For the past couple of days I’ve been getting a lot of questions about yoga’s stance on drinking alcohol and eating meat. Some people have also told me that the reason they don’t practice yoga is because they can’t give up partying and ‘fun’.
Yoga advocates acceptance – of yourself and of others. It teaches us that we should be tolerant of ourselves and to love ourselves – including our flaws. So to eat or not to eat meat is an individual choice. Yoga gives us strength to stand behind what we feel is right. It teaches us to really think about the choices that we make and take responsibility for them. I have to accept the aches that will come after staying away from the mat for a few weeks. I need to understand when my body can be pushed that little bit further and when I need to let go. This understanding translates off the mat into life in the manner in which we decide what we feel like eating, drinking, watching and saying. What makes us feel good? Beyond eating and drinking we need to understand what kind of people we feel good with. The choices we make will reflect in the quality of our lives. Yoga is not about subtracting from your life, it’s about adding value to your life.
So before you decide to put something in your mouth, or decide to say something, or even if you have to make a choice – take a moment to consider if you’re prepared to live with the consequences.
Happy yoga 🙂
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