Diet For Meditation
Diet For Meditation
Diet is very important, especially at first. If you are eating heavy foods, such as meat (particularly red meat), you are going to feel heavy. In the Hindu tradition foods have been categorized into three classes: tamasic (sluggish), rajasic (energetic), and sattvic (light). In a nutshell, tamasic foods consist of animal meat, fermented food, such as alchohol, dairy (cheese)and old food; rajasic are those foods that are spicy, have garlic and onions in them, caffeinated, salty, have eggs and fish, are sugary; and sattvic is the kind of food that is basicly just good wholesome food, such as fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains.
The first group, being that they produce sluggisness are not helpful in producing good results in meditation. They literally weigh you down. If your mind was water and you looked at it after eating this type of food, the water would be muddy.
The second group is very stimulating for the mind. They are great for invigorating the mind, but you don’t want your mind all excited going into meditation. Here the water would be filled with crashing waves.
The third group is the best for meditation. Such food, and eaten with moderation, helps produce a calm mind, like a clear reflecting pool. You can experiment by just eating this category of food and you will see how buzzy you’ll feel, especially if you are eating primarily fruit. You will feel high and your mediation will be greatly benefited.
I have found, however, that having a physically active lifestyle with family was not conducive to such a prolonged sattvic diet. I approach diet as an aid, but nothing to be rigid about. As Jesus said to his disciples: “Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”. Experiment and be moderate.
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