To Eat, Or Not To Eat Meat...?

Greetings everyone,
My thought for this week is largely centered around eating meat or not eating meat. The reason is that is has been brought up in recent conversation with friends and in this link Why 'Meat Free Mondays' . So, I thought, being the educating yogini that I am, that I, too...should share some thoughts on the subject.

The idea of having one day a week designated as "Meat Free" for those meat eating readers out there, was promoted in a much broader sense through the above link, then that of coming from the perspective of being cruel to animals. It's not saying that we should all be vegetarian, but if you do eat meat, have you ever thought about making the conscious choice of not eating it one day a week?

The benefits for increasing our focus around a more plant-based diet are well supported in research. It's not only good for the health of our bodies, but for the health of our planet. It's also so much easier to find non-meat based foods than ever as our food availability is abundant.

I've been through a few different incarnations of vegetarianism for over 27-years. I did eat seafood and fish, but stopped doing so about two years ago...which technically made me a "pescatarian" for those years, not a vegetarian. The deeper I have gone into my yoga practice, the more I have practiced the first Yama-Ahimsa, often translated as "non-harming or non-violence". This refers to not harming ourselves, other beings or our planet...so many yoga practitioners become vegetarian for that reason.

My final thought on this matter in relationship to food choices is around consciousness. Know about the food you choose to nourish yourself with...where it comes from, how it's grown, how it's prepared...stuff like that. And of course, find a moment of gratitude for our fortunate situation in having so many fruits, vegetables, grains, soy products and nuts to choose from before chowing down!

Bon Appetit, Peace and Namaste',

Jayne