Nourishing the Body to Support Your Practice (Part 1 of a two-part series)
October 22, 2011 First let me say that I am neither a doctor nor a nutritionist. What I share here comes from my experiences and those of other practitioners as well as a valued interest in the implications of diet on our spiritual practice. All of these factors led to my study of a few “food modalities” such as raw food diet and food-combining.
A well-nourished body can produce physical strength, greater mental acuity and emotional balance. All of these benefits support the practitioner both in retreat and in their daily practice. This can be achieved through thoughtful food choices and the careful observation of how the food we eat impacts us – in terms of our mood, sleep, digestion, energy levels, mental and physical functioning and ability to practice. In this sense, diet can be a practice to support our achieving spiritual goals just like yoga or other physical practices. Add the motivation to eat properly in order to be of better service to others and diet does become a spiritual practice. Try implementing the following suggestions and track their effects carefully as an initial way to explore the relationship between food and spiritual practice.
Tip 1: Try it before retreat
Try the dietary practices before a retreat. This will help you gain a clear idea of the degree to which you wish to integrate these practices during retreat and what you’ll need. You’ll also improve your health in order to have a more enjoyable retreat.
Tip 2: What to give up (or drastically reduce)
Sugars - Especially refined white and brown sugar as they cause insulin spikes and crashes that impact our energy levels, ability to concentrate and general mood. This includes healthier sweeteners like honey and agave, plus high levels of refined carbohydrate consumption (pasta, couscous, etc.) since they still act like sugars once they enter our bodies. Eliminate refined sugars completely and reduce the amount of sweeteners you consume.
Caffeine - Produces an almost immediate adrenal rush we mistake for a boost in energy when it is actually a flight or fight response within our body chemistry. This is very stressful to our body and can have long-term effects such as anxiety, adrenal gland exhaustion or chronic fatigue syndrome. It impacts our practice by creating a kind of internal “noise” that prevents the physical stillness and mental balance necessary for deep practices. Spicy food, garlic and food from the onion plant family can have the same impact for some people. Observe your own body after a meal containing these ingredients and see if you notice similar effects.
Meat/fish/chicken: I’ve observed that after I’ve consumed foods that required the death of another being a kind of internal dissonance affects my practice in a negative way. It seems and feels completely contrary to the spiritual goals that I’m practicing. One of my great teachers, Lama Christie McNally, has said even the consumption of dairy impacts her practice with the energies of anger or despair the animal felt producing the food.
Tip 3: What to take up (or gradually increase)
The best nutritional approach I have found for retreat and to support a daily spiritual life is a simple, low-glycemic diet of fruit, vegetables, ancient grains, nuts, seeds and nutritionally dense foods such as sprouts or bee pollen, in addition to sunshine, clean air and plenty of water.
We’ll go into greater detail about these and other ways to create a well-nourished body to support you in achieving your spiritual goals in part 2 of this series. Future editions of Awakening Journal will explore other aspects of diet as a practice including kyrias (physical and inner body cleanses) and managing lung (an adverse reaction to intense spiritual practices) with diet.