Olivia （200Hr Weekday Nov’15)
In yoga, there is a term called Prana, which means energy, and in Chinese it’s called “Qi”. Prana flows inside our body invisibly. It is essential to us, without prana, we can’t live. And we can replenish our prana from food.
There is a saying: “we are what we eat”. Yoga emphasizes on calm and peace. So in order to stay calm and peaceful, we must be cautious about what we eat. Living in an international city like Singapore, we have the luxury of accessing to different kinds of gourmet from all around the world – Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc. You name it, and it can be found in Singapore.
However, to become a yogi, you can’t be distracted by all these. You must be centred and listen to your body what it really needs. You must understand what’s best for your body, in order to make it function optimally. And never get confused about satisfaction of senses with what is really good for your body.
“Don’t be ruled by senses” Master Paalu once said in the class.
At that moment I realized what my tongue loved was probably not what my body needs. I grew up in a place where oily and spicy food were always the main dishes. I get so used to these food and so are my friends. I knew that oily and spicy food are not healthy, but I just can’t live without them. After joining the teacher training course, I told myself: if you want to truly become a yogi, you have to change your diet and there is no turning back”.
I learnt bit by bit how to talk to my mind and how to use my mind to control my body. Whenever I was craving for oily food, I would tell myself, “You don’t want these things to go inside your digesting system, this is not how to take care of your body. Your body needs real food to function.”
I have to admit I am still on the way to a complete clean diet. But I am so glad I am making progress which I have never gone this far before coming to the training course.
Now I am more into salads, wraps with as little process as possible, and go with as little sauces as possible. I cut down my meat intake, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, which grow in nature, so there are more prana in them. By consume them, I can be nourished with more energy from nature. It is not only good for my body but also helps to calm my mind.
For my beloved breakfast, I try to avoid wheat flour and rice, such as white bread, dumplings, dim sun which are fine processed grain. I started to bake and cook with wholemeal flour instead.
Also, I like to make morning power shake, adding ingredients like banana, almond, spirulina, chia seed, raw cocoa powder, acai powder and sometimes with vegan protein powder too. The taste can’t compare with the Frappuccino from Starbucks or ice cream from Häagen-Dazs. I know my tongue will choose the latter for a greater taste, but what my body really likes is the former, pure, organic, natural and full of vitamin and minerals.
Yoga is an endless journey. Eat healthy and clean food, and yoga will rewards you with more.
Namaste.
