Vegetarian Thread

Spirituality
#1

I feel that this belongs in the spirits path section because B.K.S. Iyengar states that a vegetarian diet is a necessity to the practice of yoga. Without digging up the page I believe he links this to enlightenment.

That being said. I live in a household that eats copious amounts of meat (especially red meat). I want to move into pescetarianism and eventually vegetarianism.

Tonight when I came downstairs I noticed a thick steak defrosting in the sink. I decided that I didn’t want any and had a dinner of rice, beans, corn, and baby spring mix instead. After dinner, even though I had eaten more then usual with my second serving of brown rice, I felt lighter.

Does anybody have any insight in to how I can keep this up? I guess it can be as simple as turning down meat again and again but what about my morning eggs? Eggs never came to life so there is no residual violent energy in them(?).

I have also recently become car less and am biking 150mi per week on top of my yoga practice. This has put me down to 3% body fat based on readings from a machine using electrodes attached to my hands and feet at my kinesiologists office. Would that make this a bad time to give vegetarianism a try?

TLDR- talk about vegetarianism and give tips for starting and long term. Any correlation to the Nadis would be appreciated.

:slight_smile:

#2

Do you believe Iyengar ?
Is Iyengar enlightened ?

I mean, are you interested more in the spiritual aspect, or the health benefits ? What is your age ? (39 here)

#3

I can see where Iyengar is coming from. From what I hear he is enlightened but since I have never met him how can I be certain. If anything he is a Very knowledgeable yogi.

I am more interested in the spiritual aspects at this time. At the studio that I work at one of the instructors feels she is more connected to the earth now that she is a vegetarian. This is second hand information.

I had chicken with dinner out of convienance the next night and felt remorseful. I did not feel nearly as good after my meal and felt heavy even though I had not eaten much.

I am 23 at this time with a two year old practice, 5’ 9" 130lbs.

#4

Excellent info from another post

Posted by BurrenYoga

Diet is such an emotive subject, and it brings up very strong feelings and reactions in people.

Swami Satyananda said that there is much more harm done by worrying about diet, than the actual diet it self.

He recommended that as beginners we should not worry about diet, but simply practice diligently each day with our asana, pranayama, meditation, and hopefully the Yamas and Niyamas… and when one does this for some time… one’s body and higher levels will ‘speak to you’ and you will become aware of what is not suiting your body or your mind or your inner more subtle energies… and in time these things that we are putting inside our bodies will simply fall away. No need to make huge efforts to give up certain things before we are ready for it… they will simply drop away when the time is right.

About 18 years ago after practicing yoga for a number of years i wanted to become vegetarian, so i stopped eating meat. After about 2 weeks i noticed i was often day dreaming about bacon sandwiches and other food stuffs which i had ‘cut out’. In the end after about 2 months, i weakened and went back eating meat.

About 2 years later after diligently practicing each day, i became sick after a meal. I didn’t think too much about it, and the next day when i felt better i thought i would have something to eat… and a ham sandwich came to mind. When it did, my stomach turned over and i felt slightly nauseous, so i thought… ah that much be a bit heavy for me at present, so i had soup or something lighter instead.

The same thing happened to me for about the next 3 days, until i suddenly thought to myself… hey… maybe my body (or higher being) is letting me know that meat is too heavy for me. So i decided to try it day by day to continue with this vegetarian diet.

And after 1 month i felt great. Much lighter, clearer in thought, much more consistent energy levels (no ups and downs) and generally much better in myself. And yes my meditation was much clearer and focused.

I have many other stories regarding this over the last 15 years, but i should add that i do eat fish… but that merits another story some other day.

I really think that Swami Satyananda’s advice is very wise. Do not put the cart before the horse. Best to do what feels right to you, and practice as much yoga and meditation as possible and ‘listen’ to your body and your higher being. It is different for each person, and also at different times of our life.

Having said that, if you feel drawn towards being Vegetarian, i would highly recommend it. There is an excellent book called the Sivinanda yoga cook book, which has beautiful vegetarian recipes, by Giai books. The first chapter is most informative and lists which foods are rajasic, tamasic and satvic. Beautiful book.

If you get into doing more involved and advanced meditation practices, you will often find that a further refined diet is taken up for a few weeks prior to initiation into these practices, and onions and garlic are also cut out as these are rajasic in nature. The ‘winds’ caused by these foods are reflected in the inner winds, which in turn disturb the mental awareness used within meditation.

Best to watch your diet, notice how you 'feel after your meal, and again how you feel 1 hour later… and 2 hours later. Try not to overeat, reduce or eliminate processed foods, cut down or cut out meat and alcohol when and if the time is right for you. Eat plenty of fresh vegetables (organic if you can afford them), grains, legumes, nuts and a wide range of foods… freshly cooked rather than re-heated or zapped in a micro wave.

I wish you well with your practice.

Best Wishes,
Dave

#5

Good for you in taking this step in your diet! Yes, as Iyengar Ji points out vegetarianism is essential for the practice.
The animals that are slaughtered for meat generally lead short, miserable lives before dieing in pain. As a practitioner, it is essential not to contribute to this suffering.

As for exercise performance, my martial arts practice has been enhanced by vegetarian diet. The key is to check the amount of protein. If this is done, you can have all the protein of a meat based diet, but without the fat which slows down the system.

Plenty of pro sports people adopt the vegetarian diet with great success.

#6

Thanks for your well wishes Terence ^_^. I feel better already though I am still figuring out how to get everything I need. This week was a lot of quinoa, pinto beans, almonds, and sprouts. This seems a little protein heavy but I am eating spring mix and zucchini as well.

I believe this will deepen my practice but I am worried about getting enough calories as I am already under weight.

#8

Through the effects of devotional practice & purification, we become more sensitive to the subtle relationships between living beings. As we sense our deeper connection, it is natural to flow toward the path of least harm…Ahimsa.
Sounds like your experiences and intuition are guiding you quite clearly, Rdlagrand.

Highly recommend Sharon Gannon’s “Yoga and Vegetarianism” book…

#9

[QUOTE=Rdlagrand;64800]Thanks for your well wishes Terence ^_^. I feel better already though I am still figuring out how to get everything I need. This week was a lot of quinoa, pinto beans, almonds, and sprouts. This seems a little protein heavy but I am eating spring mix and zucchini as well.

I believe this will deepen my practice but I am worried about getting enough calories as I am already under weight.[/QUOTE]

The diet you mention should provide an adequate amount of calories, brown rice especially is a great one.

I’m pretty sure I saw detail for this guy’s diet some where on the web…

Vegan Athletes: UFC, GSP vs Shields, Fighters, Frank Mir, Football, Boxer Mike Tyson (Go Vegetarian)

#10

I was just upgraded to business class for a long haul flight, and they served these thick, hollowed out cucumber slices stuffed with meaty cream cheese and topped with watermelon balls. They were so weird, and the flavors so incredibly mixed. Try that.
Being a vegetarian would be easy if I knew all of these gourmet tricks.

I currently eat little meat when I’m home in the US. I’ve started veering more and more towards it as I have slowly come to feel (rather than just intellectualize) that there is a spark of life within all creatures, something which holds them together until they pass into the next whatever. To put that fire out in any creature or being just seems… against the natural flow… and this developing belief is changing my views and eating habits. Since I haven’t quite made it far enough to just walk away from meat entirely, I have developed a very acute appreciation for the life that feeds me - plant or animal. So long as we are bound in a body which requires the nourishment of the physical world, I think we can never escape causing damage to something which lives and grows of it’s own accord – but the least we can do is to be grateful and recognize our affect and put a lot of clear thought into deciding how we want to proceed from that point and why. Vegetarianism itself won’t bring you to enlightenment, but constant reflection on your intentions and actions will remove a lot of obstacles to having a more fulfilling existence, and is essential if your goal is to remove meat entirely.

So don’t be too hard on yourself. If you need eggs for breakfast, have eggs for breakfast until you find something better to replace it. Change is a process of ups and downs. New samskaras increase and old samskaras become dormant, but the evolution is like waves on the shore, slowly eroding away the sand to reveal something new. Make it fun, don’t think of it like giving anything up - but exploring awesome new foods!.. and experiment a lot with cream cheese. that thing I had on the plane was fantastic.

#12

Being vegetarian is not that hard, all the years that I have been eating vegetarian, I have never craved for meat and I am the kind of person that has a good appetite. In western restaurants they give vegetarians just a heap of veggies. That is no way to eat. But if you can make dahl, paneer, dosas, hummus etc, you can have great dishes.

#13

I have really enjoyed my new lifestyle so far. It is amazing to me how quickly meat has begun to repulse me. Even tuna the other day I did not want to eat but decided to have a little since I am still adjusting to all of this.

Yesterday I decided to try another route home that would save me both time and energy but when I got off my first bus the second had already stopped running which meant I had another 15 miles to get home. On my way back I saw an indian restaurant that I had never been to. I decided to try it and ordered rice, naan, and saag paneer. I ate until I was stuffed and 5 minutes later was able to peddeled back home with comfort and without any cramps. Boy what a difference I would have had with an omnivores diet.

Thought I do believe that a vegetarian diet does have at least some effect on enlightenment I initially decided to make the switch one, because it is what my body told me to do, and two because the first time I tried going without meat I felt incredibly light and energetic.

I am more and more curious about how this will develop. I have already had interesting interractions with animals since I have stopped killing even spiders and mosquitoes, but it seems like my relationship with wildlife has recently improved. At the monastery that I frequent a hummingbird stopped behind me at bindhu chakra level while I chanted om and when I finished I notice the birds in the trees above me had greatly increased in number. Perhaps that was just because they liked my song.

#14

[QUOTE=Rdlagrand;64920]I have really enjoyed my new lifestyle so far. It is amazing to me how quickly meat has begun to repulse me. Even tuna the other day I did not want to eat but decided to have a little since I am still adjusting to all of this.

Yesterday I decided to try another route home that would save me both time and energy but when I got off my first bus the second had already stopped running which meant I had another 15 miles to get home. On my way back I saw an indian restaurant that I had never been to. I decided to try it and ordered rice, naan, and saag paneer. I ate until I was stuffed and 5 minutes later was able to peddeled back home with comfort and without any cramps. Boy what a difference I would have had with an omnivores diet.

Thought I do believe that a vegetarian diet does have at least some effect on enlightenment I initially decided to make the switch one, because it is what my body told me to do, and two because the first time I tried going without meat I felt incredibly light and energetic.

I am more and more curious about how this will develop. I have already had interesting interractions with animals since I have stopped killing even spiders and mosquitoes, but it seems like my relationship with wildlife has recently improved. At the monastery that I frequent a hummingbird stopped behind me at bindhu chakra level while I chanted om and when I finished I notice the birds in the trees above me had greatly increased in number. Perhaps that was just because they liked my song.[/QUOTE]

It is definitely a process and you will find that it just naturally happens. I used to have no problem eating food that touched meat (like if they accidently put chicken strips on a salad I ordered - I would just take it off) but now not so much. It just makes me feel repulsed. I still eat seafood but find myself moving away from that too. I just keep thinking, “this is flesh”, whenever meat is presented to me. I never used to think that before. I initially became vegetarian because my stomach had trouble digesting meat not because of animal cruelty or anything. I don’t even “like” animals but the other day I felt compelled to visit a pet store and fell in love with this little kitten. Too bad I can’t have pets where I live at.

#15

It is medically proved that if you take vegetable for whole week and if you do consume meat for whole weak than you will have more energy by using vegetables rather than meat.

#16

The change is a difficult one. Start slowly. Change your habits and you will look for more ways to substitute you diet. Your body will tell you what it wants and it will be your choice whether or not to listen.
It took me over two years to make the change. I am happy that I did, although, I don’t know about enlightened…

#17

[QUOTE=TattooLady;65459]The change is a difficult one. Start slowly. Change your habits and you will look for more ways to substitute you diet. Your body will tell you what it wants and it will be your choice whether or not to listen.
It took me over two years to make the change. I am happy that I did, although, I don’t know about enlightened…[/QUOTE]

yeah I agree with you… start choosing the right food… go for vegies.

#18

[QUOTE=Rdlagrand;64486]

At the studio that I work at one of the instructors feels she is more connected to the earth now that she is a vegetarian.

I had chicken with dinner out of convienance the next night and felt remorseful. I did not feel nearly as good after my meal and felt heavy even though I had not eaten much.

I am 23 at this time with a two year old practice, 5’ 9" 130lbs.[/QUOTE]

I wonder what does she understand by being more connected to the earth … if she feels more connected to Mother Earth, that I can understand. But on the other hand I have been tought, that an omnivore diet -having meat - makes on interested "only’ in earthly matters. Like job, ambition’ sex, aso. Not that these are bad thing per se, but there are other things we need to be concerned with. Thus, having meat is like saying: leave me alone with your spirituality ! I want to live here and now, and enjoy life ! what can be an acceptable attitude. Especially for children and young people, as they are still growing into this world. So for them, who does not need to bother with spirituality too much as they are just learnig the ropes of this world, I’d say, vegetarianism is not that important (unless they are very mature souls) but neither spirituality is that important for them.

As about remorse. Everyone is so swift today about remosre being a bad thing. It’s not. It only tells you, that you did something you regret. Now, the best thing in this case is to put things into perspective. You say, you had little of that chicken. Now, you feel that your spiritual development has been jeoperdised. But it’s a small thing, really. I assure you, there are more serious obstacles in the path of your enlightment, than that little chicken. :slight_smile: Never heard that someone attained enlightment by being a vegetarian. There are countless vegetarians, some for decades, and some have been vegetarian all their lives, and are still not enlightened. So let it go. My teacher says, that only when you have developed the inner fne sense about the subtle efects of foods on your body-soul, only than your diet will really matter. Until than try to be as healthy as possible, and do your practice. Be patient. Certain aspects of the practice require certain age to be had.