Yogic Concept of Diet - Sattvic, Rajsic and Tamasic

What is Yogic Concept of Diet?

Many of the Yoga practitioners ask this question: "is it necessary to regulate the diet if we are already practicing Yoga Asana regularly?" For sure practicing Asana on a regular basis is important and healthy but complemented with regulation of diet can do magic. Having healthy eating habits is essential for Yogic lifestyle.

Food influences us on different levels of being from physical to emotional and spiritual. Yoga tradition never discuss food as proteins, Carbohydrate and Fats instead it talks about the qualities and influences of a particular food items. Since the beginning food is the prime concern of Yogis. According to the traditional scriptures without having the regulation over diet, it's almost impossible to move forward into the advanced stages of Yoga.

Qualities of Food – Sattvic, Rajsic and Tamasic

In Yoga tradition, Sages and saints went on categorizing the food items into three different categories according to their qualities known as Sattvic, Rajsic and Tamsic.

Sattvic Food

Sattvic food is easily digestible and brings perceptual clarity. It has tremendous quality to nurture love and compassion with the sense of austerity and forgiveness. Practitioners of Yoga with Sattvic diet experiences calmness and spontaneous contentment. Lightness, energy and enthusiasm are the qualities of Sattva.

Rajsic Food

Rajsic food is intense in its taste with lots of spices stimulates the whole mind and body combination. Any strong temptation towards a food item due to its taste indicates Rajsic nature of it. Impacts of this type of food are the sense of susceptibility, agitation and restlessness. Rajsic mind experiences anger, hatred, jealousy and manipulation.

Tamasic Food

Tamasic food takes a long time to digest brings the sense of heaviness, dullness and induces sleep. All the stale food comes under Tamasic. Individual with regular Tamasic intake experience the sense of delusion, doubt, lack of decision making and procrastination. Lethargy and sluggishness are the symptoms of Tamas.