The Roar in My Food

I stumbled upon the raw food movement like one would on hot chips at Bondi.  I purchased tickets to attend a raw food conference held by David Wolfe with my dear friend and guru Carlin who is a naturopath and raw food chef (as well as a qualified Jivamukti Yoga teacher!). At this stage I’d never heard of David Wolfe, or watched any of his you-tube videos, or read his books.  What was I letting myself in for?  My teacher Sharon Gannon always reminds us to educate ourselves by attending conferences, lectures and actively seeking knowledge, so I thought it a perfect opportunity to learn more about raw food.  As a vegan I am obsessed with food, especially nutrition and so I found myself at this two day conference.

Raw food is amazing and one of the keys to great health.  According to David Wolfe, raw food contains the most powerful source of nutrients and natural medicine for our bodies.  The live enzymes help us digest food quicker.  Raw food energises our bodies.  You have better sleep.  You feel more alive, and it is great for the environment.  Eating raw is a powerful experience.

I decided to put this theory to the test and have been practicing an 80% raw food diet for over two months.  On the odd occasion I will have cooked food and my body will reject it immediately leaving me feeling lethargic and heavy.  It has been a fascinating experience to see my physical body transform including having a calmer demeanour.   I feel alive, alert, light, happy and my yoga practice is much more open and I can feel my subtle body.

What we eat impacts us on such a deep level.  One night I had some vegan pizza and the next morning I went for my regular morning practice.  During drop backs (back bends) I felt tight and heavy.  I told my teacher ‘this is really difficult for me today, I’m tight’, she responded ‘you ate the wrong food last night’.  Which was true.  If you want to really transform yourself, you have to work on your diet.  Everything stems from what we eat. It is hard work but rewarding at the same time.

I’ve made a personal commitment to keep eating as much raw food as possible  and to explore where this will take me. Just the thought of this excites me.