Mind, body, spirit”, “Mind, body, spirit”, “Mind, body, spirit”, we’ve all heard this phrase so many times, it’s almost lost its meaning. But here I was; meditating in Yogananda's “Temple of Leaves,” and the words played in my mind like a mantra. I was feeling a bit depleted and hungry and my monkey brain was in full effect -wondering how yoga affected my eating, how my food choices affected my yoga and how all of this tied back to Yogananda.
“The Temple of Leaves”, is just as it sounds, a little grove of trees nestled in the gardens of Yogananda’s Self-Realization Center just north of Downtown Los Angeles (and up the hill from Kinshē HQ). Yogananda meditated, taught and some say; enjoyed his lunch here. And for those of you who haven’t read, “The Autobiography of a Yogi,” Yogananda was one of the first Indian masters to live, teach and popularize Yoga in the West; and his adherents included everyone from Elvis Presley to Steve Jobs.
He arrived here from India more than a 100 years ago –yet remarkably, his teachings on yoga and nutrition anticipated much of what modern science now confirms about food choices, mood, yoga and mindful eating.
- 60% fruits and vegetables
- 20% protein (legumes, nuts, dairy)
- 20% starches and simple carbohydrates
Yogananda prescribed this simple ratio to his students to energize their Hatha yoga practice. Yogananda also taught that these foods provide a roadmap to vitality in all aspects of human life. Yogananda was not the type of guru to shame you for a muffin –especially if eaten with appreciation and joy. He did advise that processed foods, refined sugars, white flour, and frequent meat consumption were to be mostly avoided; not out of dogma, but because they were “acid-forming” and would drain the body of the vital energy we need for both daily living and higher states of consciousness. In the sense that these foods all increase inflammation; he was onto something.
His diet recommendations were ahead of their time --and now solidly supported by modern nutrition science. A major 2021 study by the American Heart Association collecting data from two million adults world; wide validates Yogananda’s advice to eat more fruits and vegetables with impressive statistics. The study found that eating five servings of fruits and vegetables daily significantly lowers the risk of death from all causes, including heart disease and cancer, compared to eating only two servings.
The 5/2/3 Plan
This translates as a daily plan of 5 servings daily of fruits and vegetables broken into to 2 servings of Fruit and 3 of vegetables. And just like Yogananda intuited –starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas and corn had no correlation with lowering disease --while leafy green vegetables, like spinach, lettuce and Kale showed the highest benefits:
- 10% lower risk of death from cancer
- 12% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke
- 35% lower risk of death from respiratory disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Food Shaming is a Crime
Kale? I can hear the snickers through the leaves. Admittedly, Kale has become a cultural identifier and a bit of a national joke –but it turns out that the yogis gathered outside the smoothie shop with their Hemp yoga mat carriers in one hand and their Kale and Banana smoothies in the other --are aligned with both ancient Yogic wisdom and modern nutritional science; after all.
Diet, Longevity and Spirituality
According to Yogananda, food is more than fuel-it’s condensed sunlight, imbued with life force, or prana, that can either energize or enervate us, depending on our choices. Scientifically, of course, he was exactly right; as the sun creates photosynthesis which in turn creates the glucose that plants feed on –and animals eat plants and so on and so on until our bodies return to the soil.
Make every meal a cosmic buffet and eat for energy and joy
Research shows that a spiritual approach to food is common among many religions and the benefits are interfaith as well. Across the spectrum, people who scored highest on measures of spirituality, tend to eat more fruits and vegetables and less fat. Case in point are the Seventh-day Adventists and followers of the Church of Latter-day Saints, who like Hindis, emphasize plant-based diets and have measurably lower rates of chronic disease and longer lifespans than their secular counterparts..
Savor: The Art and Science of Mindful Eating
Along with healthy food choices Yogananda taught that gratitude and mindfulness should be present at every meal saying, "bless your food, chew slowly, and eat in a calm, uplifting environment. And listen for your body’s true hunger cues, not just cravings."
If this all sounds a bit mystical, consider that Harvard’s Nutrition Source now champions mindful eating as a proven way to improve diet quality and eating behaviors. The study defines mindful eating as paying close attention to taste, texture, and fullness cues which has been shown to reduce emotional eating, help people feel satiated with less food, and also lowers sugar cravings. In one randomized controlled trial, participants who practiced mindful eating and stress reduction ate fewer sweets and maintained healthier blood sugar levels over a year later, compared to those who followed a standard diet and exercise plan. Mindful eaters also reported greater satisfaction which is
Yogananda’s advice to approach food with awareness and gratitude aligns perfectly with these findings. He encouraged his students to bless their food, eat in silence, and chew slowly, transforming meals into a form of meditation that aids digestion and deepens appreciation.
For Yogananda, eating was a way to honor the divine within and around us.
From the Yoga Mat to the Kitchen
(how your yoga practice influences your food choices)
It’s the ultimate virtuous circle –in a study of more than 1800 young adults, published in The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, it was found that young adults with a regular yoga practice reported healthier food choices with more of their calories coming from fruits and vegetables than their counterparts who didn't practice. They also consumed less sugar and ate much less fast foods compared to non-yogis.
The below excerpt outlines four themes related to yoga’s rippling impact on eating behaviors:
Motivation
“Greater motivation for healthy eating was primarily related to the types of foods participants selected to eat. This motivation was commonly discussed by young adults, particularly related to selecting healthier foods and beverages or avoiding unhealthy foods and beverages when practicing yoga because they did not want to negate the benefits of the workout – i.e. yoga was a healthy choice they had made and they wanted to continue with a healthy choice when deciding what to eat following class. In addition to making better food choices --the participants also talked about being motivated to cook healthy meals after yoga class or selecting lighter foods and smaller portion sizes before and after class.
Mindful Eating
As described above, mindful eating, is to center yourself in the present during meals and appreciate the smell, taste, site, feel and sound of every mouthful. Yoga practitioners report that savoring one’s food and tuning into their body’s needs, makes it easier to recognize true hunger and fullness. As one participant described, “Yoga does help to notice and be more in tune with your body and what it needs and what it wants…You tend to pay more attention to when you’re actually hungry, and you maybe eat a little bit less.”
Stress Management and Emotional Eating
Yoga’s impact doesn’t stop at food choices-it also helps manage stress and reduce emotional eating. Many participants noted that after yoga sessions their mood improved and stress levels decreased which made them less likely to overeat or reach for fast food.
Healthier Food Cravings
Some practitioners even experience a shift in cravings, finding themselves drawn to fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods after class. Their bodies, refreshed and balanced from yoga, naturally gravitated towards more nourishing options.
“Sangha,” The Power of Community
For millennia, Yogis and mystics found strength in numbers and gathered together to meditate and practice yoga just as practitioners of Christianity gather to pray in churches. Joining a yoga community. could play a valuable role in shaping food choices. Being surrounded by fellow yogis who are also experiencing physiological and psychological changes in their approach to eating; fosters a sense of connection -not just to others, but to food itself. As one young woman put it, “Yoga is about connecting the mind and the body, which in turn, connects the body to food and the food to the community.”
It seems the mindfulness practiced on the mat translates to the dining table, helping us listen to our bodies, savor our meals, and appreciate the nourishment we receive.
As Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, the “Father of Modern Yoga,” once said, “Yoga is the process of replacing old patterns with new and more appropriate patterns.”
The Most Important Nutrient of All
(It's Water… but you knew that- with coconut water making a cameo)
We don’t buy those beautiful water bottles for nothing! Especially in Bikram and other hot yoga styles, hydration not only elevates your practice –it can help prevent heat exhaustion and heat strokes. Bikram practitioners flow through their poses in rooms heated to 104 degrees with 40% humidity and can lose up to 6 cups of water in every class! To remain safe and hydrated; every single drop of sweat that hits your yoga towel must be replaced
The key to properly hydrating your body is to pre-hydrate at least 45 minutes before class–as that’s how long it takes for your body to absorb and process water intake. Pro tip: add a dash of sea salt to your bottle and shake. --sodium is an electrolyte which helps the body absorb and retain water more efficiently. An alternative is to down some coconut water which naturally contains the electrolytes to get you through the hottest class. Remember to never enter a hot yoga studio thirsty, because once class starts, it will be close to impossible to drink fast enough to compensate for the water lost through exertion and sweating. During class just sip small amounts of water to avoid cramping and after class, make sure to post-hydrate with at least 20 ounces of electrolyte charged water or coconut water to prevent a post-workout crash in energy.
For a deeper dive into the benefits of proper hydration, explore Yoga, Heat and Hydration, for tips on surviving (and thriving) in hot yoga class.
Final Thoughts: The Real Secret of Mindful Nutrition
As I finish my meditation in the Temple of Leaves, the California sun warming my face, I think back to my many attempts to find the perfect diet This search led to some interesting discoveries, but no magic bullet. Perhaps the “secret” isn’t found by endlessly fine-tuning my food selections -- but in Yogananda's teaching to approach every with the awareness, gratitude, and a sense of sacred play. This is where the ripple effect of a regular yoga practice comes into play.
Next time you sit down to eat, channel a little Yogananda: bless your food, chew slowly, and remember mind, body, spirit-is not just a phrase, but the recipe for a life well-lived, one mindful bite at a time.
For more yogic tips and articles as well as spirituality and science: check out “Explore Yoga” at KinshēYoga.com
