Why Vegan?

The Spiritual Side of Veganism/ Why Vegan as Taught by Lightrail Yoga Teacher Training

There have been many times at work or with friends who offer me food that isn't vegan (a piece of birthday cake) and they tell me "Come on, just eat it don't be so strict on yourself" as if being vegan is a way for me to be healthy and stay skinny. Yes, it is a healthy diet that will keep you trim but there's so much more than that to the vegan diet. If a vegan birthday cake was put in front of me, I would definitely have some.Yoga teaches you why it is an important part of your practice to become vegan. What I have learned with Lightrail Yoga Teacher Training Program is enough for me to continue this vegan diet for as long as possible.Everything in nature possesses energy. There are three types of energy found in nature which are called Gunas. The three Gunas are Sattvic, Rajasic, and Tamasic. A 100% raw vegan diet has only Sattvic energy which is nursing and calming. Rajasic energy is both good and bad. Rajasic energy is in foods like animal product replacements (soy cheese) because they are processed foods. Cooked and spiced foods have Rajasic energy as well. Tamasic energy is bad energy and is found in overly processed foods and animal products because of the suffering animals in the food industry today go through. The energy in the food you eat gets digested as well. The Annamaya Kosha which is where the first three chakras are is what governs the food you put into your body. Your body becomes the food you eat. The energy in the food as well as the energy put into food when it was prepared is digested. When your significant other cooks a meal for you out of love, you are ingesting that love when you eat that meal.Energy is constantly recycled. The energy and intentions you put into your diet is the energy you are exerting out into the world so it is the energy that in turn will be attracted back to you. This is   how karma works. Karma is a huge part of yoga. Yoga helps you find the way to rid your life of bad karma and focus more on doing good, receiving positive energy, and seeing the positive side of all situations. Kindness is the energy you want to give and receive from others.Ahimsa is a teaching of yoga that falls under the ethical guidelines of yoga (yams). Ahimsa is the practice of kindness to others and respect towards nature. By eating a vegan diet, you are not killing or stressing any animals. A vegan diet grounds and connects you with nature because you are only eating what comes from the Earth. This kindness you are expressing towards animals and nature will make animals and nature more kind to you.Saucha is a teaching of yoga that falls under the personal observances of yoga (Niyamas). Sacha is the practice of cleanliness both physically, emotionally, and mentally. Part of keeping your body and mind clean is by eating clean foods. Clean of bad energy, clean of bad chemicals, and full of nutrients.Ahimsa, and Saucha are a great starting point for the yogic lifestyle. Perfecting the way you eat and making that a strong foundation will allow you to move forward in your yoga practice and perfect other parts of your life. Ahimsa and Saucha are part of the first two limbs of yoga. The eighth and final limb of yoga is the ultimate goal: pure state of yoga. This goal is called Samadhi and cannot be reach without a strong foundation.Changing the way you eat is such a simple task. With more love in your diet, more love will be attracted into your life. There is more to food than how it makes your body look. How does the food you eat make you feel? If we live in a country and time where we have the option to eat foods that are better for us, why not do it?