Living Perfect Health

Ayurveda teaches that the best diet is one that keeps our mind clear and promotes the experience of bliss and higher consciousness. An excellent, balanced diet allows our body to digest food completely and extract a subtle substance known as ojas or “the vital nectar of life.”

Ojas is the essential life energy that enables our cells to “feel happy” . . . to experience the cellular equivalence of bliss. Ojas is an ancient concept that has been verified by modern scientific study.

We now know that a single meal can radically change the brain’s biochemistry. As food is digested in the intestinal tract, molecules in the brain that regulate feelings of well-being (such as serotonin), increase or decrease in response. Scientists are now investigating the exciting possibility of a “food pharmacy” that could help heal depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders.

In Ayurveda, pure foods that the body can easily convert into ojas are referred to as Sattvic – a Sanskrit term that means “imbued with goodness.” The foods considered most Sattvic are:

• • Milk
  • Rice
  • Ghee (clarified butter)
  • Sesame, almonds
  • Fruits & fruit juices
  • Sweet taste in general

Some Ayurvedic texts also include wheat, mung beans, coconut, dates, and honey on this list. You do not need to eat these foods exclusively; just include them in your diet on a regular basis. On a more general level, a Sattvic diet focuses on:

• • Light, soothing food that is easily digested
  • Fresh produce (organic is ideal)
  • Spring water
  • A balance of the six tastes (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent)
  • Moderate portions

Following these guidelines will help you create a diet that nurtures both your physical and emotional wellbeing.

If you’d like to learn more about the practical healing wisdom of Ayurveda, join us at the Perfect Health program. This transformational five-day program is offered almost every week at The Chopra Center for Wellbeing. You will be nurtured and pampered with daily Ayurvedic massage treatments, learn Primordial Sound Meditation and the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga, dine on delicious Ayurvedic lunches, and transform at the cellular level.

To learn more, please call 888.736.6895 or ask your question here.