Questioner: So, my question is, should we believe in that like the qualities of vegetarianism, non-alcoholism, celibacy? Practice them, so that we make our body fit. So that, that kriya of 11 mins will be more effective.
Sadhguru: See, this is what I have been saying right through. Why even eating is a moral value? Food is about the body. We must eat what is suitable for this body. But, right now you are talking about making food into a habit. I want to tell you – there is no such thing as ‘good’ habit, and ‘bad’ habit. Habit means, you are functioning unconsciously. If you’re functioning unconsciously, that’s a bad thing, because the whole thing about being human is being capable of doing things consciously.
Why even eating is a moral value? Food is about the body. We must eat what is suitable for this body
That is the beauty of being human, that we can do everything consciously. What an animal does unconsciously, we can do the same thing consciously. We can eat unconsciously or we can eat consciously. We can breathe unconsciously or we can breathe consciously. Everything that we can do, we can do it consciously. The moment we do something consciously, suddenly that human being looks very refined and wonderful. Just because somebody walks and speaks consciously, doesn’t he become a beautiful human being? Yes or no? That’s all. So why is it that we’re trying to develop habits as if it’s a good thing? Habit means fixed reality, where you don’t have to think. You get up in the morning and it’ll happen to you. No. Don’t try to automise your life. That is not efficiency. That is the efficiency of the machine. This one is supposed to function intelligently and consciously. Nobody is expecting it to function like a machine.
So, about food and stuff. Food must be suitable for the body that we eat for. It is for the body. This is a building material for this body, the food that you are eating. What is the appropriate food? Unfortunately is all messed up right now. Traditionally we ate very sensibly in this country. But this thousand years of invasions have brought other kinds of food cultures. And today the national diet is pizza or pasta. What is it? Which one? I don’t know. Both are competing. So we’re losing our sense about food. It’s definitely time to look at what is the most suitable thing.
You must experiment with food. Not just by the tongue, but by the body
If I go into that, food, it’s a very long process. But, you must experiment with food. Not just by the tongue, but by the body. You eat something today and see, just learn to observe. How agile and how active your body feels after eating this food. If it feels like it wants to go to the grave, that’s not good food. If it feels like it wants to be alive after eating this, except coffee because that’s a stimulant. If you eat food and your body feels very agile and alive, that means it’s good food. Body is liking it. If you eat something, it feels dull, that means it’s not liking it. It’s having difficulty with it. That’s why it feels dull. So, just on this basis. There is a much…I mean this is a very simplistic way of putting it.
