It is recommended to have a diet of only fruits, nuts and vegetables for beginning yoga students. They are encouraged them to take the steps to break away from a meat-based diet and embrace a healthy lifestyle. According to the Master, “This diet is used in India when the person looks old—the body is wearing out and becomes impotent. It is said to cleanse the system and revitalize the body. The first few days you may feel weak, but then gradually your strength will increase and you will start to feel light and happy.”
The best season for this diet is the warmer months of spring, summer and fall, when fresh fruits and vegetables are readily available.
Purpose:
•Physical: Cleansing, weight loss, clearing mucus
•Mental: Break negative food habits, be happy
•Spiritual: Transition to a more energetic and higher frequency vibration; to become more in harmony with your body and with your world.
Duration:
You can do it for thirty days. It can be done up to 120 days. If thirty days sounds like too much, try two weeks. It may give you confidence that you can continue it for the full time. Once you start the diet, there may be a short period when you feel weak or low energy. This is to be expected, especially if you are coming off a diet high in processed foods or animal products. Keep up. Allow your body to adjust to a higher frequency of energy.
Avoid:
Meat, fish, fowl, eggs, alcoholic beverages, drugs of any kind (including caffeine), dairy, grains, legumes, packaged foods, canned foods, concentrated sugars, including honey (except a little in Yogi Tea), roasted nuts, nut butters and fried foods.
Eat:
•Lots of salads—fresh lettuce and other greens and sprouts dressed lightly with cold pressed oil and natural vinegar or lemon juice, with optional additions of: alfalfa sprouts, mung bean sprouts, fresh raw vegetables, avocados, raw sunflower seeds, sesame seeds
•Steamed vegetables garnished with a little olive oil, a touch of sea salt and black or red pepper
•Raw almonds soaked and peeled
•Baked squash
•Potatoes—yes, they are vegetables too, and very alkalizing to your system. Prepare them Punjabi style with peas and onions, with fresh cauliflower, or baked, and served with a little olive oil and soy sauce.
•Fresh fruit anytime
•Fruit and vegetable smoothies—add a little fruit juice for sweetness.
•Herbal teas
•Yogi Tea with almond milk and a little honey
End:
After thirty days, gradually add skim milk, rice and legumes and transition to a yogic maintenance diet.
Notes:
This diet was given in 1969 to the flower children that showed up in droves to his first yoga classes. It is an excellent introduction to a healthy lifestyle with the wide variety of options possible. Still the ego may freak out. Remember, our relationship to food and diet are deeply ingrained habit patterns involving security, comfort and self-image. Change is a challenge. The way to meet the challenge gracefully is to thoroughly enjoy the new experiences coming across your tongue. Savor every bite. Chew your food well and relish it. If you are overweight, you begin the process of losing your excess. Do yoga and breathe deeply. You may be amazed at the new you.
