The First Yoga
I was blessed to study with A.G. Mohan in August (2013) while he was on a World tour. As he was taught by Krishnamacharya, food is our first yoga. The relationship we have with our sustenance, which merges into our own body, is paramount to our health. Both food and sex drive our deepest human desires, and with that may be unhealthy interactions with these.
The inner dialogue and the emotions that bubble up from our depths, often originating in cultural training and learned habits, can be a source of bondage or freedom. Do we dread eating a vegetable salad because we are on a diet? Or is it a conscious decision to eat foods that nourish our cells and provide vitality? Do we crave and long for forbidden foods because they taste so good, or is it because we are exercising our personal right to do what we want--even if we hang our head in self disgust after or tell ourselves we'll do better starting tomorrow?
Creating a deeper relationship with our body, and a value system that supports a positive psychological state and lifestyle choices, is a far greater way to approach nutrition, exercise, and general lifestyle choices. I often tell my clients that a paradigm shift is in order. STAT! Re-tooling the way they think about nutrition and how they feel about their choices. Linking positive thought and the value of new behaviors is critical, if these new behaviors are going to stick around. And at the same time, breaking down old outdated thought patterns.
The saying "what fires together, wires together" applies here--it's called neuroplasticity and you can change the way you think.
Food for thought....
"You’ve been provided with a perfect body to house your soul for a few brief moments in eternity. So regardless of its size, shape, color, or any imagined infirmities, you can honor the temple that houses you by eating healthfully, exercising, listening to your body’s needs, and treating it with dignity and love." ~ Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
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