The excesses of Christmas and long dark days winter days always seem to leave me feeling a flat late December so I generally try and jet off to a yoga retreat to see in the New Year and top up my vitamin D levels! This year, I was lucky enough to have the chance to visit a resort in Bali after I indulged myself in a week of meditation, yoga and healthy eating. As a Nutritional Therapist, I have seen first-hand the powerful results that can be achieved through the combination of diet, lifestyle and mindfulness. This is not surprising when you consider how closely interwined our mind and bodies are, so much so that the gut is often referred to as the ‘second brain’.

 

The powerful combination of nutrition & yoga

As food is one of the most powerful means of healing and balancing the body and mind, if you have these foundations right then all other types therapy, such as yoga, will work much more effectively, and vice versa. For example, some research by Harvard University found that people who practiced yoga were more likely to be positive & ‘mindful’ eaters – i.e. being aware when full, being aware of how food looks tastes & smells and less likely to eat when sad & stressed. There is also some interesting research currently taking place in regard how the combination of yoga & nutrition can help to fight chronic low grade inflammation, which is now thought to be at the heart of a number of modern diseases such as obesity, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, unfortunately the list goes on….. Therefore, if you want to be kind to your mind and body make 2017 the year where you look to pick up those yoga classes again as well as paying a little bit more attention to the types of foods and drinks you opt for on a daily basis.