Course Description

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Ever-changing nutritional trends and social media influencers greatly impact how we eat. Yet our bodies are telling us exactly what we need. Ideological nutrition is the practice of eating what we think we should eat, usually rooted in how others are eating rather than what our bodies require at the moment. We are all different, and our nutritional needs constantly change from day to day and season to season. Knowing what our body needs is not easy. It requires an intuitive body-based knowledge. If only we had a body language. Yoga and Ayurveda have a long tradition of nutrition that can help clear things. They can also be misunderstood.

Food is so sacred in Ayurveda and Yoga that food preparation, cooking, and eating is considered a spiritual sadhana (practice), known as Ahara Sadhana. Ahara is anything that nourishes the body’s life essences (rasa). Food is ahara, and so are breath, sensory experiences, and subtle energy. Our life, intelligence, mental clarity, happiness, and strength depend on food. Everything we consume will directly affect our physical and mental health. Yoga and Ayurveda recognize this universal truth but are also very different.

This course will explore and distinguish the pragmatic principles of Yogic and Ayurvedic nutrition and their opportunities for healthy life change. We will look at how both systems work: the emphasis on prana and karma in the Yoga system and the personalized medical approach of Ayurveda. Can we use both? Become more aware of the limitations of nutritional trends without getting lost in the wormholes of personalized self-care. It’s a balance. We will also examine the impact of physical and subtle toxins in our foods, how to free ourselves from attachments to inappropriate foods, and how to access and utilize the most prana from a sattvic diet without compromising our health physically. Bring an open mind and many questions, and let the dialogue begin.