Yuktahara Viharasya Yuktacheshtasya Karmasu
Yuktaswapnava Bodhasya Yogo Bhavati Duhkhaha

The path of meditation requires a moderate, regulated life,
avoiding too much or too little food, work,
and sleep, or use of the senses.
The attention must abide in the soul all the time.
For such a person, yoga destroys all sorrows.

Bhagavat Gita

Your body is a vehicle. Life has manifested Itself through this vehicle. And to live your life to its fullest potential it is vital that this vehicle is kept in its best condition through proper nourishment.

Your relation to food is an indicator of your relation to other aspects of your life. What you put in your body has a direct effect not only on your body but also on your mind and soul – on how you lead your life. If your food is full of Prana, life force, it will give you the ability to live your life to your fullest potential. Food that is pure, full of Prana and prepared with love, meditation and good healing vibrations gives you much more than just the feeling of satisfaction to the taste buds. It nourishes your body, mind, senses and soul while increasing physical energy, positive thinking, creativity, longevity and heightened awareness of life in all its beauty. It brings you closer to the state of Divine.

The Twelve Principles of Vapika Meals

Sattvic Food – Food that is primarily whole foods plant based, lightly spiced, using no oil so that you feel refreshed and charged.

Six Tastes of Ayurveda – These are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent and bitter. When a meal incorporates all these tastes, they make it very satiating and also very flavorful.

Three Constitutions in Ayurveda – According to ayurveda you are either one or a combination of two or all three doshas (body constitutions) – Vata(Air/Ether), Pitta (Fire) and Kapha (Earth/Water). When you eat according to your constitution you help maintain an equilibrium in your body.

Well-balanced – A common cause for indigestion and lack of energy after a meal is more often an imbalance in the combinations and proportions of proteins, carbs and fat. A meal that is balanced in these gives you a boost of energy and vitality.

Right Portion – The quantity of food we need varies a little every day based on our daily activity. Eat only as much as you are hungry and only when you are hungry.  For optimum digestion it is recommended, to eat a little less than you desire.  Other helpful tips are eating in smaller servings rather than one big serving, eating out of a soup bowl inside of a big dinner plate.

Healthy Variety – Meals prepared using a variety of vegetables, roots, greens, fresh herbs, whole grains, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, dried fruits and spices all provide a wide range of nutrients.

Fresh, Local & Organic – Eating freshly picked organic produce from the local farmer’s market helps your local economy, community and ensure that you get the best and freshest food that tastes better and is full of nutrition.

Seasonal –  Eating seasonal fruits and vegetables helps you to be in sync with the cycles of nature. Your body’s needs for certain food changes according to the seasons of the year. For e.g. your desire to eat more fresh green, hydrating vegetables in the summer complements the optimum season for these vegetables just like your desire for dense warming vegetables like winter squash, beets co-incides with its abundance in the colder climates. You get the most nutritive value out of a fruit or vegetable when it is eaten in its season.

Cooking Tools – Another important aspect is the utensils and equipments you cook with. The utensils used for cooking should not leech any toxins into the food so using stainless steel, wood, cast iron, ceramic or glass is the safest. Avoid plastic, aluminum, non-stick, anodized utensils.

Avoiding Tamasic or Toxic Ingredients – Food prepared in plastic, aluminum, non-stick, anodized steel utensils, food that is microwaved, canned, premade, containing processed and refined ingredients like oils, white flour, white sugar, salt and sugar substitutes, corn syrup, preservatives, artificial flavoring, artificial coloring, packaged in plastic containers or aluminum are avoidable.

Cooking Method – It is essential to cook food only to the extent to make it digestable, while retaining most of its nutritive value. It is important to follow certain processes to retain the nutrients for eg. steaming vegetables, soaking and sprouting beans, lentils and rinsing grains well before cooking.

A Special Ingredient – Preparing a meal with a positive intention, with love and healing vibrations, mantras and prayers makes it even more potent and rich with healing properties.