In the last few months, I have made quite drastic changes in my lifestyle, having taken a break from work to immerse myself in yoga and spirituality. I thought I’d share some of the changes I have made so far.
1. Food
I shared the benefits of a vegetarian diet in an earlier post and I never give advice that I don’t follow! So, yes, my diet is now vegetarian, no meat, no fish, no eggs. Not only that, I also try my best to avoid negative pranic foods like garlic, onion, coffee and tea (except green tea) and eat more positive pranic foods like fruits, groundnuts and dates. (Negative pranic foods are bad because they decrease the good prana or to put it simply, energy, generated through yoga and meditation). Also, goes without saying that I’m saying no to alcohol too!
2. Water
I have completely changed the way I drink water ever since I found out two important things 1) water holds memory and 2) having a lot of water and sipping water throughout the day is not good for the body (your brain tends to absorb more than needed, leading to imbalances)(1.for more info, see links at bottom). So now I only drink when I am thirsty. Also, I have bought a copper water bottle and leave my water for at least an hour in that bottle before drinking. The logic goes that water in the cities reaches our taps through many twists and turns in water pipes which means that it gathers negative energy along the way. An old Indian tradition is to always leave water siting in a copper or mud pot for a while before drinking so that water can regain its natural form i.e. the negative energy dissipates. That’s what my bottle achieves. When I can, I add in a couple of leaves of basil (‘tulsi’ in India) into the bottle and let the water soak in the goodness of this purifying herb all day.
3. Rudraksha
I have got myself one of these. For those who have been seriously involved in yoga for a while, the word ‘rudraksha’ may sound familiar. It is the basis for the Western rosary and mainly used for spiritual purposes although it also has health benefits. The rudraksha is made from the seeds of a special tree that’s only found in south east Asia. Wearing a necklace of rudraksha seeds, helps to protect your own energy from negative influences and aid in concentration during meditation.
4. Going natural
Where I once spent a fortune on bath and body products, I now spend close to nothing! The first step was realising how harsh and toxic chemical based products are and making a switch to natural/organic products. The second step was realising that natural/organic has indeed become a major commercial trend and every Tom, Dick and Harry has turned into a witch doctor trying all kinds of herbal combinations. So in the end I decided to wisely stick to traditional ayurvedic recipes that are scientific and have been used for thousands of years. I now buy Indian brands like Khadi and Patanjali which cost a fraction of the Buly and Dior I bought before…I once looked down on these traditional brands which I considered to be strictly for senior citizen use, but not anymore! And I’ve also got acquainted with simple home remedies – like the glowing effects of using a honey and lemon facepack.
So that’s a whole lot of changes already. Let’s see which ones stick!
(1) www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbUtgWPBGjY (The Power of Water); also see: http://isha.sadhguru.org/blog/lifestyle/health-fitness/treat-yourself-to-a-copper-detox and www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TIvgR3KkLU
where did you do the research on water? I’m interested in reading more!
I’ve added in sources at the bottom of the article. Check them out!
Hi Shruti, thanks for your thoughts. I went to a herbal medicine workshop yesterday where garlic and onions were mentioned for their medicinal properties. I do though read that yogis in general avoid onions and garlic so that is interesting. I tend to drink a lot of water during the day and it helps my digestion so I guess it cones down to what works for you! Best wishes, Scott
Hi Scott, thanks for sharing! You’re exactly right that garlic and onions have medicinal properties and actually that’s the reason why it’s recommended that you don’t eat them every day (or in regular meals) but rather use them in a medicinal way – to treat imbalances in the body. What I have learnt is that the whole effort of yoga is to bring the body and mind to a heightened level of sensitivity, hence the emphasis on positive and negative pranic foods. In India, it’s always been the case that people who were on the spiritual path, don’t eat garlic and onions, whether or not they practiced yoga. I just never understood why until recently! I guess it depends on what path you are following but I believe that most kriya yoga teachers will tell serious students to not eat these things.
About the water, this is a very ineresting video, you may want to check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbUtgWPBGjY But yes, I do agree that everyone should do what works for them – after all the aim is to be able to read your body better, not drink x or y litres of water a day :). Best, Shruti
Hi Shruti, thanks for this. That’s such a shame, I’ve just taken a liking to the king off all garlics, the black garlic! My girlfriend who is a shivananda trained yogi. avoided garlic and onion for years on the basis that it heightened the mind! Will check out the water video.
Best, Scott
You know what’s also interesting is that when you hold the Rudraksha over garlic (or any negative pranic foods) it turns anti-clockwise (and clockwise with positive). This is supposed to tell you what not to eat, it’s quite amazing. I’m not about to start doing that at dinner parties though 😉 (at least not yet!). Best, Shruti
That would be the best party trick ever! 🙂
Beautiful for you that you focus your life so, Shruti. My very best wishes to you in your life with yoga. Tony
Thank you so much Tony! I hope I can keep up my inspiration. .this blog seems to help 🙂
Water is sooooo important! I used to scoff at articles that said “drink more water”, but thought it was kinda of a tale. But after drinking strictly water (okay and some red wine), I realized how amazing it can affect your body AND mind. Thanks for sharing !
Good luck with this, I think I’m many steps behind you, I guess I’m just getting to the point where I’m becoming aware
Thanks, at least you’ve made a start. Good luck
Hi Shruti! This was such an interesting post! I never knew about the “bad” aspects about water. I’ve always heard that drinking water and staying hydrated is important that I’m known by my friends to be the “water guzzler.” I’m definitely going to need to rethink my water consumption hmmm… Regardless, it was great to see a reflective post – seems like you’ve mastered the art of healthy living inside and out! Thanks for sharing once again!
xo,
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie, thanks a lot for the comment! I don’t think I’ve mastered the art of healthy living, but I do try! 🙂
And I try to do my best to share helpful things that I have learnt with other people through my blog. I’m really glad you found this post helpful!
Regarding the water myth, I do think the water bottle marketing companies have convinced us that consuming as much water as you can is the best thing. But it was a revelation to me too that water should be consumed consciously and not indiscriminately. From now I only take advice from enlightened gurus and not paid research and advertisements 😉
Shruti x
Hi Shruti, no problem – thanks for writing such interesting and deep blog posts! That’s a good point : that obviously water bottle companies are going to advertise “facts” that help them with their revenues. Will definitely have to check up on your blog more now! Xo, Stephanie
Pingback: I Changed my Meditation Style: see what I experienced | LivingWise Project