We want to help you get the year off to a flying & healthy start so the next in our January Yoga blog series by Katy Appleton looks at the connections between yoga & food. To fully benefit from the practice of yoga, you should eat the right kind of food.

The food we eat has an enormous influence on us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. A serious student of yoga aims to increase their state of mind though all aspects of life, and diet plays a major role in progress on the spiritual path.
 
The three energies
The yoga approach to diet is influenced by Ayurveda, which is the traditional Indian system of medicine. According to this system, there are three gunas, or energies, which describe our behaviour, thinking, health and diet.  The three gunas are called rajas, tamas and sattva.

• Rajasic means activity, restlessness, stress and anger.
• Tamasic means lethargy, dullness and laziness.
• Sattvic means balanced, harmony, purity, health and wellbeing.

In each of us, there is a proportion of each guna. Without tamas we would not sleep and without rajas we would lack dynamism, and without sattva life would be uninspiring and without the higher human qualities.
 
The different diets
A rajasic diet is one that is overly spicy or hot, includes food with onion and garlic, coffee, fizzy soft drinks, tea, sugary foods and too much chocolate. These foods may give us a lift in energy but ultimately we experience a low or increased stress. A rajasic person will eat on the run, rush food and experience poor digestion and health as a result.

A tamsic diet consists of dead food, such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, stale food, processed food full of chemical additives, takeaway fast foods, reheated food, alcohol, cigarettes and drugs of addiction. Sattvic food can become tamasic when processed, old or fried.

These foods and substances do nothing to lift our energy and consciousness, if fact they pull us downward into laziness and inertia. Living on tamasic food and substances will lead to health complaints, such as obesity, diabetes, heart and liver disease. We will feel unmotivated, be careless, unaware of ourselves and others.

A sattvic diet, on the other hand, is pure vegetarian nourishment and includes fresh fruit and vegetables, fruit and vegetable juices, wholemeal bread, pulses, grains and sprouts, nuts, seeds, honey, herbs, milk and dairy products which are free of animal rennet. These foods will raise our consciousness, inspire us to positive action, deeper meditation and unleash our hidden potential and creativity.
 
These two recipes are good examples of a sattvic diet.
 
Warm quinoa and broccoli salad with carrot and ginger dressing
SERVES: 6
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes

• 1½ cups quinoa
• 3¼ cups plus 3tbsp water
• Salt
• 1 bag (275g) broccoli florets
• ²⁄₃  cup chopped carrot (about 1 large)
• 3tbsp finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 3tbsp vegetable oil
• 2tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
• 2tsp soy sauce
• 2tsp Asian sesame oil
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

In a sieve, rinse the quinoa with cold running water. In a 3-quart saucepan, combine the quinoa, 3 cups of water and ½ teaspoon salt; heat to boiling over a high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl.
 
Meanwhile, place the broccoli and ¼ cup of water in a microwave-safe medium bowl; cover and cook in the microwave oven on high for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain and add to the quinoa.
 
In a blender, combine the carrot, ginger, vegetable oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, remaining 3 tablespoons of water, and ¼ teaspoon salt; blend until pureed. Add to the quinoa, broccoli, and tomatoes and toss to combine. Serve the salad warm or at room temperature.
 

Pea soup
SERVES: 4-6

COOKING TIME: 20 minutes

• 1 large onion
• 2 sticks celery
• A few whole black peppercorns
• 1 knob butter
• 1 pint of vegetable stock
• 2 large potatoes
• 500g large bag frozen garden peas
• Sprig of fresh mint
• 100ml double cream

Chop the onions and celery and fry with the peppercorns in butter until golden. Bring the stock to simmer. Peel and then grate the potatoes into the stock. Add stock and potatoes to the onions, pea and celery mix. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Chuck in the sprig of mint and blend until smooth and add in cream. Serve with a leaf or 2 of mint.

To celebrate the launch of the game we are giving you the chance to win the ultimate yoga pack, including a Nintendo Wii, a copy of the game and a class with Katy. Nine runners up can also win a class. Click here to enter. We hope you enjoy Katy's blogs.

• Katy Appleton's Top 10 Yoga Tips
• Yoga and the environment 

Got any yoga tips or relevant recipes to share? Let us know in the comments below.