When I thought of writing a blog, the very first subject that popped into my mind was Food for Body, Mind and Soul. It’s not because I am a homemaker, who is cooking food most of the time but because sometimes we don’t even realise what we are consuming, but yes, we are doing it all the time! The food that we consume has a direct effect on the body and nature, ultimately affecting the mind. Only when the body and mind are fed properly can the soul be fed.
Food is any substance that provides nutritional support which is essential for development and well-being. However, with time it changed to anything that we consume, irrespective of its zero nutritional value. The body is the temple where the soul resides. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that in the journey of life, the body is the soul’s best friend. So it’s essential to keep it fit. Food plays a vital role in doing so. Every human body is different; the food that might be suitable for someone might not be suitable for others. So how to decide what is good food for the body? Anything that feels good after consuming, that is, it makes you feel light on the stomach (easily digestible), energetic and nourished. For instance, eating fresh fruits would make you feel energetic, whereas eating fried food would make you feel lethargic. The food with high pranic energy should be a major part of our diet.
Food has a very deep impact on the body; it is also responsible for how you feel and your nature, like eating spicy food makes one aggressive. There are many other factors which play a significant role. Exposure to sunlight, eating in the right environment (eating or being served with love), and the right mindset (being calm or without any distraction). An interesting fact is that while most people having good financial support and eating the best quality food are still low on blood vitals; the underprivileged still make it to good vitals, probably because of the inclusion of contributing factors, especially from the energy of the sun.
“As a rule, the word ‘food’ is used only in connection with material nourishment, but there are other kinds of food: mental energy (or concentration) and divine wisdom. The first (material food) recharges the body battery, the second (concentration) the mind battery, and the third (divine wisdom) the soul battery.”
— Paramhansa Yogananda, from the book Divine Will Healing
What is food for the mind? Food for the mind could be anything that nourishes our mind and helps in maintaining its original state, which is essentially being peaceful, calm and focused. Often we observe that life has become depressing and stressful. This is very much evident by seeing the declining number of smiling faces. What we consume has a deep impact on us. It is very essential to feed the mind with good, positive and peaceful thoughts. If we feed the mind with criticism, the mind becomes expert in taking out faults even in the flawless scenario, whereas if we feed it with seeing positives, it can find good even in adverse situations. There’s a very famous saying that goes, ‘You can choose to become a housefly which sits on garbage or you can become a honeybee which sits on a flower and takes its nectar.’ There are small changes that we can bring in our daily lives to focus more on positivity. Instead of asking a loved one, “How was your day?” ask, “What all good things happened today?”
Your surroundings also decide your mental diet, so you have to be very selective of the company you keep. A simple way to keep track of it is to ask yourself if it feels uplifting to be with them. As Master said, “Your mental diet consists of your thoughts as well as thoughts you are receiving from your close contacts or friends. Peaceful thoughts and peaceful friends always produce healthy, magnetic minds. Inner disquietude and worries, due to the wrong sort of friends or unappreciative immediate relatives, produce an unwholesome, gloomy mind.” That’s why Indian scriptures place importance on Satsang. ‘Sat’ means ‘truth’, and ‘sang’ means ‘company’. Whenever you are falling, it’s the satsang which doesn’t let you drift away.
Besides peaceful, good, positive thoughts and company, pranayama also plays an important role in the mind diet. Daily practice of pranayama keeps the mind calm. Pranayama also comes in handy and can be practised anywhere and anytime after a minimum of 30-40 minutes after a mini meal and 3-4 hrs after a full meal.
The true nature of the soul is “Sat – Chit – Ananda”, that is, ever-joyful, unchanging, consciousness. Like physical food nourishes the body, food for the soul nourishes the inner self. The REGULAR practice of meditation brings the soul closer to its natural state of endless bliss. It is through meditation that we realise our true self, which is beyond body and mind. The purpose of soul travel is ultimately to become one with GOD, which again is possible only through meditation.
As said in Bhagavad Gita verses 2:65 and 2:66:
With the attainment of soul bliss, every vestige of sorrow disappears.
Those who are unmeditative cannot know peace. And for those who lack peace, how is happiness possible?
It is said that anything that adds to peace takes us near divinity, and anything that takes us away from peace takes us far from divinity. The only way to achieve this is through meditation! Meditation helps us achieve divine wisdom. I conclude here by asking a simple question.
How well did you feed your body, mind & soul today?
“Once you learn to eat right foods, think right thoughts, being filled with wisdom and joy, your body, mind, and soul will be spiritualized and perceived as dynamos of magnetic energy. Your body and mind, purified by this energy, will take on the beauty of the Spirit. Once you realize yourself as a soul, you will know you are of the Spirit, resting everywhere equally in joy, in all space, in all things, as one with all things.”
— Paramhansa Yogananda
