Food is the primary source of energy and nutrition to our body. It not only provides nourishment to our physical body but also impacts the emotional and spiritual wellbeing. The food we eat has a profound impact on our nature, instincts, and consciousness. In India we categorize food based on Gunas (Sanskrit for aspects or qualities) into Sattva, Rajas and Tamas for the innate inclinations it activates within an individual.
Gunas are the energetic forces weaved together to form the universe and everything else in it. The three gunas have their own unique attributes where tamas denotes stability, rajas mean activity, and sattva is pure consciousness. Gunas can be considered the innate tendencies or the habitual ways one responds to in any given situation.
It is therefore important to understand the Gunas as challenges in our day to day lives can disturb the delicate balance of the vital energies that are entwined in an intricate dance fundamental to our creation, our perception, and our consciousness. While tamas provide the foundation, it is rajas that gives vitality and breath, and sattva instills it with mindfulness and compassionate awareness.
The food that we eat therefore profoundly impacts the balance of the three gunas as whatever we eat inherently activates the three gunas. The food that activates the pure consciousness is known as Sattva, the food that provides strength and energizes body and mind is Rajas and food that slows one down is Tamas. Conscious eating focuses on choosing a palate that harmonizes our Gunas and helps one evolve towards attaining pure consciousness state.
Cultivating sattvic harmony is the goal of the natural world and also of conscious eating. Through conscious eating one can shine forth by balancing Tamas and Rajas moment by moment. The principles of conscious eating are therefore more than WHAT to eat but more of choosing right foods that results in balancing the vital energies while supporting and sustaining life force, longevity, and overall well being. In addition, what we eat should prevent us from experiencing illnesses and alleviate their symptoms, should they occur.
Conscious means ‘to know’ or ‘to understand’ and therefore conscious eating entails profound observation and attentiveness. It therefore focuses on restructuring our current food habits that includes not only WHAT, but WHEN and HOW we eat which results in complete physical, mental as well as emotional wellbeing. In conscious eating one takes the role of observer by paying attention to what, how and when one eats as well as the digestive experience it creates.
Conscious Eating, eventually, is all about our relationship with our own selves, our nourishment, and our environment. It includes from where we get our food, how it’s grown, the method in which it is prepared, amount and timing of our meals, the company with whom we eat and finally our own behavioral and emotional patterns that emanate from our beliefs and feelings.
At Aarsh, we guide individuals to create their own conscious diet plan based on their energy and nutritional requirements.