the yoga of food

Verse 3.13: The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin.

How much time do you spend on food? I'm taking about all of it - from thinking about it, shopping for ingredients, preparing it and eating it. Although it definitely varies from individual to individual, I would hazard a guess that at minimum the average person devotes at least 2-3 hours to food, daily.

That number has probably gone up drastically if you take into account the increasing popularity of food and cooking shows on tv. The creation of the Food Network and the myriad of cooking competitions such as Cupcake Wars and Top Chef cause many of us of us fantasize and dream about food even more these days!

Although that's all well and good, there's one important element that's missing. That is: the consciousness of cooking and eating any food.

Although we may feel gratitude for the chef, whether it be ourselves or others, who is cooking for us (and that's great!), what about the ultimate provider? The one who has actually created it all. That's what today's verse is getting it. It is encouraging us to practice the yoga of food.

That's right! We can connect to food in a yogic way! How so? It's really very simple. When we prepare anything, whether it be a meal, a snack or even a drink, we do so in a consciousness of love and care. Then, before we ourselves partake in eating it, we take the time to "offer" it.

Think of it like this. When you have someone over for a meal, don't you offer it to them first? They are your "esteemed guest" and you genuinely want them to have the first taste. Although we may forget, the Supreme is always with us too...but how often do we think to let Him have the first taste? By offering food to the Supreme first, we are recognizing that He is there with us and that He is the one who is providing everything. It's such a loving way in which we can reciprocate with the Divine.

The offering process is also very simple and the great thing and is we don't have to worry that the Supreme will eat everything and leave nothing for us! One can offer food simply saying "Thank you for providing everything for us Krsna!" or, if one is inclined to, one can even recite specific prayers and mantras.

It is important to note though that the yoga texts, such as the Gita, specifically list what items can be offered to the Supreme:

"If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it." (Bhagavad Gita 9.26)

Every living entity has a soul, even fruits and vegetables. Therefore, by eating these fruits and vegetables without offering them, one will still incur karma. However, when we offer these items in a spirit of gratitude to the Supreme, that karma is removed.

Isn't the yoga of food practical? This was just an introduction though, so please stay tuned. There's more to come!

here's how it works

Verse 2.45: The Vedas deal mainly with the subject of the three modes of material nature. O Arjuna, become transcendental to these three modes. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the self.

If you want to know how to get the most out of something, you need to understand how it works - in depth. Bhakti yoga offers the rare opportunity to understand the underlying framework of the world we're in. Not only is this information interesting, in and of itself, but it also offers us insight as to how we function and what influences us. One of these topics has already been introduced - the concept of karma.

Another subtle force that affects us at all times is described herein as the three modes of material nature. Another way to understand the three modes is to consider them as influences which impact not only our behavior but our emotional, mental and physical state of being; they are categorized as goodness, passion and ignorance.

Imagine being covered under a blanket. That blanket is made by weaving yarn made up of three different colours. As long as you are under the blanket, those three pieces of yarn will always touch you. Similarly, we can consider this world like a blanket which is weaved together by the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Depending on our inclination and propensities, we become influenced by the modes of nature in different ways. This is the reason why we act in particular ways, even against our better judgement.

But you may ask, "I still don't get it. How am I getting influenced?" This is where the subtleties of bhakti yoga start to become revealed. Everything we associate with influences us, whether we realize it or not. From the people we spend time with, the things we read and the food we eat, the modes, which taint everything, have an impact us.

Yes! Did you know that even food influences us? The bhakti texts describe that those foods which are nourishing and healthy and include items such as grains, fruits and vegetables promote goodness. Foods that promote passion include items that are overly spicy, salty and sour and those that may be categorized as promoting ignorance are those that are stale and are decomposing.

So why is it important to understand this? As was mentioned in the beginning, to get the most out of something, you need to understand how it works. This knowledge helps us to understand why we choose to do the things we do and why we have and maintain certain attitudes. Yes, we come with a certain nature or personality and we are receiving the results of our past actions. However, this information helps us in choosing what to do now. By realizing there are things that can influence us favorably and unfavorably, we are given the opportunity to make educated choices as to what our future will look like.

It's easy to stay on the superficial and just pretend that everything is "just happening". However, this incredible knowledge gives us the understanding to get a glimpse of the inner workings of the world and make the most of this body and this life.