'Prana'tic on Veggies

When an opportunity arises to learn something new about food, I am at the forefront of that workshop.  So last Saturday,  I did join an ayurvedic/vegetarian beginners cooking class in downtown Manhattan.

It was a three hour stint,  which started with a welcome drink of ginger orange ade, followed by a discussion on the origin of ayurveda and it's usefulness while demonstrating some recipes.  Then we ended by partaking  a full meal of soup, grains, vegetable entree and an apple berry  dessert.

Divya, our teacher said that food consumption is all about digestion and that balance to healthy eating is key to vigorous living.   The word 'Prana' in sanskrit is synonymous to life.  Where there is life, there is energy and this is the essence of  staying fit.  Each one of us are differently made and therefore, we are the only ones that know what our bodies need.

Yoga and ayurvedic  complement each other , because the former allows you to listen to your body, and the latter  gives what your body dictates.   Wrong intake of food can add toxins into your system causing sickness and inconveniences.  And these erroneous habits come in many forms like too much gas, bloating, mucus and  sometimes just irritations.  Weight gain and fatigue are also causes of improper diets.

Moreover, the three dosha's (energies that circulates in the body) are composed of  the Vata-Pita-Kapha which is the essence of wellness in the body.  Most of us have at least 2 dominant dosha's ---but am not getting into that since it is kind of complicated.  Best left to self study and experiment individually to be fully aware of your own make.  But I did get to learn a lot from this class with not just eating vegetarian,  but knowing which vegetables are favored as against the others.  (Although not a veggie,  mushroom is related to ignorance and has no food value.  It cannot be food for the enlightened soul  Some mushrooms are hallucinogenic! Seems like a good debatable topic.)

 Just so you know, there are three kinds of food:  the Intelligent food, the dumb food and the dead food.

Intelligent food are those that have full of prana (life) and it responds and interacts with the body.  This means that it is easily digested and is absorbed in the body.   It does not block or damage different channels (arteries, lymp vessels, ducts).  It comes mostly from organic, pesticide free origin, moderately cooked with authentic spices in a positive loving environment.

Dumb food consists just like intelligent food but it is in it's left over state (refrigeration is some sort of dumb food).  Also it may be an improper combination of even good intelligent elements, but cooked in a negative environment and consumed with stress.

And finally, dead food is junk food, canned or microwaved.  Any item that contains preservatives or food that is naturally of contradictory elements such as milk and salt, or milk and sour fruits. Dead foods is completely depleted of prana (life).

Although I enjoyed the class tremendously, I still have my reservations about totally going vegetarian, much less vegan.   Maybe it's the long time conditioning that I have been accustomed to.  There is still so much to learn.  Choosing the right foods is not enough.  They must also be cooked with the right method to obtain the right energy (prana). And that takes a lot of time and practice.

And I have still to unlearn the habit of eating those kinds of species that moves.   Having that sumptuous vegetarian meal is just like eating chinese food,  you're  hungry again after a few hours.  So before heading back home, I passed by the grocery and   prepared myself  one heck of a meal.  Guess what I had?!!!!!!

our blackboard where she writes notes.....

Divya explaining at the same time cooking

after all those veggies, my body got traumatized and feared it was never going to have animal protein.......heheheh!! so i indulged my body with a good piece of steak,  some no brain mushrooms and 3 glasses of wine to wash down all that fat....but i did have good fat-- i had olives....my body was happy!.... but it's about time to practice some of those good pranas!