Dear readers,
In my last post on social media I had mentioned that it’s not what nutritious food you eat, but when and how you eat that matters. On request of many to elaborate more about the later part of the post i.e. when & how to eat, I am writing this blog.
We are going to understand digestion according to Ayurveda in brief. Digestion in detail itself is a topic of a blog. So not diverting from main motive here we can check following chart to understand the concept.
Ayurveda has given immense importance to Agni. Sharira is outcome of aahara (Your body is result of what you eat). Your existence is because of your body and your body is what you eat. This sentence itself proves importance of food/ diet in life.
Sharira is made up of dhatus. Aahara supports not only these dhatus but also Ojas (pure factor that resists degeneration and disease), bala (strength) and varna (complexion). Formation of Ojas depends on the proper nourishment of dhatus which is dependent on pachana of aahara by Agni. Thus Agni plays vital role in digestion.
Ayurveda describes 13 types of Agni. Jatahragni, the one and prime important Agni which controls other 12 Agnis, resides in jatahra i.e. stomach. Other 12 includes 7 dhatwagnis and 5 bhootagnis. So it is clear that Jatharagni is responsible for healthy or diseased condition of the body.
Santulit aahara(balanced diet) and santulit Agni (proper digestion) –
· Enhances strength and vitality.
· Increases memory and enthusiasm.
· Increases ayu(lifespan) and Ojas.
· Nourishes mind and soul, provided aahara is Satwik. (aaharo rasaha-raso manaha- mano aatmanah).
Ancient texts like Upanishidas, Bhagvatgeeta also describe importance of aahara(food) and Agni.
Bhagvadgeeta
अहं वैश्वानरो भूत्वा प्राणिनां देहमाश्रितः।
प्राणापानसमायुक्तः पचाम्यन्नं चतुर्विधम् ॥१४॥
भगवद्गीता
Here Krishna says, hey Arjuna(human),me the almighty is present in your body in the form of Agni(hunger). So whenever you feed yourself or someone else, you are worshiping me.
Now think for a moment how will you worship God or deity you believe in, be it Rama, Krishna, Jesus or Allah. What should be your state of mind at that time? And now think in what state of mind, with what kind of emotions we consume food or feed ourselves or others? Here lies the root cause for ill health.
Upanishadas
Upanishads are the end part of Vedas & they describe the essence of Vedas. Chandogya, maitrayaniya, taittariya & Brihadaranyak upanishidas in different chapters describe beautifully about ann(food), Agni, aatma (soul) and manas (mind). Here is overall abstract that I have understood from these ancient texts.
- Do not despise food.
- Always respect and love food.
- One must always eat purified food with pure mind. To purify mind and soul one must meditate before and after intake of food.
- One who consumes food must have it with consciousness that I am feeding my soul which is part of this universe.
- One who remembers this purification and conscious eating doesn’t have rebirth.
- The divine being within our body in the form of universal fire (vaishwanar) is offered the oblation of food. So eating food is considered as a yajna.
- Everything is food to everything else, and taking of food is described by the Upanishad as a form of worship, a sacrifice offered by the Self to the Self.
- Food is everything. It is the one which nourishes the one which provides you existence and ultimately connect your soul with the universe. Therefore food itself is aushadham (medicine).
- Food is the form of god. Energy is essence of food. And the same energy in different form is used to purify and nourish mind & soul which then gives you knowledge and leads to bliss.
- Never talk bad words for what is served to you. Always think food provided is nothing but a blessing. That’s why we have a tradition to pray before having food.
In Maharashtra, we chant a Marathi shloka before food.
वदनि कवळ घेता नाम घ्या श्रीहरीचे ।
सहजहवन होते नाम घेता फुकाचे।
जीवन करि जिवित्वा अन्न हे पूर्णब्रह्म।
उदरभरण नोहे जाणिजे यज्ञकर्म॥
Whenever you consume a single bolus (kaval), you must assume that you are giving aahuti (offerings) in yajna within your body, i.e. jatharagni. Do not eat merely to fill stomach. This thinking costs you nothing but helps in digestion tremendously. Food is called poornabramha here. Bramha is the creator and food is the cause of your existence on this earth. It is reason for jeeva to live (end of the day whatever we do in life is to have enough food and shelter). Pray food to complete you.
WHEN TO EAT
- Eat only when you are hungry.
- Eat only when earlier food is properly digested. (shuddha udgar, sharir laghav)
- Eat in pitta kala i.e. lunch between 11 am to 1 pm and dinner before 7.30 pm. Don’t keep eating in between unnecessarily. If you really feel hungry, then have milk/kashaya or once in a while tea/ coffee. At night you can have something light that too before 9 pm and only if you are very hungry. There are exceptions also.
- Basically Sun is the main source of Agni that initiates and maintains jatharagni. So after sunset our digestion power goes on decreasing. That is why Ayurveda suggests to have dinner before sunset and to consume light food at night. Proper digestion & good sleep are required for nourishing tissue cells, new cell formation, cell rejuvenation and building immunity, formation of waste products. Most important role of proper digestion + good sleep combination is to connect mind and body with each other. When your body is in harmony with nature chances of having diseases are less. A healthy body has healthy mind.
- Eat when you are calm. Do not consume food when you are angry, irritated or disturbed. These emotional disturbances create same sansakara on food and damage your body along with mind.
- Ayurveda has described in detail about viruddha aahara and asked to avoid it. Again it is a vast topic to discuss. For now just understand this.
Food which is- wrong in combination
-prepared by wrong methods
-consumed at wrong time
-consumed in wrong season
-consumed in incorrect quantity etc. is considered as viruddha aahara and it is the cause of many diseases.
HOW TO EAT
This is the area where we are making mistake mostly now a day. First let’s see some basic suggestions by Ayurveda and vedic culture.
· Pray before you eat. This creates positive vibes and keeps you calm. Prayer rejuvenates bonding between body and food.
· First thing to do is see your plate filled with different variety of food with love. Upanishidas say never blame food or talk bad words about food served to you. The basic elements of food are present in human body also. So when you respect food, love food, touch it, feel it; it provides best of it to you. Use hands to eat instead of spoon n forks to connect directly with your food. This way you get nourishment as well as correction from disease. Now we are saying that your food can be your medicine, but ancient Ayurveda and Vedic Hindu culture knew these facts from thousands of years.
· We eat with experience of 5 indriyas. Important factor today we are missing is trupti(contentment) and tushti(happiness)while having food. Being conscious of effect or side effects of food always, takes away trupti and tushti. This makes eating a mechanical action. Such consumption of food does not give good nourishment and healthy body/mind. Enjoy the process of eating. Never eat hurriedly.
· Eat in right posture. Preferred posture is sitting on floor with cross legs. If you are using dining table, at least at home, sit with cross legs posture on chair. It may sound foolish but trust me it’s beneficial.
· Always eat sa avakash. It has two meanings. One is keep some space (avakash) in stomach while eating and second is to have food leisurely. Ideally our stomach should be filled with 2 parts of food, 1 part of water and 1 part of air. (पूरयेत् अन्नेनार्धं तृतीयम् उदकेन तु। वायोस्सञ्चरणार्थाय चतुर्थम् अवशेषयेत्॥)
Now check how much space we leave in the stomach. We are used to eat till stomach is full. This needs to be changed.
· Always take right food at right time and in right quantity.
· Avoid use of gadgets like television/ mobile/laptops/computers while consuming food. I have mentioned about it in detail in my earlier blog.
· Always check the company with whom you have food. It is science of vibrations and emotions. Negativity and bad emotions impact on your mind and body accordingly.
· Drink water only when you are thirsty. Every body’s requirement of water cannot be same. Don’t drink excess water. Avoid drinking water early morning once you wake up and before going to bed. Drink water sip by sip in between meals. Try to avoid liquid intake after sunset as it dilutes Agni which is already weak due to sunset (yataha pinde tatha bramhande). Avoid drinking water in standing position.
I conclude this blog with this important tip to remember always while having food-
Every cell in the body has mind and these cells are always interconnected. Eating food in right manner and with right mindset help us connect with these cells. We can communicate with diseased cells through this and find help naturally for recovery. Remember it is matter of faith; faith in our ancient science, our own healing power.
