Diet and State of Mind
A primary tenet of Yoga philosophy is that the state of the body and breath directly affects the mind, and this is the key reason for practicing asans, pranayamas and the other techniques of Yoga. Yoga seeks to balance and join by bringing all aspects of being into a unitary force of consciousness directed toward self-knowledge. An optimum diet works with the other disciplines of Yoga to create a healthy, vital body necessary for a bright and stable mind. Perhaps the best image of the perfect Yogic state of mind is a bright flame that does not flicker or waver. The consciousness is fully developed. Imagine when you are most aware of both yourself and the world around you and then take that experience to the utmost. In Yoga, this intensity of awareness becomes rock steady, free of shakiness, fluttering, or flickering.
In Yoga the mind is intensely focussed, like an unwavering candle; the body only receives attention because it can enhance or hamper mental functioning. Yoga techniques are often misunderstood, especially in the West, as a form of physical culture, yet they are ultimately a path to the metaphysical. The ideal body is healthy, filled with energy, and flexible solely to relieve the mind, to free the mind for concentration and meditation practices. Asans and breath exercises are designed to promote health and a balanced nervous system simply so there is no impediment for advanced practices. Yoga’s ancient manuals also prescribe a fresh, whole-foods vegetarian diet to strengthen the mental effects of the techniques.
Can you accept the idea that the state of your body has a big impact on your mind? We have all experienced mental dullness, moments or longer periods of time when we just cannot seem to concentrate. Perhaps from school you may remember spending hours in front of an open book, looking at the pages but unable to comprehend the words. Also, you have probably noticed times when your mind was too jittery to focus on one thing for more than a few seconds. Perhaps that second double espresso has triggered a similar jumpiness. Neither dullness or flightiness help in advanced Yoga. Progress is made when the mind is stable and intensely focussed.
Perhaps you can remember the last time you had a head cold or other illness; the thinking part of the brain just seems to shut down. Even a low-grade fever can turn dreams into a cinematic scramble of epic nonsense. A psychotherapist once remarked that when you get into a stressful confrontation, and the adrenaline starts pumping, your IQ drops by half. We all have had this experience, and this is probably why we only think of the perfect thing to say after the fact. And think how excitement affects you. If you love sports, it is hard to imagine sustaining intense and stable awareness at the instance of a great victory or a crushing defeat. What about the impact of sexual arousal on our ability to think and reason? It is difficult to remain steady.
We have all experienced mild, temporary bouts of depression, perhaps brought on by stressful work or home conditions that suddenly seem just too much to bear. The emotional stress of feeling trapped robs the mind of creative thought, leaving us unable to figure our way out of the simplest of dilemmas.
A friend with a high-tech desk job once remarked that he envied the man doing physical labor, because he assumed the labor tired only the body, leaving the mind active and alert. Anyone doing hard physical work, however, knows that the mind has to drive the body and when the body is exhausted, so is the mind.
So illness, stress, exhaustion, and even excitement, rooted in the body, have easily recognizable and powerful effects on the mind. They deeply affect our ability to practice the concentration and meditation techniques of serious Yoga practice. The ideal Yoga diet is one that boosts the health and vitality of the body so that one has the energy to practice, the stability of mind to concentrate, and the clarity of inner vision to recognize and welcome the voice of our inner emotional/spiritual body.