Yoga, diet and other energy based therapies are tools to aid health and vitality.  Yoga and diet effect change at a sub conscious level clearing the nervous system so the physical, mental and emotional bodies are less reactive to life and more available for health.

Our bodies want homeostasis and will send out signals of comfort or discomfort which are mechanisms to stimulate our awareness of the body temple.  When we listen to these signals and embrace a desire for health, balance, and well-being, our lives take on a proactive role toward self nurture and self care setting self discovery into motion.

Food is another consideration for health.  Not only are we to absorb the right foods with the right nutritional qualities but to view taste and the things we develop tastes for as part of a whole psychology. 

Taste and emotions can be linked in that they affect the body according to their qualities.  This is called “The Science of Rasa” and has its roots in the yogic tradition.  For example, there are bitter emotions like grief; astringent emotions like fear, there are sour emotions like envy and pungent emotions like anger.  Sweet emotions correspond to desire and salty are likened to greed.

The human body is all-knowing and all-powerful.  It is fully equip to heal, rejuvenate and recover.  Develop an ability to listen with enough presence to be patient and the rewards are an increase of balance in body and mind.  To know what causes harmony or dis harmony in your body puts choice and responsibility in the right hands.

“Food as Medicine”

The human body is designed to experience six tastes or flavors in food (bitter, sweet, pungent, sour, astringent and sweet).  Each taste is responsible for its own action and effects different organs of the body.

 The flavor of sweet, for example, isn’t only refined sugar or fruit but grains, pasta, meat, dairy, nuts, oil and more.  Sweet is anything that puts bulk on the body.  Interestingly this taste of sweet is the first flavor a new baby experiences as it suckles the mother’s breast and is nurtured with mother’s milk.  Society as a whole can not seem to manage their sugar intake a correlation between our desire to feel nurtured and loved.

 The taste of sour like what is experienced in lemons, berries, pickles, tomatoes and condiments are responsible for an increase in bile, which is made in the liver and stored in the gallbladder.  A taste believed to have originated in our human evolution to determine if food has gone bad by its sour taste.

Sour increases the fire element in the body and is responsible for much of the hyper acidity doctors prescribe ant acids for.  Decrease sour flavors and the nasty side effects go away.  Sour can be useful as well like in yogurts or buttermilk.

Salty which is also responsible for heating the body up internally fueling the concept of heated body creates a heated mind.  Signs of this are anger, criticism and judgmental behaviors.  Salt is found in just about all processed foods as well as fish, soy sauce and of coarse table salt.

The taste of pungent or spicy is generally found in spices like pepper, cayenne, ginger, garlic, radishes, salsa and basil.  They have antibiotic properties as well as aid in digestion and absorption of vitamins, minerals and nutrients.  Aside from promoting digestion pungent taste help aid the ability to sweat, it clears channels and releases toxins from the body as well as acting as a natural expectorant.

Bitter is found in green and yellow vegetables, leafy greens and even bittersweet chocolate.  Bitter herbs would be considered Echinacea and goldenseal and are considered light, airy and cold.  Bitters are anti inflammatory, aid in reducing fever and are detoxifying.  They are generally cooling to the body but are know to be depleting if taken in excess.

Last, astringent, which is found in beans, peas, pomegranates, apples and aloe Vera.  Astringent tastes reduce sweating.  They are drying and firming to the body, stops diarrhea and helps close wounds.  Astringent seems to be more of an effect than a flavor and promotes absorption of bodily fluids.  It can be considered a sedative.

Namasté
Karen

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