be successful in burning fat. There are various dynamic types of yoga, but this is a different ball game. In the classical Hatha yoga, practitioners lose excess pounds for other reasons, such as:

• You do not overeat, and intake food only when you really want it – that is, when the body wants it, not the mind.
• Your body rejects harmful food.
• The last meal occurs 3-4 hours before class (otherwise you will not be able to productively engage in exercises), and that time works for your benefit.
• Metabolism is normalized, the processes of purification and toxin removal are activated, and hormonal balance is restored.
• Certain breathing rhythms during practice accelerate the digestive processes. The body receives several times more oxygen than usual. Once in the blood, it facilitates the oxidation of lipids (fats).

So, if you accept Yoga as a regular practice, along with its restrictions and regulations, you will definitely improve your life quality. You’ll increase your energy level and adjust your diet, and it will happen because your body will tell you what it needs.

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