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Ayurveda and Yoga Goes Hand In Hand

Āyurveda defines health as physical and mental equilibrium. Health exists when the bodily humors are balanced, digestion is strong, tissues function properly, and wastes are eliminated timely, while the self and mind remain content. The entire universe, including humans and food, is composed of five elements. An individual's constitution, determined by predominant elemental combinations, governs physiology, appearance, and dietary needs. The primary focus is prevention through guidelines for food and behavior. The kitchen is a pharmacy; sattvic food generates sattvic energy. Quantity is crucial, as overeating causes disease, but the proper amount depends on individual digestive power. A regular lifestyle is foundational. Morning digestion is weaker, favoring warm, light foods like porridge. The daily routine includes rising before sunrise, cleansing, practice, and then a small breakfast. The strongest digestion occurs at lunch, when a complete meal with all six tastes is ideal, eaten to only sixty percent fullness. Dinner should be a light, warm soup before 7:30 PM, followed by sleep by 11 PM. Consistency in timing allows the body to adapt. One must creatively adapt these principles to modern life to restore balance.

"Healthy is he whose doṣas are in equilibrium; whose digestive power is strong and in equilibrium... and whose ātmā and mind are in a state of happiness."

"The main focus is on prevention, not on healing... We can say our kitchen is our pharmacy."

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

Hari Om. Thank you, Swāmijī, for giving me the opportunity to speak a little about Āyurveda. I think a topic that is always interesting is nutrition, food. So it came to my mind that we should first recite a quote from one of the most ancient Āyurvedic doctors: Suśruta. The name of this Vaidya, who lived around 100 B.C., is Suśruta. He gave a definition of health. In the beginning, we must know that Āyurveda sees health in the physical part and the mental part, and both have an effect on each other. So Suśruta says: Healthy is he whose doṣas—I will explain later—are in equilibrium; whose digestive power is strong and in equilibrium; whose body tissues are functioning well and are in equilibrium; and whose waste products are eliminated at the proper time in the best quality. And now comes the mental part: that the ātmā and mind are in a state of happiness. So if a person is always angry or sad or depressed, or if a person is often sad or gets angry, if he is affected by kāma, krodha, mada, lobha, then according to this definition of health, such a person is not healthy. Swāmijī often mentions that everything is made out of the five elements: the whole universe, and also we. A doṣa determines any living being—not only humans but also animals. Everything is determined in a special system of the doṣas. It is a combination of two predominant elements which determine this personality. It does not mean that the others do not exist; they exist, but they are not predominant. According to that, our whole life is determined: our body structure, our physical appearance, our talents—everything is determined by that. So also the food: every plant, every fruit, every corn, everything is also determined under these conditions. So we can imagine what a big effect it has, what we eat, and how it affects our body. The main focus is on prevention, not on healing. Therefore, clear guidelines are given in the field of food, in the field of behavior, and also in healing when a doctor comes and needs to do healing. So I said food at the first point. We can say our kitchen is our pharmacy, and the more Sāttvic food we eat, the more Sāttvic energy we generate. The second thing to be considered is the quantity. By overeating, most diseases can develop. But what is overeating? When we learned before that we are all different and have all different constitutions, for one it is overeating, and for the other, the amount is not enough and he must starve. So it depends on the digestive power, which is individual. What can we do to start with good food and good eating guidelines? The main thing is that we look for a regular lifestyle. Āyurveda says that the digestive power in the morning is not so strong. Therefore, we should not eat so much in the morning. And again, here it depends on the individual digestive power. Some people can digest fruits; others get hyperacidity. If you have a job where you have hard physical work, you can digest bread and heavy things. But if you eat bread, then please toast it first. That makes it more digestible. But the best breakfast is porridge—any kind of porridge, warm food—because the digestive power is not strong, and while giving the body warm, boiled food, it doesn’t need all the energy to transfer from raw food into warm food, into the digestive juice. So, if somebody has digestion problems, they should consider what type of food they start with in the morning. In Āyurveda, a clear guideline on how to live is also described. It is called Dīnācārya, and therefore we know we also have the lifestyle. Āyurveda is a sister science of yoga, one can say, and they are similar. First was yoga. We heard this all from Swāmijī in all his lectures: how the science of yoga has developed, and to follow the rule, all the other rules went more in detail with Āyurveda. So the lifestyle is like we live here in Strylky, and we should also do it at home if possible. That means to get up before sunrise. First cleaning, first cleaning. Then we get up in the morning, wash ourselves, do our āsana and our meditation, prayers of course, and then comes the breakfast. According to the personal constitution, not to eat breakfast is not good. If somebody says, "I cannot eat, I don’t like it," we should try to eat a little. After this, we do our work, whatever we have to do. And then we don’t eat anything during this time. There should be, according to individual digestion, a gap of four to five hours between meals. So at lunchtime we have the highest digestive power; then we can eat good food, and all six tastes should be there. Salad should only be a little, not these big bowls; it is a side dish. A salad should be a side dish, but it should be a little part of grain, it should be yogurt—buttermilk preferred—and vegetable, and a little grain, as I said, and a little salad. So one can eat a full meal at lunchtime. But again, only according to one’s own digestive power, and this depends on what we are doing and how our constitution is. It is also said that we should leave a little space so that movement in the stomach can happen. I myself helped when I live according to this with a little trick. If you imagine a line from one to ten points, and ten is the point where you are completely full, and at one you are very hungry, you can stop eating at six, for instance. So a little, not completely full. You could eat a little more, but don’t. This is the best, because after 20 minutes, you know exactly that you are full. When you are very hungry and eat, then you eat, eat, but you eat more than you need. Therefore, we should follow the regularity so that the system gets used to it. Then the body can endure and knows, okay, at 1 or at 12 I get my food. Until that time, I can easily endure, and then I can sit down and wait for my food. Now, I’m sure many people ask, "How can I do it? I’m working, I’m in the office. How to do?" I think we have to find the best way that we can. For example, we can plan. So I can prepare in the evening, cut my vegetables, boil them in the morning, put them in a thermos, and eat them at lunchtime. Or things like that. One has to find one’s own way. It cannot be the excuse that our lifestyle has changed in the wrong direction, that we cannot eat properly anymore. This cannot be the way. We and the whole system were very creative in bringing us out from the balance, so we have to be creative to come into balance again. So we spoke about lunch, and that we have to be creative again to come back to a regular lunch time. If we eat too much and we have overeaten ourselves, of course, we will be tired and cannot fulfill our afternoon work. Therefore, we should stop eating at the scale of six. So now we have good energy again, and then we keep on with our work. The next possible food is at four. Maybe a little chai or a fruit. And dinner should be taken around seven, at a regular time. In summer and in winter, between 6 and 7 or 6 and 7:30, but always at the same time. This should be tried to implement in the daily routine, that we find a regular time of eating. Warm liquid food, like vegetable soups, any kind of vegetable soups. Kitchari is nice, and again, it depends on your work. If you have worked very hard the whole day, you need, of course, a little bit more. And of course, it depends on the type of work, personal situation. And we should go to bed between 10 and 11, latest 11. Especially people who suffer from sleeplessness should try to get to bed earlier and repeat our daily routine and all the rules about food. Thank you very much. Thank you, Muktāmaṇī Jī. Because many people were thinking about nourishment, and we are also thinking about nourishment. Āyurveda and yoga are very close to each other. Your yoga practice cannot be successful if you don’t eat according to Āyurveda. Also, if you don’t practice yoga, Āyurvedic medicine will not help you so much. So, both link together. And that we should eat latest till 7:30. And today I was finishing at 8:30, nearly. So I was 45 minutes late. And now I listen to Muktāmaṇī and feel guilty. Yes, Atha Yoga Anuśāsanam. And Āyurveda says the first mantra of Āyurveda: the first happiness, or first wealth, is good health. And some Westerners said, "Health is not everything, but everything is nothing without health." Yes, it is so. But now there are some people who are traveling around the world, different professions—for example, pilots, the hostess, or some people, time to time, like myself—it’s difficult to keep this eating discipline. When I’m in New Zealand, which is exactly 12 hours different, so now I have breakfast time there. So, should I eat dinner now or breakfast? I have only been there for four days. So in this way, we are not happy to fulfill the instruction of Āyurveda. If you can, then it is very, very good. Thank you. Very, very good. So, and mostly you people live in one place, and you have work at home or in your city. So if you can follow the instruction, it would be very good. So, it has a sense in it. Night has a sense in it. And we are very happy that an expert person like our dear sister Muktāmaṇī, she is really learning and trying and helping people for nearly the last two decades. And she trained many people, gave them knowledge of Āyurveda, with a visiting professor and Āyurvedic doctors from India. So thank you, Muktāmaṇī, for your beautiful instructions and thoughts, and those who would like to know more can contact the Āyurveda Academy of Yoga and Daily Life in Vienna, Austria. I am sorry to come late. It was not purposely. I had practical instructions for Kriyā, Brahma Vidyā Kriyā. And there were some questions, and time passed so quickly. And then there were about twenty consultation people waiting the whole last week, and then my dinner came, so sorry that I’m late. But you were in good hands, in good hands of Muktāmaṇī. And tomorrow, if you don’t give me such busy times, I will have two lectures tomorrow and three webcasts: before noon, afternoon, and evening. There are many participants sitting here from different parts of the world. I think nearly the whole globe, beginning from Australia, New Zealand, America, Canada, India, China, Japan also, and all of Europe. We are international, we are multicultural, and you see we are from different parts of the world, different continents, different politics, different religions, but we are sitting all under one roof, very happy, peaceful. What do you want? World peace. This is a sustainable world peace. This is an example for the United Nations to accept yoga in their life. We will write them, yes. And during the communist time in this part of Europe, and the American time, Americans, and some from China. And we all, the Russians from communist countries, from the Soviet Union, and from America and from other parts of Europe, we were all sitting together and had no problem at all. Always sitting like brothers and sisters. We have Christians, we have Buddhists, here we have some who believe in Islam and Hindus. We don’t have a problem here, you see. So, yoga in daily life is sustainability for world peace. So practice yoga in daily life, because finally one thing is valid: we are human, and we are all children of God. Including all the creatures. God didn’t create religions. God created us, so that’s it. So, my dear ones, time is passing, and the next program will begin. So once more, I’m sorry to be late. I’m on a webcast, and tomorrow I will try to be on time. Man proposes and God disposes. You don’t know what will happen in one minute, and you are talking about tomorrow. But let’s hope for the best. I pray to Mahāprabhujī, Gurujī Devpurījī for blessings for all of you. Thank you.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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