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Yoga
and eating food with hands
Eating food with the hand is a part of tradition, Culture,
ritual and health based on the concept of Pancha
Karma Indriya ( five organs of action ) and pancha janana Indriya (five organ of senses ) of yoga and Ayurveda
in INDIA.
Eating is
supposed to be a sensory experience and it is said to evoke emotion and
passion. According to the Vedas, hands are the most precious organs of action.
The scriptures reveal how every finger is an extension of the five elements.
Through the thumb comes space, with the forefinger comes air, the middle finger
is fire, the ring finger is water and the little finger represents earth.
Hence,
eating with one’s fingers stimulates these five elements and helps in bringing
forth digestive juices in the stomach.
The nerve
endings on our fingertips are known to stimulate digestion. Feeling your food
becomes a way of signalling the stomach that you are about to eat. You become
more conscious of the taste, textures and aromas.
Eating food is
not merely a way to satisfy the hunger, but to sublimate the senses and infuse
satisfaction. It is a way to nourish the inner self.
Traditionally,
the six tastes (Sweet, Salty, Pungent, Astringent, Sour and Bitter ) and varied
food items are served all together on one platter(called Thali )which
immediately pacifies the sense of vision, smell, taste and touch.
Silence is
observed, in order for the sense of hearing to be as less stimulated as
possible and take the stimulus from the sub vocalization of the sound of
chewing. All of this help in the activation of salivary glands and salivary
amylase (the enzyme responsible for aiding in the catabolic action on the food).
The five sensory organs ( eyes ,ears, nose , tounge and skin ) when engaged in
the activity of eating food in the above said traditional method .Have minimal
outgoing tendencies and the senses go into the anabolic or energy conservation
mode so that this energy is utilized for digestion .
The five
organ of action - hands ,feet, organs of reproduction, organs of eliminaton and
vocal cords have the tendency to respond according to the information collected
by the five sensory organs and are generally catabolic in nature.
·
The
use of hands allows one to feel the texture and temperature of the food , which
further stimulates the salivary glands using the sense of touch, smell, and
sight. it also prevents one from eating very hot or very cold food as these
extreme temperatures are not pleasing to the human body and neither is good for the digestive fire.
·
As
we use hands to eat food, we tend to bring the fingers and thumb close to each
other , which forms Sumana Mudra. The center of the palm is the seat of
digestive organs as per acupressure. When we use hands for eating food, we
naturally trigger these pressure points, which help in the release of digestive
juices from the liver and gall bladder.
·
The
center of the palm is also one of the most therauptic Marma points that
activate the release of pranic energy in the entire body, which is triggered in
the use of hands
·
The
general habit of using the dining table for having meals may lead to
overeating. When we sit cross legged on the floor to eat food, every time we
bend forward to break a morsel it puts pressure on the stomach and once the
stomach being happily full and anything more would be over eating. While sitting completely upright we supress
this natural urge/ sign from the body's innate intelligence. As per Ayurvedic principles, the stomach
should be only 3/4th filled with food and the rest 1/4th space should be
allowed for the free movement of gases and for the process of digestion.
Vedic ritual
of eating food
Pancha Pranopasana Mudras can easily be practised by one
and all before meals. They invoke a feeling of gratitude and connection with
the process of eating (Anna Grahan) . In addition, they help in balancing the
main vital current known as Mukhaya Pranas .
Practice this short exercise for revising this set of
Mudras before your lunch / dinner . This is known as parishinchami (encircling with water), and the eating of
small helpings of rice is known as
pranahooti ( offering to the vital breeths ). It is performed twice a day
before the meals .All other meals are
considered "extra " or secondary (upa bhojanam ). Parisecana
mantra is sort of a "protection"for the food we are about to eat .
1.Parisecana: Take a comfortable seated posture , preferably cross legged position (sukhasna)on the floor .Chant the mantra :
Satyam tvartena parishinchami (O Food !you are true . I encircle you with
divine righteousness.) And circumambulate the food with a sprinkling of eater. This
sprinkling of water is known as
"parisecanna." At night, this mantra is :Rtamtvasat yena
parishinchami.
2.Pranahoothi: Perform the following Pranahoothi . Use
only the thumb ,index finger and middle finger of the right hand take a very
little amount food and swallow it without touching the teeth . The idea is that
by first making an offering to the Pranas we pay homage to their life-giving
power by virtue of their performing the bodily activities that are crucial to
our survival. In this way , this ritual recognizes that not only is food important to survival, but
the very bodily function that we take for granted are essential, and we owe all
of this to the supreme. who sits as the superintending power behind all bodily
activity, no matter how mundane
·
Om pranaye Savaha ( Hold Prana Mudra in left
hand) and meditate upon the mouth regime
·
Om Apanaya Savaha ( Hold Apana Mudra in left
hand) and meditate upon the lower body below the navel
·
Om Vayana Savaha ( Hold Vayana Mudra in left
hand )and meditate upon the limb (arms, hands, legs, and feet ) and heart
·
OmSamanya Svaha (Hold Samana Mudra in left
hand)and meditate upon the navel region
·
Om brahmani ma atma amrtavaya. This
means," May my self be united in the supreme, so that i may attain
immortality "
Dr Naveen Shukla
Founder Director Nature Care
Ayurveda
State Rep. For AAA (NSW)
Australia
For more information of Ayurveda please click at https:// www.naturecareayurveda.com.au
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