The Nutrition Conundrum

Classically, drawing from the tenets of Ayurveda (Indian medicine) the yogic diet incorporates lacto-vegetarianism, allowing for dairy products and sometimes eggs, emphasizing high prana fresh foods but not excluding cooked foods. In yoga teacher training, my teacher told crazy tales of his experiences with every healthy diet under the sun. Vegetarian, vegan, raw foods, fruitarian. Even the "green" diet, where one only consumes foods that are green. A bit limiting, I thought.

The whole thing is based on ahimsa, or nonviolence, one of the five moral codes in yoga. This brings up an interesting discussion about whether plants have feelings. Aren't we killing them too when we eat them? Yes, but we have to eat something. Chickens or cauliflower? Cows or corn? Turkey or tofu? Consider it the lesser of two evils.

About two and a half years ago, immediately following a week of eating hot dogs and scambled eggs on the Atkins diet, I sporadically decided to go vegetarian. I never looked back. My body thrived. Whenever I did eat meat, I'd feel downright sick. But I also thought I'd never go vegan or, heaven forbid -- raw!

But here I am in California and going beyond the granola hippie chick. In the past, I have done fruit and vegetable detoxes, but some of it was cooked. Lately I have been into the Usana 5-day cleanse, which (in combination with exercise, yoga and meditation of course) has enabled me to lose fifteen pounds.

Today is the first day of my week-long raw experiment. My body is telling me to do it. I have been moving in that direction for a while now. Whenever I do eat cooked foods, especially heavy or greasy stuff, I get tired and feel terrible.

When I moved here last year, I met a fellow named Leon and began teaching at his wellness center in San Mateo. He has been eating only raw for over three years. At 58, he says he's never had so much energy and vitality. The theory? Cooked foods are stripped of their nutritional value. At first I thought, that's great for you, dude. I'll stick with the warm meals.

Surprisingly, there are plenty of mainstream media articles about raw foodism:
- The Joy of Uncooking from the San Jose Mercury News, April 21, 2004
- Raw-Vegan Food Movement Enters Mainstream from About.com
- Healthful, Raw-food Trend is Picking Up Steam from USA Today, April 2002

And raw restaurants are popping up all over the place. My favorites so far in SF are Cafe Gratitude (20th and Harrison) and Urban Forage (Haight + Fillmore). When I first heard "raw," like most people, I imagined carrot and celery sticks. Actually, it's really yummy and can be quite exotic. And it makes you feel so good! Leon lent me an amazing book called Raw Family by the Boutenko family. Check out this site for their amazing story.

Just what does raw mean? Well, there's vegan raw and there's omnivorous raw. I'm going with the vegan. No raw meat for me, thanks. I'll be sticking with the fruits, veggies, sprouts, seeds and nuts. And honey -- my one animal product. The bees won't mind, will they?

I'm not going raw indefinitely, just trying it out. I have a sinking feeling that it may last more than a week though.

Yoga Freedom. Health. Abundance. Freedom. (c) 2004. All rights reserved worldwide.

Is there a wrong way to practice yoga?

Yes, unfortunately we Americans seem to be able to screw up even an ancient form of health and vitality by letting materialism, ego and attachment get in the way.

I would like to warn my students and website visitors against participating in "hot yoga" or Bikram yoga. I have personally practiced this style several times myself. My first Bikram class was a couple years ago. I had nine years of yoga experience already, and I must admit I went in with an ego. "Oh, this will be no sweat." But it was a sweat, a really intense one. I stayed in the miserable sauna for the entire 90 minutes, doing the lopsided series of poses, twice each, with 20 second savasana between each set. I hated every minute of it. This was not the yoga I knew and loved. This seemed competitive, wholly physical and just too damn hot. After class, I did feel good, but who wouldn't after an hour and a half of deep stretching and misery? The balmy 90 degree day in Austin was chilly compared to the inside of the yoga room.

I have done probably ten Bikram classes in my life, and after consistently overstretching myself due to the heat, as well as reading articles like these (see below), I'm officially retired from it. Also, I have had students who are current or former Bikram aficionados who complain that there are no shoulder openers in his series. They come in with loose hips, overstretched knees and tight shoulders and necks.

-From the New York Times, March 30, 2004
When does flexible start to mean harmful?

-From the Denver Post, May 2, 2004: Hot Yoga linked to Increased Injuries

-From Yoga Journal, 2001: Some Don't Like it Hot

Sure, some people are die hard Bikramers and that's great for them, as long as it doesn't lead to pulled muscles and torn ligaments. But I must ask: what is the draw? The intensity? The sweat? The workout? To me, all those things come equally well with other powerful practices like Ashtanga and vinyasa flow. Building heat from within your body using pranayama (breathing) instead of having 100+ degrees imposed on you from outside, not to mention the smelly guy the next mat over.

Everything that Bikram stands for is counter to all of yoga philosophy (nonviolence, noncompetition, nonjudgment, and the like). The man himself is filthy rich, lives in Beverly Hills and has opened over 300 "Bikram Yoga College of India" franchises around the world. He recently caused a huge uproar in the yoga community by trying to sue for the rights to some of the asanas (poses). Wake up! They're not YOURS. They're FREE for all.

I attended the Bikram Yoga Expo last September in LA and went to the "World's largest yoga class," taught by Mr. Choudhury himself. He was up on a small platform, pacing, ranting and raving, wearing only a teeny loin cloth and a microphone. It was the furthest thing from yoga that I've ever experienced. And the room wasn't even hot!

All in all, Bikram is a bastardized branch of hatha yoga which, when combined with arrogance in practice, can lead to injury and stunt spiritual enlightenment.

Yoga Freedom. Health. Abundance. Freedom. (c) 2004. All rights reserved worldwide.

Goals and visualization

What is a goal? Not the kind you score on the field, the kind you have in your head. For some, it is a clear and distinct thing. For others, it's more of a vague, gelatinous substance. In my experience, when goals are written, remembered and frequently thought about, they come true. When they are avoided or neglected, they wither and die. Most New Year's resolutions tend to fall into this category.

So don't kill yourself over it, but do write down one, or two, or twenty five goals. You can categorize them (physical, spiritual, career/financial, social, etc.) or not. You can verbalize them or not. I find it helps to share them with a friend who can help keep you accountable. But as long as YOU know them and believe that they are possible and truly desire them, as long as they are for the benefit of all concerned, THEY WILL COME TRUE. I promise! Not immediately, usually, but sooner than you'd think. One important aside, as with everything it's important to have compassion when it comes to goals. Goals change frequently. So try to have them but not be addicted or overly attached to them.

Try practicing this goal visualization... Sitting or lying down in a comfortable place, deepen your breath. Lengthen the inhale and let the exhale come out through the mouth as a sigh a few times. Bring your awareness into the center of your chest, your heart chakra. Bring into your mind's eye an image of yourself having already achieved a goal you desire. For example, losing 20 pounds. As best you can, see yourself looking thinner and healthier. Imagine the details of your body, your surroundings. Make it fun. If you'd like, repeat a mental affirmation in the present tense. "I am now light, thin and healthy. I now weigh 120." Or whatever.

Take just a few minutes to do this every single day with your top priority goals and see what happens to your mental outlook (which of course directly affects your behavior.) If this exercise appeals to you, I highly recommend you check out Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain at your local library.