Have you ever thought that you need to be a vegan or a vegetarian to practice yoga? A few schools of yoga in the west actively advise students to be vegans. The meaning of nonviolence that a yogi is expected to follow is interpreted as not eating meat or animal products (milk, eggs, cheese etc).
I am not very sure of that interpretation and think that eating meat does not go against the yogic principles. Of course, factory farmed meat and animal products will fall into the violent category and would break the yoga ethics.
I hear a lot of veganism being related to yogis in the west. I read up about eating more soy and consuming tofu to compensate for the animal protein. There does not seem to be a happy solution here. Conflicting reports on eating too much soy can be found in many places on the internet. Too much of anything may not be good. Balance is the key and a yogi should know that.
On a related note, I do tend to go with Michael Pollan’s advice from the interesting book In defense of food. He says, do not eat anything that your grandmother would not eat or recognize.
What is your opinion on this important issue? Do you think that not eating meat is a fair interpretation or a confused one of nonviolence? Can you be a yogi and eat meat? Should yoga schools not dispense any eating advice at all?
On the other hand, if you are Michael Phelps, you would not be confused and would know exactly what to eat.
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Namaste.
The Yoga path begins with the Yamas, the first being Ahimsa, non harming. When one eats meat there is harm done. The animals life was stolen. All the ancient lineages are vegetarian for this reason. If you learn about the horrors of the dairy and egg industry, then they must
go from your plate as well. Veganism is not a diet, it’s a philosophy,
a way to live in harmony with nature. When you get that, the diet falls into place effortlessly. you cannot eat animals and not be responsible for the harm done.
If you are serious about your Yoga practice, then start at the begining,
Start with Ahimsa.
John
http://www.yogawithjohn.com
I think the previous comment conflates a number of different things which do not belong together.
Not true. Ancient Hinduism had little to do with vegetarianism, which was a later introduction. Even a desultory study of Hinduism’s history will reveal this. In fact, one of the primary differences between Jainism when it was first established and contemporary Hindu practice was the former’s emphasis on vegetarianism and the condemnation of animal sacrifice. There are popular legends about learned sages eating meat (Agastya and the mutton dish, for example.)
Even if you take the vegetarianism associated with post-Jainism mainstream Hindu practice, it is a very different prospect from Veganism. For example, products of the cow (milk, butter, ghee) are considered food fit for the Gods, and for lesser mortals too.
Perhaps, but it has nothing to do with Yoga.