We are the first generation that has buried our natural connect with food under a debris of industrial food and modern lifestyles.
In Ayurved, the way to living peacefully and disease free is to eat foods full of prana (chi/qi) especially when stressed, unwell or seeking spiritual growth. I understood Prana when a friend was describing what happened at the entrance of a hospital- she was supporting her dad with her arm under his armpit when suddenly he became really heavy- it was the moment of his departure from his body- the life force left him- Prana is what had kept his weight upright and no amount of oxygen or all those things we take as nutrition could have helped. Prana is lost daily but can be our food habits replenish this. Let me share how Prana in food is available to us:
Soil: This is where the life energy thrives: plants growing in rich natural soils are bursting with Prana- organic farmers using hydroponics or homa or using dynamised water with vermiculture compost are all serving Prana- here deep in the soil life far larger than nutrients is thriving and bursting with generous prana. Food grown here and consumed fresh and raw is the highest prana you can find- even a small bunch of leaves will fill your being- Grow your own food– spinach, kale, salad leaves…. nourish some soil in your balcony, roof or garden and see how the missing connect with food reappears.
Freshness principle: The food you cannot grow is best purchased from organic sources – farmers markets are good as you can meet the source person and know what is growing seasonally. Store bought food is well travelled and Prana does not travel well. For thousands of years humans ate fresh foods- either grown in their backyard or bartered from the community. In the last fifty years that pattern was reversed by ‘industrialization’ of food- the processing, packaging, preservation, transportation and food additives have stripped the Prana completely.
High Prana food: The pranic pyramid would have a descending order on these lines
- Straight from garden foods- freshly plucked- eaten raw
- Whole organic fruits and vegetables that are local and fresh- eaten raw
- Whole organic seeds and nuts- eaten raw
- Whole organic vegetables – lightly cooked
- Whole organic grains- well cooked
- Non organic fruits, vegetables and grains
- Meat, fish, eggs
- Processed foods
Nutritional values and Prana have no common ground. Prana is a vibrational energy tapped from Nature- best done by plants. There are yogis who live on that energy directly needing no food or even water in some cases but for us regular folks- just eating fresh, seasonal, local is a good start.
