Diet and Nutrition
Courses and Retreats onYogic Diet, Vegetarian Cooking, Ayurvedic Healing, Juice Fasting
Diet and Nutrition
YOGIC MEDICINE
“We are constantly bombarded with stimuli, and these make up the diet of our lifestyle. From the food we eat, the air we breathe, the things we see, feel, hear and touch, our environment is formed and this in turn profoundly influences and shapes our internal environment. We are what we eat literally, for the mind is constructed out of the subtlest parts of our diet and the body from the rest. To achieve the goal of life, to find contentment and perfection requires a peaceful and focused mind. To control the mind is difficult since it is in reality very much under the control of our physical body. It is therefore suggested that we first discipline and control the physical body and the mind may be easily controlled. Diet plays an important part in this process.”
– Swami Vishnudevananda
Guidelines for a Healthy Diet
A diet which is not in accord with the principles of satisfactory nutrition leads to impaired physical development, ill-health and untimely death. A high standard of health, vigor and vitality can be achieved through a well-balanced diet. Such a diet will enable you to develop your inherited capacities to the full extent.
A well-balanced and adequate diet must yield enough calories, as well as supply the various food constituents in sufficient quantities. We need both an energy source for our day-to-day functioning, and vitamins and minerals to stimulate the production of particular hormones and to prevent debilitative diseases.
Water is also a necessary part of the diet. About 70 percent of body weight is water. There is daily loss of about 2.5 liters (4 pints) of water through the skin, lungs, kidneys and the alimentary canal. Water has a greater cleansing action on the tissues than other beverages. It dissolves and distributes food. It is necessary for digestion, and removes impurities from the body. It keeps the body temperature stable through evaporation from the skin in the form of sweat.
Make all changes to your diet gradually. If something disagrees with you, reduce the quantity or eliminate it completely. With practice, you will develop an inner voice to guide you in the selection of a diet suited to your temperament and constitution; one that will maintain your physical efficiency, good health and mental vigor.
Simple and natural food and drink, which is nonstimulating, tissue building, and energy producing, will keep the mind calm and pure and help the yoga practitioner attain the goal of life. A healthy diet means eating the proper foods, in proper proportion, under the proper circumstances, with the proper attitude.
Vegetarian Cooking Course
Learn the science of the 6 tastes, a unique feature of ayurvedic nutrition to insure proper digestion, assimilation of nutrients and elimination. The use of spices and sattvic food, based on grains, pulses and vegetables, savouries and sweetmeats as prescribed in Ayurveda bring about a wholesome experience of wellbeing.
This workshop promises “Good digestion, Balanced meals, tasty and easy to digest food for the whole family.” Learn the art of using Indian spices for balancing your specific condition.
6 Tastes
- Sweet- provides nutrition and tissue build-up.
- Salty- retain water to keep cohesion in the tissues.
- Sour- promotes secretions for proper metabolism.
- Bitter– cleanses blood and toxins left along g.i. tract.
- Hot- enhances agni(digestive fire), dissolves phlegm and has antimicrobial effects.
- Astringent- allows water absorption in the colon for proper elimination.
Food as Medicine
In this 7-day certificate course, learn Ayurveda’s principles of six tastes and three constitutions to build recipes for restoring health and balance.
Theory and hands-on practice learning cooking, spices, and herbs. Taught by an experienced Ayurvedic practitioner who understands food as medicine.
This course is part of a series of modules offered by the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Organization in collaboration with Acharya David Frawley (Vamadeva).
The course manuals are derived from the correspondence courses of the American Institute of Vedic Studies. The aim is to give everyone a thorough foundational knowledge of how Ayurveda helps apply Food as Medicine.
Juicing Retreats
Cleanse in a healthy way, with 5 days of juicing to cleanse and balance the body and mind. Enjoy twice daily yoga classes, meditation, chanting, satsang and the guidance of experienced teachers as you restore body, mind and spirit.
We will juice 3 times per day with fresh, organic vegetable and fruit juices in the beautiful open-air grounds of the Ashram, an ideal natural environment that safely supports purification. Daily work shops will discuss the process of juice fasting and the physical and spiritual impact of fasting.
On the final day we will break the fast with light meals based on raw foods.
Detoxification and Juice Fasting
This program is an ideal opportunity to deeply cleanse and rejuvenate body and mind in a safe and supportive environment. You can rest in the warmth of the northern California summer, enjoying clean air and sunshine in the Sierra foothills, and the support of experienced staff and health care practitioners.
Juice-fasting is the fastest and safest way to eliminate toxins from the body. Fruit and vegetable juices and herbal teas help the process of detoxification while adding vitamins and minerals to the body. Juice fasting allows the body to stay slim, healthy and vital. By fasting you give your digestive system the opportunity to rest, and in so doing, the body has more energy. This energy is used by the mind and you enjoy mental clarity, concentration, and control over the senses. You feel light, joyful, and peaceful.
The program is designed to create a transformation not only on the physical level but also on the mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. Herbal supplements, yoga and meditation help with this. With the practice of both yoga and fasting you will achieve a higher degree of physical, mental and spiritual awareness as toxins are eliminated.
Check out our Diet Blog
LEARN, INSPIRE, TRANSFORM
Our Sivananda Yoga Farm Diet Blog has numerous recipes, videos, and articles.
Upcoming Dates
Dates | Program Name | Price | see more... | Register |
---|---|---|---|---|
December 17 - 22, 2024 | Holistic Health Retreat: Yoga for Stress Relief | $445.00 | View Details | Register Now |
December 19 - 22, 2024 | Holiday Cooking and Baking Retreat | $320.00 | View Details | Register Now |
January 2 - 5, 2025 | Relax and Renew with Ayurveda | $295.00 | View Details | Register Now |