DIET

Obviously there are things to avoid: artificial additives of any kind, excessive sugar, salt and spices. Coffee and alcohol (especially spirits) should be limited. Refined foods of all types should be banished from your diet.

If you follow those simple principles and apply moderation (both in consumption and choice) to your diet, you will enjoy something that most people overlook in their search for sophisticated solutions to simple dietary needs.

In many schools of meditation, diet plays a much larger role. Any serious student of the traditional schoola knows that the higher forms of meditation require more disciplines than an hour a day sitting quietly. Diet is one of those disciplines. Such students are very aware that the food they eat has a definite influence on their state of mind. With some foods the effect can be quite extreme, and with others, barely noticeable. Nevertheless, diet does have an influence on the effectiveness of your meditation. How great an influence is a matter for conjecture, but it does exist.

Note: the following dietary discussion is not an integral part of the Calm Technique.

All foods can be divided into three distinct categories: calm, stimulating and lethargic foods. A serious meditator's diet (particularly from the Indian schools) consists mainly of calm foods, with occasional tastes of stimulating foods. Lethargic foods are avoided altogether. You will note that, perhaps with the exception of onion and garlic, the recommended Yogi's diet is virtually the same as your everyday 'alternative lifestyle' diet.

Calm foods are the pure foods which are central to all yogic diets. They are easily digested, cleansing, provide plenty of energy, and most importantly, encourage a calm state of mind. It is generally accepted that these foods are the most suitable foods for human beings.

Calm foods include:
all kinds of fruits
most vegetables (with as little cooking as possible)
nuts and seeds in their natural state
beans
grains
milk and milk products
herbs and spices (in moderation)

Stimulating foods are the foods which create activity and unrest in the mind. (Many of the lethargic foods also fit this category.) These foods should be used infrequently.

Stimulating foods are:
excessive spices
vinegar
coffee, tea, cola
all foods with preservatives
most canned and packaged foods

Lethargic foods are the foods to be avoided. They demand far too much energy and time to digest and create great feelings of inertia. Many of them also fall into the previous category of stimulating foods. Meat for example, being considered in both categories, causes feelings of lethargy, tiredness as well as a general feeling of restlessness.

Lethargic foods do the mind no good whatsoever. They include:
meat and poultry
seafood
refined foods (e.g. white sugar, bread, flour)
alcohol
fermented (e.g. pickled) or stale foods

I have omitted some foods from all categories. They are eggs, onions, garlic, chives and leeks. In Raja Yoga's book Eating for Immortality, they are classified as lethargic foods to be avoided entirely. However, other books occasionally classify them differently. I am reluctant to cast the deciding vote, so you decide if they are suitable for your diet.

Should you decide that a diet of calm foods (with moderate amounts of stimulating foods) is for you, consider buying one of the many vegetarian cookbooks which are available. Don't consider this small chapter as the final word on what you can or cannot eat. It is a guide; you would need to study the subject further. If you do decide to pursue such a diet, it is more desirable to change gradually by substituting foods from your present diet with foods from this one. Sudden and radical changes are counterproductive and should be avoided.

EXERCISE

Exercise has to be the most written-about subject of the decade. I wish I could tell you the Calm Technique removes the necessity for exercise (for my own sake as much as yours); however, this is not so.

If the thought of all that sweating and heavy breathing bothers you, forget the gyms and aerobic dancing, and concentrate on long walks. Walking is excellent exercise; it's sensible, effective and requires no speciel equipment. But the good thing about walking is that you can perform the Calm Technique (see the 'Calm Technique in Action', page 140) as you exercise. Then it can be relaxing as well as health-promoting.

Exercise does have an impact on the way you meditate. Any improvement in your general sense of health and wellbeing definitely enhances your performance of the Calm Technique. As well, being able to breathe correctly does wonders for your feelings of calm. When you learn to use the full capacity of your lungs, when you know how to breathe deeply and fully without effort, you will experience a sense of wellbeing similar to that felt by highly conditioned athletes. Read the Calm Exercises (see page 124) again, and learn to breathe deeply.

ATTITUDE

Attitude is every bit as important to your overall wellbeing as diet and exercise. A bitter, negative outlook will have a negative effect on your health and happiness. An optimistic, enthusiastic attitude enhances them.

After the Calm Technique, optimism should be your most important behavioural consideration. A positive attitude in your life will bring increased happiness, better health, more effective relationships and improved communications.

For some, optimism is a natural gift. But most of us have to work at it. Still, it's worthwhile! A positive attitude affects every moment of your day, and every person and situation you come in contact with. It's contagious. It's energizing. It's uplifting. It's health-giving. And success in almost every endeavour depends upon it.

-- This excerpt was taken from The Calm Technique by Paul Wilson