4 habits of ancient yogis while eating food that need to make a comeback

Someone has wisely said that you are not what you eat, you are what you digest. Hence, from Ayurveda to medical science, the stress has been everywhere on the right way of cooking and the right way of eating, with the ultimate goal of digesting the food correctly. There are ancient eating practices that yogis used to follow and without any workout or dieting, they lived a healthier life. It is said that if we also stick to those basic yogic principles our whole live may see a humongous change. We all know that food is the most essential part of our being and yet we treat the act of eating like a task, just sensory satisfaction or merely filling our stomach. Ancient practices state that you become what you eat and how you eat. The key to a disease-free body is to eat right at the right time and in the right quantity. Here are the four traditional practices ancient yogis followed while eating and why they need to make a comeback.

According to legend, earlier yogis used their palms to measure the amount of food they should eat. It is said that one should only eat the amount of food that one's palm can hold. It is the preferred quantity that nourishes you without overloading. In traditional days, yogis didn’t use utensils; they used palms to hold the food and thus only ate what could fit in, say experts. It is believed that your stomach is just the size of your palms.

In Ayurveda, sitting cross-legged and eating on the floor is said to limit your food intake and also boost digestion. It is also suggested to check if your right nostril is paramount. It is the Surya Nadi that governs the heat in your body and your navel region which is a must to cook and digest your food inside. And if your right nostril is not active, take your right hand, press it under your left armpit, close your eyes and consciously focus on breathing through the right nostril for a few seconds. The nostril will open up on its own and then you can proceed with eating your meal.

It is suggested that offering food to the Gods before consuming it turns it into Prasadam and sets your intention. Food eaten in hurry, stress or anger doesn’t get digested. The food offered to God would be Satvik, and you add the purity of your heart to it. And while offering it to the God, remember to chant bhojan mantra, which reads, ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविः ब्रह्माग्नौ ब्रह्मणा हुतम्। ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यं ब्रह्मकर्मसमाधिना॥ In English, it means that the act of offering food is Brahman, the food itself is Brahman, the fire that digests the food is Brahman, and the one who offers the food is also Brahman. By seeing everything as Brahman, one ultimately realizes the divine.

In Ayurveda, it is clearly mentioned that sitting in Vajrasan after finishing your meal is a magic tool to get your meal digested easily. After all, you are not what you eat, you are what you digest.

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