I have been going to yoga consistently for a few months now, and am now practicing three times a week. A friend of mine told me that if I was going to get into yoga, then I should really go vegetarian. Why is that? Are most yogis vegetarians?

I feel that I see PETA Pamphlets at every yoga studio I go to. I think there is a definitive segregation between the meat eaters and non meat eaters. After awhile, it becomes difficult to ignore the fact that your food once walked, had two eyes, and breath in its body. I look at my dog, sitting next to me as I type, and I know he has a heart, that he feels love, and even fear. When I truly wrap my brain around this concept, it really convinces me in a way that pigs, cows, chickens and fish also have such attributes... So it makes me feel weird to eat them! - PatanJolly

I think that is a common misconception. I know plenty of yogis and yoginis that still eat meat. I personally don’t, and part of that reason is motivated by the Yama Ahimsa in Patanjali’s yoga sutras. Ahimsa means nonviolence, and traditionally, observing a vegetarian diet is a common way to practice this yama. I think a lot of yogis have heard that most people in India are vegetarian, and go vegetarian at first for this reason, but the motivation also evolves over time. I know that I started to really feel better in my body after I had been veg for a few months. I felt lighter, cleaner, my skin cleared up, everything seemed harmonious. Now that I have been veg for a few years I still feel that way, but I honor cravings (like fish, occasionally, maybe three times a year) when my body starts to yearn for it or in situations of social grace. I feel that is the only way for me personally to maintain balance, because I also want to practice Ahimsa towards myself. – ShantiB

Yes, most yogis are vegetarian. I am not a veggie, but I try to eat only local meats. Ayurvedically, it is not good for your body if your food had to travel more than 100 miles to get to your plate. I think it is part of nonviolence toward the environment to live and eat in a more sustainable way. – EkaPada