Hello, I’m a yogini and I’m an omnivore.
(Really, the truth is that after growing up around the world, mostly in Asia, I will eat anything that is dead, or moving slowly. : )
I spent years as a vegetarian, followed by a vegan phase. Most yogis who go veg do so to practice non-violent spiritual principles and that is a wonderful thing.
For me, it was part of recovery from bulimia. Vegetarian/veganism helped me feel like I was eating “safe” food & making the transition from harmful obsession to taking care of myself. But it was also a continued form of restriction and spawned its own disordered behavior.
In Forrest yoga, the emphasis is on finding what truly nourishes your body & spirit & feeds the individual. Ana Forrest speaks openly about going from vegetarian to being a devoted meat eater, and sees it as part of the sacred circle of life & the best way of taking care of herself.
Yoga has helped hugely to soften and release urges to cause harm to myself, and to get in touch with what my insides feel like on an emotional & physical level so I became able to at least TRY & nourish myself in a healthy way. Figuring out what that is on a daily basis is a challenge for us all.
Going omnivore again felt like the next stage in healing in my case — I needed to reconnect with and make all food “safe” in order to find out what works for me. To do this, I did a lot of reading, specifically on Intuitive Eating and Appetite Awareness Training. There may come a time when I re-enter vegetarianism in some form again, or maybe not – I have to trust myself.
Like most sacred cows (pardon the pun), tradition in yoga needs to always be worked through your body, psyche & life. We are all in the middle of our own process.
