Sattvic means ‘pure, clean’, the purity and wisdom constituting one of the three Gunas of sankhya philosophy and leading to true enlightenment. These three Gunas are: Sattva: This guna consists of purity, harmony, balance, intelligence, clarity, inspiration, wellness and awareness. Rajas: Rajas represents energy, activity, change, passion, egoistic, excitement, dynamic, movement, attachment, agitation. Tamas: The qualities that describe tamas are darkness, inertia, inactivity, heaviness, staleness, laziness, instability, materialistic, insentience and obstruction.
The sattvic diet is based on foods in Ayurvedic and yogic literature. For ages, sattvic food is known to help you inculcate eating habits that are pure and clean. Sattvic diet can be exemplified as ahimsa (non-violence). Promoting a completely vegetarian diet, a yogi’s food does not include any sources of meat. If one wants to be mentally fit, they need the physical body to be fit and this can be achieved nutritionally by a sattvic diet. Sattvic food promotes a sattvik pinda (subtle-body). The sattvik pinda is required for spiritual growth.
Yogic nutrition is incomplete without ghee, coconut oil and soaked nuts/seeds. They make food scrumptious, digestible and sufficient. They help in healing the mind too. The presence of fats in the body expands memory, neural conductivity and mental well-being.
Everything in yoga is identified with prana (life power). It helps to give us emotional and physical strength. Cooked food is of less significance—it is believed that heat diminishes fibre, supplements and proteins to a major extent. You’re also supposed to stay away from frozen, canned, highly-processed, or microwaved foods. All the minerals and vitamins are most commonly sourced from raw food and in their natural form. One of the best ways to consume ‘live’ functional enzymes is sprouting. It is given prime importance when it comes to diet or healthy eating habits. Enzymes play a vital role in digestion and fighting disease.
Teas or blends of intensely flavoured and power-packed herbs like turmeric, ginger, coriander, pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom are the go-to beverages for yogis. They are anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and detoxifying in nature. Yoga also encourages use of adaptogens like Ashwagandha and Triphala. They are known to lower stress, stimulate thyroid function and protect against oxidative stress.