Thoughts shape reality; regulate them to transform your destiny.

‘Food is just a part of a balanced diet’ … For us it is about what goes into it and how we consume it - a spiritual act.

Across cultures and beliefs, the spiritual significance of food mirrorsthe deep connection between us, nature, nourishment,and the divine. It is the ‘Sutradhar’ the common thread running through belief systems, occasions, connect of self with nature, community sharing, mindfulness, and holistic wellbeing.

In Christianity, the Eucharist involves the symbolic consumption of bread and wine, representing the body and blood of Christ.

In Sanatan Dharma, Annaprashnasignifies the initiation of feeding the first grain to a babyaccording to family customs.

The spiritual purport of variety and ingredients - cooked rice as the beginning of life, variety of fruits forNaivedyam or Bhog to God as a gratitude to Him being the provider, clarified butter (ghee) in rituals symbolizes the cosmic connect. Cinnamon and cloves signify energy givers and absorbers, sweets for auspicious beginnings, Ganesh Chaturthi brings in ModhakandTeej / Raksha Bandhanannounces Ghewar. Pongal (the festival)beckons Pongal - The dish,DhokarDalnarings in Puja festivities in Bengal.

Simple water is so inspiringly sacrosanct - ‘Mindfulness and Gratitude’ - Sprinkling water with recitation of mantras (invoking the divine within), is a way of seeking blessings, purifying oneself &the food making us more receptive eating - to be aware and present during meals bringing sanctity.

Festivals ring in the community sharing embodying principles of generosity and hospitality.

A recommended spiritual practise isUpavasa(Staying near Oneness) or abstinence from food signifyinga direct connect to the Self- an act of self-discipline and sacrifice abstaining from all the four forms chewing, licking, swallowing, and drinking.Going within to Purge and Purify for heightened awareness.

As per Vedic traditions, food is intertwined with spiritual evolution and the attainment of higher consciousness.

In the Taittiriya Upanishad, the concept of “Annam Brahma”(Food is Para Brahman - The One and Only Supreme)encapsulates that foodis not just material sustenance but embodying the divine consciousness (Para Brahman). Taking our connect with Annam to another level of spiritual awareness.

Everyday offering to God is Bhog or Naivedyam. Central to Vedic rituals is Yajna(rituals with sacred fire and mantras)- where offerings, including food, are made into the sacred fire as a deference to the Deities. Krishna explains in the Bhagavat Gita …:

vUukn~HkofUrHkwrkfuitZU;knUulEHko%|

;Kkn~HkofritZU;ks;K%deZleqn~Hko%||

‘All beings are born from and subsist on food. Food is produced by rains. Rains arise from the performance of sacrifice (Yajna), and sacrifice is produced by the performance of prescribed duties.’

A brilliant explanation of the interrelationbetween food, sustenance (rain), and the performance of sacrificial duties (Yajna).

We are what we consume. The idea of Ahara (food) and Vihara (lifestyle) -Sattvic(simple) Aharaand Spiritual Evolution in Ayurveda is exceptional. Everything is composed of 5 basic elements (Pancha Mahabhootas),-Earth (Prithvi), Water (Appu), Fire (Teja), Air (Vayu) Ether (Akasha). So, the Panchabhuta components of ingested food nourishes their respective elements in the body. Correct Ahara is the best medicine - essentially sayingthat Ahara and Vihara are agreeableto metabolism and constitution of an individual.

The gunas qualities of sattvic foodis considered to promote clarity of mind and spiritual growth. The Bhagavad Gita describes this as

vk;q:lÙocykjksX;lq[kçhfrfoo/kZuk%|

jL;k% fLuX/kk% fLFkjk â|k vkgkjk% lkfÙodfç;k% ||

‘Foods that promotes life span, purity, increase virtue, strength, health, happiness, and satisfaction, which are juicy, succulent, wholesome, naturally tasteful, nourishing and pleasing to the heart, are dear to those in the mode of purity, goodness and righteousness (Sattva).’

Consuming Sattvic food supports physical health, nurtures a harmonious state of mind for spiritual practice.

Food is Prasadawhen consumed with piety-with Blessings and Gratitude

;Rdjksf”k ;n'ukfl ;Ttqgksf”k nnkfl ;r~ |

;ÙkiL;fl dkSUrs; rRdq#”o eniZ.ke~ ||27||

“All that you do, you eat, you offer as oblation &gift, and all austerities that you  perform, do them as an offering to Me’ Surrendering of one’s actions, including that of consuming food, as a pious offering fosters spiritual growth.

It is not food and eating. It is spiritually evolving with masterful compositionsof gratitude, mindfulness, self-discipline, interweaving us with nature and divine awareness. It is about ‘Prana’ - The Life Force.