While practicing yoga, you might have to come face-to-face with the term ‘Sattvic’ repeatedly. To a few, this is very elusive. However, this term is not just limited to the realm of yoga. Ayurveda is the sister science, which gave birth to the idea. In yoga, we all will be applying its principles. If you join the best yoga school in Rishikesh, Gurukul Yogashala, you will learn about the guna ‘Sattva’ and ahara ‘Sattvic’ as a part of the course modules.
Pure and nourishing food is called ‘Sattvic’ and such foods are said to promote mental wellness, physical wellness, and spiritual wellness. Gurukul Yogashala takes proper care of the attendees at the school, by providing them with the best Sattvic ahara, which is important for all-around growth.
Such foods are mainly vegetarian and vegan. Moreover, these foods do not have any artificial additives or preservatives. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and pulses are included in the Sattvic diet.
Know About The Sattvic Diet
The Sattvic diet is a part of an expansive and much healthier lifestyle, according to Ayurveda. This ancient lifestyle includes practices such as asana, meditation, and mindfulness. Food is also an important attribute. At Gurukul Yogashala, you will be encouraged to have only fresh and seasonal foods as a daily diet. Processed, refined, fermented, and non-vegetarian foods do not make it to the list. Stimulants are also excluded.
The Sattvic diet also stresses the way you should consume your food. Study all such nuances in more detail in the 200 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh. For the unversed, the course also covers the other food types listed under Ayurveda, like Rajasic and Tamasic food. The former makes one restless and overactive, whereas the latter fills one with dark thoughts. Both do not align with the concept of yoga.
According to Ayurveda, which is the science of life, one must eat according to the season and the time of the day. Take, for example, you should not eat fruits after noon. Moreover, you should always take time to taste and then chew your food. It is a part of mindfulness practices. Additionally, it is recommended not to eat your food in a hurry, as it may interfere with digestion. Certain foods should not be combined as per Ayurveda, like milk and melons.
When you have Sattvic food, the body can digest it fast. So, you can focus on activities of the higher order, like meditation, and connect with the universal cosmos.
Here is a list of Sattvic foods that can enhance your yogic well-being.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables like apples, bananas, berries, mangoes, melons, kale, spinach, squash, and sweet potatoes.
- Whole grains like brown rice, wheat, bajra, oats, and quinoa.
- Lentils, mung dal, chickpeas, and beans are included in pulses and legumes.
- Almonds, cashews, walnuts, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds are included under nuts and seeds. These foods give a lot of energy while cutting down on the digestion time.
- Herbal teas and concoctions like chamomile, ginger, lemongrass, and jasmine are also therapeutic and can aid the body’s internal processes.
Today, many of you may have turned vegan, eliminating animal produce from your diet. The same diet is also arranged for retreat participants and full-time students at Gurukul Yogashala if requested prior. It is believed to aid in your spiritual journey. You can join the yoga retreat in Rishikesh, and find a similar food culture being followed there, as well.
Now, let us find out how Sattvic food can improve your mental well-being, apart from wellbeing on other planes.
Advantages Of Sattvic Food For Mental Health
As a part of the best 200 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh, Gurukul Yogashala has not only curated the best Sattvic lifestyle within the campus but also made sure that each student or participant learns about its advantages to the core.
The Sattvic diet is mainly a vegetarian diet, which stresses food that is light and digested easily. According to Ayurvedic tradition, the food is unadulterated, un-processed, and readily available in nature’s bounty. We have enlisted some of the benefits herein.
- The consumption of Sattvic food promotes overall health and vitality. The fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and herbal concoctions are very light on the stomach. They contain essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, which help the usual biological cycles that take place in the body to go on, uninterrupted.
Here mental clarity also comes in. If you eat foods that are easy on the stomach, you will be spending less amount of energy on physiological processes such as digestion and excretion. They will happen more naturally. You will thus be able to develop more alertness of mind and can think better. When you concentrate less on the body processes, you can focus that energy on other higher pursuits.
- The consumption of Sattvic ahara helps one to meditate effortlessly and move towards a higher state of consciousness. If there are health issues, most of the inherent powers are focused on solving bodily issues. However, a light disease-free body can lead to higher thinking, through minimal effort.
- The link between food and your mood is a huge reality. Certain foods such as sugars and processed foods can lead to anxiety and hypertension. On the other hand, foods that are full of nutrients, reduce stress and overall tension. There is a gut-brain connection, which makes this arena all the more important. The gut is the second brain of the body, as it contains many neurons, just like the brain. The foods that you eat affect the gut bacteria. This, in turn, influences your mood and your behavior.
- You will be amazed to know that the food you eat directly affects the serotonin levels in the brain, too. Reduced levels of these hormones can lead to memory problems and anxiety. The food affects the dhatus, doshas, and the malas. The right balance of these elements inside the body can bring in mental clarity and tranquillity.
You can get all the above benefits for your mind if you join a yoga teacher training in Rishikesh at a renowned school like Gurukul Yogashala. The program consists of the most comprehensive subject modules which cover all the above, and more.
Final Words
You can experience the full benefits of the Sattvic diet at the best yoga school in Rishikesh. Gurukul Yogashala is one of the best schools that staunchly follow the Sattvic lifestyle in their ashram. Get the best guidance from the most learned teachers at the school. You will be thankful even after you graduate and leave the premises. The habit, once formed, will help you to maintain your health, no matter in which corner of the globe you stay. Reap the benefits of the Sattvic lifestyle, live healthy, and think better.