This revealing compilation of essays by prominent practitioners and well-informed scholars lays to bear one simple truth: One must be a vegetarian to properly practice Yoga.
All of the major Yoga traditions, as witnessed in the writings and teachings of their founders, originally supported the vegetarian way of life. But many of the modern-day inheritors of these Yogic traditions do not. Is vegetarianism a prerequisite for those who wish to truly follow Yoga practice?
Bringing together the work of nine distinguished scholars and practitioners of Yoga and Eastern thought, Food for the Soul: Vegetarianism and Yoga Traditions is organized around the fact that, although vegetarianism is a natural and inescapable part of the Yogic tradition, many Yogis and Yoginis today remain blissfully unaware of that fact.
The essays gathered here explore the important and much-debated subject of vegetarianism in the major Yoga traditions, looking at what diet has to do with the practice of Yoga and whether ahimsa (harmlessness) is a prerequisite for achieving Yoga's goals. The contributors draw on history, philosophy, ancient Yoga texts, Hindu scriptures, comparative religion, contemporary practitioners, the words of sages, and the teachings of Yogic masters to forge illuminating insights into the subject. Readers, whether students of Hinduism, practitioners of Yoga, vegetarian or animal rights advocates, or simply people with an interest, will find both the questions and the answers provocative—and edifying.
Highlights
• Thoroughly analyzes the subject of vegetarianism in the many Yoga traditions of the world
• Looks at all the major contemporary Yogis and their teachings on diet, specifically vegetarianism, from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to Swami Prabhupada.
• Includes the insights of some of the modern world's most important practitioners of Yoga and scholars of Indian philosophical traditions
• Draws on ancient texts, as well as the insights of modern scholars and Yogis
Steven J. Rosen is founding editor of the Journal of Vaishnava Studies. He is the author of 21 books, including Praeger's Essential Hinduism; Krishna's Song: A New Look at the Bhagavad Gita; and Krishna's Other Song: A New Look at the Uddhava Gita; as well as The Yoga of Kirtan: Conversations on the Sacred Art of Chanting.
Endorsements
"The prolific author Steven J. Rosen has a new book out, titled Food for the Soul, Vegetarianism and the Yoga Traditions, a collection of essays by scholars of yoga as well as practitioners—all of whom provide convincing evidence that a plant-based diet is the best diet for one who seeks spiritual evolution and/or a more happy and healthy life."—Sharon Gannon, Co-founder with David Life of Jivamukti Yoga
