Food Is An Important, Subtle Teacher

We can learn much by observing the quality, quantity and timings of our food From a Parisamvada by Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra

- Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra

Food is an important item in yoga but we must also think of the quantity of food we eat. We generally want to fill our stomach to the brim and usually our dinner is very heavy because we don't have time to eat during the day and want to enjoy the food. Nowadays, people go out, at least on a holiday, to have dinner in a restaurant. While eating, we also keep talking. So, there is no real attention on the food.

The quantity of food is very important: One-half of the stomach should be filled with solid food, one-fourth with liquids, and one-fourth should be kept empty. That means while eating food, we should watch whether our appetite has been satisfied, whether we have eaten enough or if we are overeating. There may be many reasons for the latter. We are eating in the company of others and because they are eating, we feel we, too, should continue. So, we are not able to abstain. That is a very big mistake. Taking food in a smaller quantity helps digestion. Eating a heavy meal, especially at night and then going to sleep immediately is very wrong because digestion takes time. It takes around two hours and if we fall asleep, the whole digestive system is disturbed. So, one must eat food at least two hours before going to sleep.