The Yoga of Self-Healing is mostly about the popular four letter F-word - Food. As a Hedonist - not in any gluttonous sort of way - but in the "I love things that make my 5 senses go YUM" way - I have a very strong need for Great Food. So I have a personal Natural Chef - who cooks a whole week's worth of food for me every other week that fits my Ayurvedic constitution.
My Ayurvedic constitution is Vata-Pitta-Kapha. In that order. V 1. Air --- P 2. Fire--- K 3. Earth. And when you look at percentages - my Air and Fire quantities are nearly equal. And I score super way low low low on the Earth Kapha level - which means I have to do a LOT (of good eating) in order not to be Hot and in Outer space, Etheric realms and on the Earth with the rest of us.
And the deal is, this Yogini, admittedly, does not LOVE being in the kitchen cooking. I am learning how to LOVE being in the kitchen cooking - because it is part of what makes life Beautiful, but I get a little impatient around fire. As they say, "if you can't stand fire, then stay out of the kitchen." And if I don't have the time to cook my food well - with love and attention- I mostly end up throwing out everything I cook. You see, my taste buds are hedonistically inclined towards gastronomic bliss. Smile.
All of the above is to explain why I have a personal Natural chef - Brian Henderson. You can reach him at bhendu@gmail.com. I highly recommend him. He studied at The Natural Epicurean here in Austin and my buddy and Ayurvedic practitioner, Kerry Meath of Timeless Health Solutions, helped teach him principles of Ayurveda and cooking and recommended him to me.
This Thanksgiving, I had the divine pleasure of celebrating my dad's 76th birthday with him and my mom - who is a physician. To my utter delight, they are now mostly vegetarian - and have cut down sugars and manufactured foods out of their diet. And they are vibrant because of this change in diet. It's lovely to see. My mom showered me with all the books she is reading on a doctor's favorite topic - health and healing - and the gist that I got from each of the following books is this: what you eat will either nourish you or kill you.
So yes, as Steve Prenzlauer, a medical doctor himself and practitioner of Ayurveda, commented on my Facebook page - Ayurveda figured this out a long time ago, 5000 years ago or more. Ramana Maharshi - the great enlightened sage of Arunachala, Tirunvamalai, India - did say that one should watch the company one keeps and the food one eats. Watch what you are eating and who you are eating this food with. It will be telling of your state of consciousness. Fascinating stuff. But really quite simple. Really. Exercise fits in with this. The truth of the matter is, those who watch what they eat are more likely to exercise.
Here are some sources including books, many by M.D.'s who get the importance of Food for Self-Healing:
Ayurveda - The web site of the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico - chock-full of great information on Ayurveda, including books.
Ultraprevention: The 6-Week Plan that Will Make You Healthy for Life by Mark Hyman, M.D. and Mark Liponis, M.D.
This book is pretty amazing - Knockout: Interviews with Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer--And How to Prevent Getting It in the First Place by Suzanne Somers
Ayurveda: A Life of Balance, The Complete Guide to Ayurvedic Nutrition and Body Types with Recipes by Maya Tiwari.
What's intriguing about all of the above is the link between Food and Health -- and not just physical health, but emotional health. There is no ONE SHOT diet cure. This remains true - of anything - there is no ONE SIZE fits all. God is very creative. And every human body is 99% the same but that 1% that makes us all incredibly unique will forever baffle minds in all ages and times. But after reading some of the above, I realize again and again that my investment in making sure I eat good, organic food made for my constitution is one of the wisest investments I can make in this life.
For those of you who live in Austin, Texas and who don't feel so inclined to hire a personal Natural chef or who love being in the Kitchen more than I do -- I have found Paige Dunlap's Ayurvedic cooking classes wildly awesome. She teaches out of the Austin Soul Kitchen. You learn a lot about cooking and the classes are superbly enjoyable. I highly recommend these classes.
And for Hedonists in NY, gourmands, bon vivants who can afford ridiculous culinary adventures - I recently read in New York magazine about a neurosurgeon named Dr. Miguel Sanchez Romera who is the chef of Romera New York. He specializes in neurogastronomy. Don't worry, it's only $245 prix-fixe (yoinks) - but the writers are having a ball covering his new restaurant:
Eater: http://ny.eater.com/archives/2011/05/dream_hotel_restaurant_to_open_with_245_prix_fixe.php#more
WSJ: "People think you eat with your stomach. But you don't—you eat with your brain," he (Dr. Miguel Sanchez Romera) explains.
Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703421204576329403800844910.html#ixzz1gAmNLKtq
oh yes - and one of the many reasons why I teach Yoga and Meditation at Casa de Luz every Sunday at 9 am is because its the macrobiotic haven for delicious healthy food in Austin. We practice Yoga, we meditate, we chant for an hour and a half and then we eat. How perfect.