Do you find yourself losing concentration in yoga class? Maybe you can’t maintain those balance poses or your body shakes as you work on your core? Do you sometimes skip yoga because you feel exhausted at the end of the day? Maybe it’s your diet that’s holding you back from taking your practice to the next level. It’s as important as the practice itself.
Sattvic Food
You may have had the impression that yogis are forced to swallow salt water and proceed to throw it up. While some of the more intense practices ask for this kind of devotion, all you really have to do is eat delicious “pure-essence” meals. Eating food that grows in the ground or bathes in the sun is what the Sattvic diet is all about.
The Sattvic diet has been found to create harmony between the body and mind while promoting calmness. Meat has been linked with creating tension and anger while increasing desires that may not be healthy. Rajasic foods are prepared with much oil and spice. They create heaviness and restlessness in the mind. Meat and fish are classified under these.
Did You Know?
Vegetarian diet increases sattva in the body because it is light, simple, and supply all the necessary nutrients. It increases our physical and mental vitality, making it easier to experience clarity, lightness, and peace of mind.
With a regular yoga practice and a nutrient rich veggie diet, you will be feeling and looking like a yogi goddess in no time. You’ll be thinking more clearly and living with a more positive outlook on life. The next time someone crowds you with her mat in a yoga class, it won’t matter as much.
If you want to gain the balance and peace in your life that yoga offers, eating meals like these will support your quest.
5 Yogi Meals To Give You Energy
1. Simple Smoothie With An Added Benefit
You already know smoothies are a great meal-to-go, which helps you gain energy quickly. They’re easily digested and include plenty of nutrients in one glass. As ingredients are all ground down from blending, the body absorbs it more easily without a feeling of being too full. The recipe below suggests broccoli sprouts. As one of the new superfoods, it is between 10–100 times more potent than all other fruits and vegetables. It increases vitality and energy, quickly thanks to plenty of enzymes.
Recipe:
- ½ cup frozen strawberries
- 1 cup kale
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 ounces broccoli sprouts
2. Almond Butter + Banana + Greens Smoothie
The combination of these foods will provide you with maximum energy minerals and is considered a well-balanced meal. The banana will provide you with such a quick hit of energy because of the B-vitamin content. A small serving of almond butter gives you a high level of energy. Add a mixture of broccoli sprouts, kale, or spinach. Consume 30 minutes before your yoga class to get a power boost at the right time.
Recipe:
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 banana
- 1 cup kale
- 1 cup spinach
- 2 ounces broccoli sprouts
3. Avocado And Sprouted Toast
If you’re getting hunger pangs, especially after a power yoga or Kundalini class, sprouted toast topped with avocados is a life saver. Avocado has 20 different vitamins and minerals1, making this fruit a yogi’s dream. Avocado is really filling and sprouted toast provides protein, vitamins, and minerals. This meal will probably become slightly addictive because it’s so delicious.
4. Green Juice
This is known to be a favorite yoga snack. There are quite a few variations of this juice available. This will not just leave you feeling lighter but it will allow you to twist and bend without the fear of indigestion. Expect to get that hit of energy as this juice oxygenates your cells.
Recipe:
- 2 green apples
- 1 cup spinach or kale
- Add oranges, celery, carrots, and whatever else makes your heart go pitter-patter
5. Hot Oatmeal With Spices
Based on the ayurveda philosophy, we have “digestive fires.” When our Agni – our metabolic energy – burns hot, it gives us energy throughout the day. We eliminate waste easily and transform food into energy that you need for the yoga practice. When you wake up, your digestive fires are running cooler which is why food can be hard to digest in the morning. Warm, spiced foods are easy to digest and get the digestive fires ignited for optimal energy. In the East, hot lentil soup is considered as a breakfast but you might also enjoy this hot spiced oatmeal for breakfast.
Recipe:
- ¼ cup hot oatmeal
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 tsp ghee
- 2 tsp honey
With meals like this, you worship your body and prime it for yoga, so you can have all the benefits for your mind, body, and soul. Take your practice to the next level by worshiping the inside at a cellular level.
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