A great misunderstanding has taken place in the last 20 to 30 years regarding the diet which is most suitable for the yogic aspirants. It is believed by many practitioners that a yogi should take milk, fruit and raw vegetables. However, this is not correct and I never recommend it because of my own observations and experiences on this point. Through many trials and errors I have concluded that there are certain foods which are not meant for the human body at all. If you analyse the secretions in your digestive tract and the secretions from your gums, teeth and saliva; if you examine the strength of the mucus membranes throughout the alimentary tract, and the length of the small and large intestines, and make a comparison with other carnivorous animals, or those animals who live on fruits, you will find there is an absolute difference. The length of our intestines is proof that the human body should be fed on cooked food alone.

From time to time I have mentioned the yogic diet, however I will give some additional ideas now. The best thing is that you stay in the ashram for a few days and follow the diet that we take there. Of course, this does not include butter and fat, raw foods or even fruits. The food that yogic aspirants eat should be cooked and it must contain condiments. I don’t use the word spices, I use the word condiments, because condiments contain certain items that are identical to the enzymes inside the body. For example, coriander, aniseed, black pepper, green pepper, red pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and others. All these are not spices for taste; they are condiments with properties that are the same as the enzymes inside the body.

This subject of diet definitely pertains to the higher stages of yoga. When the phenomenon of kundalini awakening is taking place in ajna and sahasrara chakras, then the digestive system undergoes a change. It is not able to digest the food properly or to create what we call hunger. So, what happens when you eat a little food is that the hydrochloric secretions and enzymes are not engaged. Therefore, whatever food you take, the best procedure is that you cook it first and add the necessary condiments.

The science of diet is an independent science, but definitely it is related to every system of yoga. The diet also differs from yoga to yoga. Here I am talking about the diet for awakening of kundalini, and consequently uniting with Shiva. I am not talking about the diet you have in hatha yoga, which is totally different, because if you practise shankhaprakshalana, and then go on eating all these red and black peppers, you are definitely going to suffer. Therefore, the diet regime for a karma yogi, a bhakti yogi, a raja yogi, hatha yogi and kriya yogi will not be the same.

A bhakti yogi’s diet is very free. He can eat and eat. He can take cheese and butter, and all kinds of sweets and confectionery, because the path of bhakti yoga does not slow down the digestive processes. The same thing applies for the karma yogi. He can take everything because he is working hard all day in the guru’s garden or kitchen. Whether he eats raw food or cooked food, everything will be all right, because in his case, the metabolism is fast, so he does not have to be very careful about diet.

In raja yoga, when you sit for long periods of meditation, the inner body temperature, which is responsible for digestion, comes down. A heavy diet requires a higher metabolism and body temperature for the proper functioning of the digestive process. If the practitioner of raja yoga takes to these heavier foods, in the course of time, he will suffer from dyspepsia, high blood pressure, rheumatism and coronary problems.

So when we talk about diet, let us not discuss it in terms of puritanism. We must remember only one thing in this case, whether the body is capable of digesting all the food. To digest the food you eat, you need five digestive secretions in proper balance, and you also need a specific group of enzymes. Besides this, you need the correct inner body temperature, which varies in different areas of the body.

From the mouth to the rectum there are different zones. In the small intestine a constant temperature is required for a long period of time. In the stomach you need a higher temperature for a maximum of three hours. If there is a higher temperature for longer than three to four, hours, you will develop hyperacidity and stomach ulcers. If you have a reduced temperature in the small intestine, then you will have gastric troubles. And if you have a higher temperature in the large intestine, you will have diarrhoea, dysentery or colitis.

So, these temperatures are affected by the prolonged period of meditation and sadhana, and if this is part of your daily routine, you will have to adjust your diet. Firstly, your vegetables should be properly boiled so the low temperature in the body will not disturb your digestion. Secondly, you will need to add something to the, vegetables to aid the functioning of the digestive enzymes and acids and to thereby conserve energy’.

Some foods, such as papaya, pineapple and bean sprouts, actually contain enzymes. Coriander, pepper, turmeric, aniseed, cayenne, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, oil and garlic are all called digestives because they help the process of digestion to proceed smoothly. Some allopathic medicines for indigestion are actually made out of these substances. Also, there are many herbs which aid digestion. Peppermint, alfalfa and camomile are probably the best known.

Having made a thorough study of natural foods and having tried them on myself, I have come to the conclusion that a combination of natural and macrobiotic foods is best. I have also discovered that instead of cooking the food in your stomach, it is best to cook it properly in the pan. Five or six digestives should be added to the food while it is cooking. They mix into the food and the cooking process liberates the enzymes and chemicals which aid digestion. The combination of heat, digestives and enzymes breaks down the food into smaller and more basic components, thus making it easier to digest and conserving energy.

There is a wonderful food which I have evolved myself in the course of many years, because in the ashram it is not possible to have different types of diets for everybody as we don’t have that much time or money. So I have tried to evolve two simple types of food- one for those who like wheat and the other for those who like rice. It is called integrated khichari. First you cook the rice and dhal and then put all the vegetables into it. You can put anything in and it will be all right. This is the cheapest and most satisfying meal I have eaten anywhere, in any part of the world. There is nothing you can compare it with. It is best for those people who like rice. For those who prefer wheat, there is another way to prepare it using cracked wheat. This must be boiled until soft, then add the dhal and all the vegetables to that and cook it well. And when you eat this khichari, you must feel free to eat as much as you want without any fear. This is the diet for a person who is ranging high in spiritual life and is about to merge into the ultimate state.

In recent years many seekers have taken a keen interest in diet, and various systems have been analysed and tried. Correct diet is a help to the spiritual aspirant at any stage. Diet is as important as yoga. But if you are only concerned with your diet and are not practising yoga, then you are a food fanatic. So, in relation to diet, there is one important point which you must also remember. Consciousness is above diet. Whether you eat fruit, cooked or raw vegetables, cheese, butter, beef or ham, it makes no difference to the consciousness.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, Sep, 1982)

Once there was a small community of people living near a valley which was called the valley of Meditation. It would have been such a beautiful valley if the lakes and rivers in the area had not dried up. At the top of the valley where the community was situated, there was an empty lake called the lake of Sahasrara. The people living around the lake were very poor and miserable as they were bitterly struggling against poverty and starvation.

Within the community there were many glorious tales about the golden age when water had been flowing along the now parched river called Sushumna. Sushumna led to lake Sahasrara and when its waters had filled Sahasrara, the harvest in the valley had been rich and the people were very joyful and healthy. There were also legends about an exquisitely beautiful and mysterious flower, Samadhi, which had blossomed all over the valley when the soil had been irrigated and fertile.

Living in one of the poorest and most squalid cottages around the waterless lake was a small boy who had listened eagerly to all the stories about the golden age of the valley. With a resolve to make the valley of Meditation as happy and as beautiful as it had been in the past, he decided to visit Indra, the king of gods, and ask him to fill the river of Sushumna with water. So the little boy undertook a long and arduous journey to the abode of Indra.

Finding Indra alone in his garden, the boy immediately explained the purpose of his visit and requested him to fill Sushumna with water so that the people of his community could again live in prosperity.

When the boy finished, Indra replied, ‘Unfortunately, to fill the river of Sushumna is not an easy task; it cannot be filled with normal rain water. Sushumna will only flow when two other rivers are flowing equally. These two rivers, Ida and Pingala, flow mostly under the ground, crossing Sushumna at certain points. Ida is a very cold river and Pingala is almost boiling at some places. They don’t flow all the way to Sahasrara as Sushumna does; they stop at a lake called Ajna, which is also dry now. I agree with you, it is a pity that the valley of Meditation has become so miserable and the people are deprived of the magnificent Samadhi flowers.’

Indra thought silently for some time then continued. ‘There is one thing we can do. It is the wind who decides where my rain will fall. If you can tame the wind, you can make it regulate the flow of water in Ida and Pingala. I will give you a flute and teach you to play the magic melodies of Pranayama. The wind cannot resist these melodies; it will equalise the rainfall in Ida and Pingala, and the water will start coursing through Sushumna to the lake of Sahasrara.

Indra gave the boy a flute and taught him to play the melodies of Pranayama. When the boy had mastered the melodies the wind heard them and came rushing to the boy to hear more. Thus the boy tamed the wind and got it to make the water flow equally in Pingala. When this occurred, water flowed forth into Sushumna and all the lakes from Mooladhara to Sahasrara were abundantly filled with pure, crystal clear water which soon made the valley of Meditation very fertile. The valley came to fife and proved to be just as joyful and beautiful as it had been before. Once again the flowers of Samadhi sprung up all over the valley and their beauty was so splendid that even the gods rejoiced in it.

Thus the techniques of pranayama have been passed on to our generation in order that aspirants can trigger the flow of prana in Sushumna nadi so that meditation and samadhi can arise.

(Courtesy Yoga Magazine, January, 1980)

Swami Nirvikalpananda Saraswati, Sweden

Once there was a small community of people living near a valley which was called the valley of Meditation. It would have been such a beautiful valley if the lakes and rivers in the area had not dried up. At the top of the valley where the community was situated, there was an empty lake called the lake of Sahasrara. The people living around the lake were very poor and miserable as they were bitterly struggling against poverty and starvation.

Within the community there were many glorious tales about the golden age when water had been flowing along the now parched river called Sushumna. Sushumna led to lake Sahasrara and when its waters had filled Sahasrara, the harvest in the valley had been rich and the people were very joyful and healthy. There were also legends about an exquisitely beautiful and mysterious flower, Samadhi, which had blossomed all over the valley when the soil had been irrigated and fertile.

Living in one of the poorest and most squalid cottages around the waterless lake was a small boy who had listened eagerly to all the stories about the golden age of the valley. With a resolve to make the valley of Meditation as happy and as beautiful as it had been in the past, he decided to visit Indra, the king of gods, and ask him to fill the river of Sushumna with water. So the little boy undertook a long and arduous journey to the abode of Indra.

Finding Indra alone in his garden, the boy immediately explained the purpose of his visit and requested him to fill Sushumna with water so that the people of his community could again live in prosperity.

When the boy finished, Indra replied, ‘Unfortunately, to fill the river of Sushumna is not an easy task; it cannot be filled with normal rain water. Sushumna will only flow when two other rivers are flowing equally. These two rivers, Ida and Pingala, flow mostly under the ground, crossing Sushumna at certain points. Ida is a very cold river and Pingala is almost boiling at some places. They don’t flow all the way to Sahasrara as Sushumna does; they stop at a lake called Ajna, which is also dry now. I agree with you, it is a pity that the valley of Meditation has become so miserable and the people are deprived of the magnificent Samadhi flowers.’

Indra thought silently for some time then continued. ‘There is one thing we can do. It is the wind who decides where my rain will fall. If you can tame the wind, you can make it regulate the flow of water in Ida and Pingala. I will give you a flute and teach you to play the magic melodies of Pranayama. The wind cannot resist these melodies; it will equalise the rainfall in Ida and Pingala, and the water will start coursing through Sushumna to the lake of Sahasrara.

Indra gave the boy a flute and taught him to play the melodies of Pranayama. When the boy had mastered the melodies the wind heard them and came rushing to the boy to hear more. Thus the boy tamed the wind and got it to make the water flow equally in Pingala. When this occurred, water flowed forth into Sushumna and all the lakes from Mooladhara to Sahasrara were abundantly filled with pure, crystal clear water which soon made the valley of Meditation very fertile. The valley came to fife and proved to be just as joyful and beautiful as it had been before. Once again the flowers of Samadhi sprung up all over the valley and their beauty was so splendid that even the gods rejoiced in it.

Thus the techniques of pranayama have been passed on to our generation in order that aspirants can trigger the flow of prana in Sushumna nadi so that meditation and samadhi can arise.

(Courtesy Yoga Magazine, January, 1980)