Vedic classification of food

While modern science classify food in Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat, Vedic literature classify food in based on qualities it produces in human. Food is classified into 3 categories of Tamasik, Rajasik, and Satvik based on 3 guna (nature or characteristic of human). It is based on fact that food not only impacts body but also the thoughts.

3 (Guna) modes of nature are:
         
          Tamasik: comes from root word "Tamas" meaning darkness, ignorance, laziness.
          Rajasik: comes from root word "Rajas" meaning passion, royal, worldly.
          Sativik: comes from root word "Satva" meaning truth, goodness, knowledge.

Tamasik food

Produces darkness, ignorance and laziness.

यातयामं गतरसं पूति पर्यूषितं च यत  |
उच्छिष्टमपि चामेध्यं भोजनं तामसप्रियम ।।

"Foods that is stale, very cold, tasteless, stinking, food that is left off after eating, and is impure are the foods that are liked to those in the mode of laziness or ignorance." - Gita 17.10

Easiest way to identify such food is watch out for reaction and feeling after eating, if feeling is of laziness and sleep, its tamasik. Curd, Parathas, Fried rice are some of the tamasik foods.

Rajasik food

Produces passion and vigorous energy for worldly things.

कत्वम्ल लावणात्युउसणा तीक्ष्णा रुक्ष विदाहिन: |
आहारा राजसस्येष्टा दुःखशोकामयप्रद:  ||

"The foods that are bitter, sour, saline, steaming hot, burning are the foods that are liked by people after worldly things. These foods produce pain, grief and disease."  - Gita 17.9

These food produce vigorous energy and passion in order to fulfill the uncontrolled desires, so in the end these food produce pain, grief and diseases.

Such food can also be identified by watching the reaction after food, Non-veg, red chili etc are Rajasik.

Satvik food

Produces peace in mind, freshness, and health.

आयु: सत्व बलारोग्य सुखप्रीति विवधर्ना: |
रसया: स्निग्धा: स्थिरा हृधा आहाराः सत्विकप्रियाः ||

"The foods that enhance life and vitality, purity, strength, health, happiness and cheerfulness, that are savoury, nourishing and agreeable to the heart are the foods liked by people in satvik nature."- Gita 17.8

Watch out for freshness after eating meal, if freshness is the feeling after meal then it was satvik. Any food taken in large quantity turns into tamasik due to the effect it produces to body and mind.


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E=MC2 in human body - food and weight gain or loss

Human body is a no loss system where "E= MC square" is followed without exception. Energy we take from food is either used for activity or stored in body as fat for future use.

This is how exactly a human system looks like:

Energy sources

Food is the source of energy for human, food has following important and major component:

    1) Carbohydrate
    Carbohydrate is needed for physical activity. Carbohydrate is not stored in body, however access carbohydrate is converted to fat and stored. Since carbohydrate is not stored in body when we go for long distance run we eat carbohydrate rich diet for a week just before the run.

    2) Protein
    Protein is needed for maintaining the muscles and building them up. We turn to protein rich diet after the a long distance run. Access proteen is not stored in body in any form.

    3) Fat
    Fat is needed for padding the vital organs in the body and is stored in body for hibernation or emergency period.

    4) Minerals

    5) Vitamins

Energy uses

Energy obtained from food is used in following major functions:
    1) Maintaining the body: breathing, heart pumping the blood, walking and talking etc. so major components are:

                   a) Vital maintenance

                   b) Mental activity- mind is a complex part of body and needs lot of energy when we think. That is the reason probably why a thin guy with no physical activity tops the class. 

                   c) Physical activity

     2) Muscles build up and growth of body

     3) Store for future

Now how do we use above simple fact in order to weight gain or loss?

Weight gain

When energy intake is greater then energy uses we generally gain weight. This ca be done easily by increasing carbohydrate and fat in food and reducing mental and physical activity. Remembering one single sentence खाओ पियो और ख़ुश रहो  "Khao piyo aur khush raho"  is more than enough to gain weight.

Weight loss

When energy intake is less than energy uses, one will will reduce weight as body will switch to stored fat. This can be done by various ways and some of them are below:

1) Stop eating sufficient food and worry about everything: not recommended at all as this may have result in major and serious diseases.

2) Eat sufficient food and increase mental and physical activity: One can increase physical and mental exercise and be careful about food intake components. To decrease weight one can reduce carbohydrate and fat from food and increase physical and mental exercise. खेलो कुदो, पडो और ख़ुश रहो "khelo kudo, pado aur khus raho".

Some tips are:

1) Do not cut any type of food completely, you never know what vitamin you are getting from what type of food. So it is better reduce quantity of type by small amount and observe.

2) Increase body maintaining energy needs by switching to cold water bath daily and similar things.


This was how food looks scientifically, read about Vedic classification of food in next blog.



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Jyoti Trataka experience and benefit

I have been practicing Jyoti Trataka for some time now, and here are the observations and experiences.

I followed following procedure for Jyoti Trataka

    1) Preparatory exercises
                a)    Wash eyes
                b)    One round of Kapalbhati
                c)    Simple eye exercises:
                        -up down movement
                        -right and left movements
                        -right up and left down,  left up and right down movements
                        -clockwise and anticlockwise movements
    2) Dharana 

               a)   Focus at the middle of flame

               b)   Intensive focus - focus at the tip of back thread of candle
    3) Dyana
               a)   Effortless expansion of vision

    4) Silence

I used simple, press and release, and constant pressure palming after each of the above sub-steps.

 
Starting up experience:
I started up with Padmasana posture, no of counts in each step was as low as 20. eyes were getting tired in in count of 20 in preparatory exercises. At Dharana and Dhyana was going for approximately 20 breaths. It was difficult to keep gazing at flame and making it effortless was more difficult.

Experience after 3 months:
After some time, no of counts in each step increased with practice and I used to keep gazing the flame until tears start appearing. Then I tried to slow down the breath consciously, for few days. however I observed a conflict in counting breaths and slowing down the breath. Mind was trying to run count faster so the breath while I was trying to slow down the breath. I also felt that mind was constantly on work while counting, so reaching silence was difficult. So I stopped counting the breaths not only in Trataka but also in any of the Asana or Pranayama. I also moved from Padmasana to Vajrasana slowly.

Challenges:
It becomes easy with practice and mind starts wandering. Key is to bring back the mind to a single thought effortlessly and dwell into silence. As I had stopped counting the breaths, now I don't know how long I am in each step, so I am trying with a stop watch, however a video recording seems to be better option, I will try it soon.


Yesterday evening I was on a Ice Cream joint with a friend. I needed to read the menu printed on wall and order, I found it difficult to read, as I was there without my spectacles. however I blinked my eyes few times and tried to read again effortlessly. I observed that I was able to read:-). I was so happy that I read menu loud to friend :-)