Food for the Soul is a collection of ten essays by ten authors speaking from their hearts about vegetarianism as it relates to Yogic traditions. Some non-vegetarian Yogin readers may find the book’s repeated inquiry, “Can you be a Yogin and not a vegetarian?” uncomfortable, especially with the collective consensus being probably not.
Before I run you off, let me quote Steven J. Rosen from the afterword, “What, then, is the aspiring Yogin to do? The answer is actually quite simple. Practice Yoga and try to cultivate goodness in all that you do.”
The underlying theme is the history of Yoga and vegetarianism; most of the writers point to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and The Bhagavad Gita. Each of the ten essayists do their best to relate a detailed history of vegetarianism in Yoga. Some like E.H. Jarow and Edwin Bryant provide a deep historical view that was occasionally over my head. Kino MacGregor and Rev. Sandra Kumari de Sachy write about their respective gurus from Southern India (Pattabhi Jois and Sri Swami Satchidananda) and how the teachings of these gurus led them to a vegetarian lifestyle.
Although this book is “preaching to the choir,” the writers avoid a self-righteous or holier-than-thou attitude. Food for the Soul inspired and educated me and made me want to jump back on a plane to be with my own Mysore gurus who taught me to walk the line.
Reviewed by Daniel Overberger an Los Angeles-based Yoga teacher, the author of Leaving Stress Behind and founder of alt-kirtan group, Dharma Gypsys: leavingstressbehind.com
Daniel Overberger is a Los Angeles-based Yoga teacher, the author of Leaving Stress Behind, and founder of alt-kirtan group Dharma Gypsys. leavingstressbehind.com