Yoga and Nutrition: Eat Well, Feel Well

When I practice yoga, I feel very joyous. It lifts my spirits, increases my confidence and much of this is due to the fact that I'm more mindful of my posture. Good posture is essential for proper digestion and yes, as I mentioned before, confidence! Whether you are sitting or standing, when you make a conscious effort to have good posture, you feel so much better.

Yoga and nutrition are key components for feeling well and eating well. Here is how you can use them to your advantage.

Feel Well
My love for yoga and meditation began years ago in my basement. I would quietly sneak downstairs at 5:30 a.m. and put on my favourite yoga DVD. It was like my secret weapon for staying balanced and sane in my crazy corporate job. And it was during those quiet times that I truly nurtured and detoxed my soul and started my day off right. The lasting thought the instructor would share was this: "Think only positive thoughts that serve you well for the whole day." I loved this line and it most certainly set the stage for the day, increasing my mindfulness and awareness.
Eat Well
Eating well means being mindful of the food you put into your body, as well as acknowledging that you are nourishing every cell of your body. Ask yourself, "Is this food nourishment for my body, is it fuel for my cells?" The reason I bring this to your attention is because when you think about food as fuel for your cells, you will think twice about what you eat and how much you eat. Refined and processed foods, excess carbs, sugar and preservatives are not fuel. They are simply empty calories increasing your toxic load. Furthermore, you will become more aware that when you skip breakfast, drink coffee or diet pop and then chow down on a frozen dinner or white, refined pasta, you will not feel your best. Becoming more mindful of your eating is at the root of eating well.

Expect More
So often, people go about their day feeling "OK," and assume that feeling OK means they are healthy. This is simply not the case. Being healthy is not merely about the absence of disease, but rather about feeling fabulous most of the time. Evaluate your wellness by the glow of your skin, the shine of your hair, your sex drive, your digestion and bowel movements and of course, you emotional well-being. Don't settle for feeling OK -- expect more.

As soon as you begin to properly fuel your body and nurture your soul, you'll realize that what you were feeling before was, in fact, ill. And now you'll have truly achieved health and understand what feeling fabulous really means!


How can you eat well and feel well, too?
My yoga guru friend, Michelle Uy (owner of Love Action Yoga), and I have put together a nutrition and yoga program in Toronto called "Eat Well Feel Well." This program is intended for women who want to develop a positive relationship with food, be inspired, lose weight and in doing so, change their lives for the better.

You can find out more about the event here, including more specific details about the program and what will be covered. The program runs for seven weeks (on Sundays) starting in January.

I hope you eat well and feel well today, tomorrow and always.