Conversations with Mirra and Aadil

We had a student at Yoga Centers who worked for a firm that conducted scientific research. Eventually, his conscience required him to quit his job because the results of his study would prove one thing, and the company that had commissioned the study would pay his company to publish different results.

Unless we absolutely know the source behind the “research,” all research has to be taken with a grain of salt. Often, for every study that “proves” one thing, you can find another that proves the opposite.

Then how do we know if organic foods are higher in nutrition than “conventionally-grown” foods? The proof, as always, is in the pudding.

Have a look at all the people shopping in a store that sells conventionally-grown foods. Do they look alive, vibrant, healthy? Have a look at the customers shopping at stores like PCC Natural Markets or other natural food stores. Can you tell the difference? Keep watching and you’ll be amazed at what you learn – people are the products of what they eat.

If you have been eating conventionally-grown foods and can’t taste the difference between these and organic foods, try this experiment yourself. Eat organic foods for six months and notice how you feel. Then go back and have a bite of a non-organic banana. Can you taste the difference? The aliveness and taste of the organic foods will become obvious once your taste buds have reawakened after your six month experiment.

Remember that your body is your most important possession; become your own best researcher and you’ll always know how to give it the best.

For quick, delicious, organic meals, Mirra and I choose Eastern Essence, which we specifically developed to make eating organic easy and delicious!

“All life is yoga,” wrote Sri Aurobindo.  What does this mean?  This means that all life is an exploration of ourselves, done either consciously or unconsciously.  When we operate unconsciously, out of habit or “what everyone else is doing,” the path is long and painful.

However, when we bring awareness into our choices and align them with our true values, real progress happens.  These choices often require more effort in the short-term, but in the long-term, they are the only means of creating harmony in our world and fulfillment in our lives.

In business, I ask myself, “Why am I making this choice?  Is it because it truly feels sincere, or is it something I am justifying because it is what everyone else is doing?” 

For example, when we began our mission of supporting organic farming in India through the creation of Eastern Essence foods, Mirra and I made the decision that we would not bribe any officials, although it is a common business practice there to do so.  We also chose to process the foods in the very best way possible, because although this is more expensive, providing people with a product that is extremely high in nutrition is what is most important to us.

A quote from one of the Harry Potter movies sums it up very beautifully: “The time will come when we will all have to choose between what is right and what is easy.”

Fortunately, in the long-term, what is right is easy, because it is the only thing that creates sustainability and wholeness for everyone.

Even though some asana gurus have long spurned the necessity for an integration of nutrition with yoga, I have found that nutrition is as important to our health as asana. Though this is far too vast a subject to discuss here, three general principles apply: The first is to avoid poisons, including artificial chemicals, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, and refined sugar. The second is to avoid foods that create an imbalance in our organic system. The third principle is to move toward whole food – food that is natural, as close to its virgin state as possible. This includes eating some raw food and avoiding processed and canned food.

Ayurveda means the “science of life.” We can deepen our practice by becoming knowledgeable about the basics of this ancient science, especially the three doshas (humors) and how they pertain to our constitution. Generally speaking, a person whose constitution is vata (airy, light, creative) should do more grounding poses, such as standing poses. A person who is extremely pitta (hot, filled with fire) should not do an extremely dynamic practice but one that features more cooling poses such as shoulder stands and front bends. A person who is kapha (solid, heavy, grounded) needs more dynamic poses, such as jumpings and backbends. Since not everyone is of one dosha, since doshas change over a lifetime, and since different systems of the body (such as muscular-skeletal, nervous, and organic) may have different doshas, a more detailed study is called for.

If you are excessively vata, grounding foods are recommended, such as root vegetables and squashes. For the kapha nature, pitta food is advised, such as foods containing garlic, ginger, onion, and chilies. If excessive pitta plagues you, then the internal fire has to be doused with cooling foods such as raw vegetables, juices, and organic yogurt. Whole foods are not only grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruit, but also nutritional herbs (as distinct from medicinal herbs) that, understood and formulated correctly, can be of the highest nutritional value.

According to ancient legend, thousands of years ago Ayurvedic experts were sought out by a Chinese emperor. He then used their information to research how plants affect the body. An approach to nutrition developed, now known as the Philosophy of Regeneration. My family and many yoga teachers supplement their “table food” with particular ancient Chinese nutritionals in accordance with this philosophy. I have personally found them to be nurturing, healing, and balancing. Therefore, an aspect of Purna Yoga is the study and application of the Philosophy of Regeneration.

There is no “perfect” diet, only the ideal nourishment for an individual. Each person has to customize his or her diet (e.g., vegetarian vs. non-vegetarian, raw vs. cooked, spicy vs. bland, etc.) on the basis of such factors as temperament, individual constitution, time of year, life circumstances, and genetic makeup. This invariably involves researching the effects that various foods have not only on the health of the body but also on the health of the planet.

Yoga helps us discover our life purpose and then grow into it. The more comprehensive our approach, the more we can heal and grow. For example, a student once told me that she had been suffering from excessive phlegm in her sinuses and throat for many years. Though she had been practicing asana intensely and regularly for twelve years with some of the world’s most noted teachers, her problem persisted. After making inquiries, I realized that her problem could not be solved by asana because it was a nutritional issue. I suggested that she stop consuming wheat and dairy products. Within two months, her problem disappeared, never to return.

In the last decade, Mirra and I have developed a more encompassing approach to yoga, similar to the one envisioned by our Gurudev, Sri Aurobindo, who first used the phrase “Purna Yoga.” Purna is a Sanskrit word meaning “complete” or “whole.” Purna Yoga is an evolving system that distills and integrates the vastness of yoga into an invaluable set of tools for healing, fulfilling one’s dharma, and transformation. It offers wisdom and techniques for the union of the body and the mind with the Spirit. Using awareness, precision, and concentration, Purna Yoga practitioners evolve from their lower nature to their Divine Self. Purna Yoga is the art of loving oneself by living from the heart.

Truth is one, though many are its ways. The purpose of Purna Yoga is to integrate the truths that serve the soul’s end. Purna Yoga recognizes that great teachers have been born through the ages, teachers who have labored to liberate mankind from pain and sorrow, and bring peace to this troubled world. Purna Yoga respects and honors these masters, these divinely inspired beings, regardless of their particular faith. Purna Yoga is a spiritual approach to yoga that can stand alone, yet is not in conflict with religion. People of all religions practice Purna Yoga and indeed, Purna Yoga enhances the connection they feel with their own faith.

Since Sri Aurobindo’s belief is that all life is yoga, we must do what we are called to do, and I believe that activism is an integral part of that, if that is a calling for me.  It is not about right and wrong, it is about what my heart is saying.

Activism and Yoga (1:11), Aadil Palkhivala