Category: News

VERITAS MAGAZINE – Features FOOD YOGA

VERITAS MAGAZINE – Features FOOD YOGA

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Leading consciousness magazine, VERITAS, published a three page article on Food Yoga written by director of Food for Life Global, Paul Rodney Turner. The article is an introduction to food yoga, but also shares many of Paul’s early experiences as a monk and humanitarian, including his work during the 2005 Tsunami relief in Sri Lanka.

“The path of food yoga is about reconnecting with your food in such a way that it nourishes your body, mind and soul. This is I believe is a major flaw in most lifestyle or nutrition programs being espoused today.

My background as a monk and my volunteer work for Food for Life Global, have taught me just how powerful food is as a uniter and healer of our body, mind and soul. In fact, the mission for the charity is not to feed hungry people, but rather, to unite the world through pure food. A food yogi is one who lives a balanced and conscientious life fueled by the uniting power of pure foods that have been prepared with loving intention.

Food yoga is, in essence, a discipline that embraces all spiritual paths by accepting one core truth – that food in its most pure form is divine and therefore an excellent medium for spiritual purification.” – (Excerpt from article)

The 13th edition of VERITAS magazine is available online and through most newsagents.

FOOD YOGA WORKSHOP

On October 20th, Paul will conduct a one day Food Yoga immersion workshop at the Unity of Melbourne centre.  The goal of the Food Yoga one day immersion workshop is to inspire people to live and eat more consciously, by making your food choices and their relationship with food an integral part of their spiritual journey. Register now (First ten people receive a free book or DVD). Email events@theveritasmagazine.com or phone 1300 916 798

ABOUT VERITAS

VERITAS, Latin for Truth, will focus on increasing consciousness and offering people solutions to personal struggles or questions of existence. The content will include topics such as consciousness, holistic health and healing, esoterism, alternative therapies, ancient wisdom, lost civilizations and science and spirituality, and the many subjects that dominate our lives such as climate change and vaccinations, just to name a few. The magazine will offer and explore many alternative faiths, beliefs and theories to encourage you, the reader to look outside the box and explore the connection between science and spirituality as we finally start to bridge that gap.

Our mission at VERITAS is to assist our readers to find solutions in reaching their higher consciousness; something, which we believe has sadly been forgotten or lost. By reaching that higher consciousness, you will be able to find and achieve what we all truly want, what we all wish for, deep down inside — that yearning that we all feel, but to attain it with true understanding, wisdom and awareness that allows us to live in peace with all humanity and our planet.

Our world is changing at a rate of knots that is unprecedented during any other time in recorded history and we have all chosen to be here at this time. But by being here we have not chosen just to exist but to assist with the changes that are now taking place on our planet.

VERITAS came about from a need to provide solutions to the many ongoing issues that we face today. We feel that there is lots of information in the media trying to change our perspectives about what we face in the world rather than on how to go about actually making the change.

You won’t find doom and gloom theories in VERITAS, but rather positive articles inspiring people to explore the many options our universe has to show us. However, we won’t be shying away from difficult topics, but instead we will embrace them

and look for solutions.

VERITAS Magazine is about awakening consciousness in humanity. People are realizing that we are capable of so much more and humanity is starting to become more aware of what has either been hidden or lost through ancient civilizations.

VERITAS is a solution-based magazine that aims to provide mind-expanding and cutting edge information so we may raise our consciousness to transform our world to a place of Truth, Peace, Love, Compassion and Ultimate Happiness for all.

VERITAS aims to provide a balanced view of the world, not just the propagated view of the mass media outlets. We have adopted the task of providing thought provoking material to our readers so that your minds and your thinking may be stretched and developed.

VERITAS MAGAZINE WEBSITE

New FOOD YOGA DVD released

New FOOD YOGA DVD released

Priya, the Food Yogi has released a double disc set of Food Yoga. Disc 1 contains a 2-hour introduction to Food Yoga as described in his new book. Disc 2 is 2-hour demonstration of how to make raw gourmet delights using only a blender and a processor.

The workshop was filmed at the Witchie Woo Wellness bed and breakfast on Bribie island and was produced by Foxtail Productions using three digital cameras. The presentation is first-class with overhead close-ups of every recipe. “The reviews for the new DVD have been wonderful,” says Priya Vrata. “I look forward to doing a follow up DVD with more recipes and sharing more information about the path of food yoga.”

His book, FOOD YOGA – Nourishing the Soul has received rave reviews from vegan celebrities like Victoria Moran, who says the book should be a “must-read for anybody who’s ever held a fork,” as well as Australian kirtan legend, Sri Prahlad, “FOOD YOGA provides a moment of rest to catch our breath, reflect, and gain clarity. Priya Vrata’s extensive knowledge drawn from both traditional and scientific sources provides insights into the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual nurturing provided when food is engaged with consciously.”

Topics covered in Disc 1 include:

  • Metaphysics of food
  • Sacred Foods and Alchemy
  • Sacred Geometry of Food
  • The importance of water
  • Food Politics
  • Spiritual Hospitality
  • The 10 Characteristics of a Food Yogi
  • Food Offering Meditation
  • Conscious Eating

Recipes presented in Disc 2 include:

  • Healthy smoothies
  • Raw vegan cheesecakes
  • Seed pates
  • Wraps
  • Nut milk
  • Raw nut “cheese” , etc.

Purchase your copy of the FOOD YOGA double disc set for only $40 (plus shipping):

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Food Yogi to present at YogaFest, 2012

Food Yogi to present at YogaFest, 2012


Priya Vrata is the current Director of Food for Life Global, the world’s largest vegan/vegetarian food relief organisation with projects in over 50 countries, will be presenting at the 6th annual YogaFest in Brisbane on Saturday 30th June 11am and 4pm.

The FREE 40-minute presentation on Food Yoga will teach about the culture of spiritual hospitality and the importance of food on your spiritual journey. You will learn how to achieve optimum health by practicing the food yogi diet and lifestyle. The workshop will cover the importance of raw food nutrition and will include a demonstration of some affordable gourmet raw dishes. In his new book, FOOD YOGA – Nourishing the Soul, Priya Vrata discusses the metaphysics of food; sacred foods and alchemy; sacred geometry of food; the importance of water; food politics; spiritual hospitality; the 10 characteristics of a food yogi; food offering meditation, and how to eat with consciousness. Copies of the Food Yogi’s new book and DVD will be available to purchase.

About Priya Vrata and Food for Life

The charity’s services include free schools, orphanages, cow sanctuaries, eco-communities, medical care and large scale food distribution kitchens that serve over 1.5 million freshly cooked meals daily in India. At the age of 19 Priya was initiated into the Vaisvana Bhakti yoga tradition and lived as a celibate monk for 14 years. He is a former board member of IVU (International Vegetarian Union), and a senior IT consultant for the World Bank for 10 years. Along with teaching the art and science of food yoga, Priya is an accomplished Indian gourmet chef, raw vegan gourmet chef, Numerologist, and Yantrologist (talisman) designer. During his volunteer work for Food for Life, Priya has visited over 54 countries, conducting training seminars in 35 countries and regions of the world, as well as coordinating numerous disaster relief projects, including the Asian tsunami of 2004, Katrina hurricane in 2005, and the Japan Tsunami in 2011. Priya is an author of 7 book including, FOOD YOGA, The Yoga of Pool, World’s Best Aiming System, The Five Noble Truths, The Lion Warrior, Food for Life Training Manual, and How to Build a Successful a Food Relief.

Australia Kirtan legend endorses FOOD YOGA

Australia Kirtan legend endorses FOOD YOGA

Australian Kirtan legend, Sri Prahlad  has been relishing his copy of FOOD YOGA, by Priya Vrata the food yogi.

With the high-geared pace of living in a globalised-society, information, money, and transport move ever faster with each increasingly frequent technological advance. We seem ever intent on fast… fast connections, fast loans, fast cars, and fast food. Yet is fast best? Particularly, when it comes to the essential, primal ingredient of health and life – food. Priya Vrata’s “FOOD YOGA” provides a moment of rest to catch our breath, reflect, and gain clarity. His extensive knowledge drawn from both traditional and scientific sources provides insights into the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual nurturing provided when food is engaged with consciously, respectfully and spiritually… as Yoga.

ABOUT Sri Prhlad

Sri Prahlad with his copy of FOOD YOGA

Sri Prahlada was practically born into kirtan and has been singing and playing kirtan across the globe since childhood. He developed his initial fascination with kirtan attending school at ashramsin Australia and India. A natural musical talent, at age 12 he won a recording contract with record giant EMI, releasing two singles and an album entitled “Through the Eyes of a Child”. Sri Prahlada has performed kirtan in traditional, as well as rock and reggae styles before audiences of tens of thousands. Along with the likes of Krishna Das and Jai Uttal, he features in Steven Rosen’s book ‘The Yoga of Kirtan’ which contains in-depth interviews with 20 western kirtan artists.

At age 15, Sri Prahlada took formal spiritual initiation into the Chaitanya Vaisnava tradition from Hridayananda dasa Goswami (Howard J. Resnick, Ph.D.) a world-renowned teacher of both Sanskrit and Indian Studies, who has translated numerous Sanskrit texts and has written many corresponding commentaries, essays, articles, and novels. Sri Prahlada has also been mentored by the renowned bhakti-yoga master Indradyumna Swami, traveling as his assistant, secretary, and lead kirtan singer, from age 15 onwards for about 18 years.

Now based in Sydney Australia, Sri Prahlada often performs with the five-piece band featuring the hypnotic harmonium, rhythmic bass and mridanga drum, melodic guitar, chiming karatals, and vocal harmonies. Sri Prahlada’s heart and soul permeates every moment of every kirtan he sings, transporting his audience to the realm of spiritual consciousness.

Kirtan with Sri Prahlada involves:

  • Call-and-response chanting of mantras with musical accompaniment
  • Sharing stories and teachings from the bhakti-yoga tradition

www.SriPrahlad.com

 

Electro-CocoBanana Smoothie

Electro-CocoBanana Smoothie

The Electro-CocoBanana Smoothie is a great way to start the day. Packed with electrolytes, Anti-oxidents, and alkalising superfoods. It is vegan, low fat and zero cholesterol. To get more recipes like this, check out my new book, FOOD YOGA.

[kad_youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/h7brM16TrKs” width=600 ]

 

The song of the Food Yogi

The song of the Food Yogi

As the soft moist grass folds beneath my feet,
I contemplate my good fortune and beg not to repeat,
The failures of the past in a journey so long,
There’s just too much to tell in this very short song.

Holding my hands high, I reach for the sky,
personal liberation — I will not be denied,
By acting in ways that are averse to the course,
of the powerful waves — of that Illusory force.

I am far from perfect — and yet I feel so blessed,
by the saints that walked before me with egos undressed.
They now illuminate my path and guide my sorry plight,
in a world so overtaken by the fear of night.

Getting strength and vitality from the sun, water and air,
I embrace the divine love of the elemental fair,
as they nourish the teachings of the FOOD YOGA path,
and lead one and all to the Lord Jagannath.

The “Lord of the Universe,” manifest within,
every atom of life and every tube-torus spin,
There is nowhere in our existence that God cannot be seen,
and that is essentially what FOOD YOGA means.

So honour your SELF — by honouring that Lord,
See thy presence manifest — in total accord,
with the degree of your love and openness of your heart,
And that my dear friends is where spirituality starts.

So engage your tongue properly — in respectable ways,
Don’t chatter, offend — or eat horrible things today,
Purify the vibration — and the taste on your buds,
and experience the divine presence manifest from the mud,

Of a mischievious mind — submerged for far too long,
in matters of ignorance and sad love songs,
Realise your potential — beginning with your tongue,
and open your heart to the love of the divine ONE.

– Priya Vrata
(The Food Yogi)

MORE POEMS

A Food Yogi is a hugger

A Food Yogi is a hugger

We are the living links in a life force that moves and plays around and through us, binding the deepest soils with the farthest stars. – Alan Chadwick

EXCERPT from FOOD YOGA – Nourishing the Soul

Yin Yang

According to traditional Chinese philosophers, the Universe was created out of a force called wu ji, which means “limitless nothingness.” Out of this infinite force arose two polar forces known as yin and yang. These yin and yang forces interact with each other constantly to produce all things. The yang world has to do with the physical realm that we wake up to everyday, whereas the yin world is the world of energy and spirit. When a person dies, they cross from the yang world into the yin world. Both worlds are eternal because in essence they are both energetic vibrations. In the grand scheme of things, all energy, whether it is material or spiritual, has a singular Energetic Source. Therefore, what we define as “material” is in fact just a perverted expression of the same spiritual energy. The Chinese have developed a science called feng shui to encourage the harmonious interaction between these two realms.

Like us, food, too, has a physical and subtle existence. It reverberates in both the yin and yang realms and therefore impacts both our physical and subtle bodies accordingly. The art of food selection and combining according to one’s unique bodily constitution (as taught in the Ayurveda[1]) is an example of how this energy transfer plays out.


[1] Ayurveda is a system of traditional medicine native to India.

Life Forces

For centuries, the great yogis of India and Qigong[1] masters of the Orient have known about the amazing power of harnessing and preserving our natural “life-force” or vital energy, otherwise known as Qi (pronounced: chee). To them Qi is tied inextricably to breath, life and natural forces. Qi, frequently translated as “energy flow,” is often compared to Western notions of energeia or élan (vitalism).

However, today we often see the ideogram for this Qi energy written with the component for “rice.” Founder of the spiritual path of Mahikari, Kotama Okada, believes this association of the word for Qi energy to rice, “reflects the materialism of our society.” He says the ideogram originally represented energy flowing throughout the three realms—the divine, astral, and physical. This is evident because, “the older form of the character was written with the component of “fire” and not that for rice. Thus, the character for energy originally represented the spiritual energy of God.”

Traditional Chinese medicine asserts that the body has natural patterns of Qi that circulate in channels called meridians. Symptoms of various illnesses are often believed to be the product of disrupted, blocked, or unbalanced Qi movement inside the body’s meridians, as well as deficiencies or imbalances of Qi in the various organs. Traditional Chinese medicine often seeks to relieve these imbalances by adjusting the circulation of Qi (metabolic energy flow) in the body through a variety of therapeutic techniques, which include herbal medicines and teas, special diets, physical exercise (e.g., qigong, tai chi), massage, and acupuncture to reroute or balance Qi.

Qigong Master, Dr Yang, Jwing-Ming explains:

To understand Qi massage, you must understand that Qi is the bioelectricity circulating in the body. Because it is electricity, it can be conducted or led through electrical correspondence. Actually, everybody has the ability to do Qi healing. To give an example, when people are sad, their Qi is Yin deficient. If you hold their hands or hug them, your Qi will nourish them and they will immediately feel better. We have been doing this instinctively for a long time. The only difference between the average person and a Qigong master is that the latter has trained in Qigong healing, and can therefore be more effective.

Download FOOD YOGA
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[1] Qigong or Chi kung is an English form for two Chinese characters: (meaning: breathing or energy flow) and Gōng (meaning: force or power with the focus upon some result). Combined, the word describes systems and methods of “energy cultivation” and the manipulation of intrinsic energy within living organisms.

Food Hero Holds Workshops

Food Hero Holds Workshops

SOURCE: Caboolture News, Queensland

Priya Vrata has published a book Food Yoga – nourishing the soul about the benifits of raw food both physically and 
spiritually. Photo Vicki Wood
INTERNATIONAL food yoga hero Yogi Priya Vrata (Paul Turner) – recently conducted two food yoga workshops on Bribie Island at the Witchie Woo Wellness B & B.

Leesa Petfield | 14th February 2012: INTERNATIONAL food yoga hero Yogi Priya Vrata (Paul Turner) – recently conducted two food yoga workshops on Bribie Island at the Witchie Woo Wellness B & B.

Paul said he received positive feedback from both workshops. Some pupils said it was the most positive thing that had happened to them this year. All participants learnt the science of food yoga and were treated to a two-hour gourmet raw food demonstration.

Paul is the international director of Food for Life and the director of Food for Life Global, the charity’s world headquarters. Food for Life is the largest plant-based food relief organisation in the world. The project is in more than 50 countries and serves up to two million meals daily.

Paul’s journey began when he left home at 19. He lived in a commune in Sydney’s Blue Mountains where he was introduced to the fundamentals of Indian cooking by Akrura das, a former Hare Krishna monk. The experience ignited a desire in Paul to one day become a temple chef.

Paul said he was always fascinated with karma and spirituality, so he joined the Krishna ashram in NSW and become a monk. During his time as a monk Paul said he learned the art of gourmet vegetarian cooking.

In 1986 Paul started a Food for Life club and in 1989 his food yogi journey took him to the Hunter Valley region where he started a new Food for Life program. Paul soon realised that food was a wonderful communicator. Travelling to over 54 countries over the next 25 years, Paul helped to inspire and set up new Food for Life projects and train volunteers. Paul said his travels took him to three war zones – Chechnya, Bosnia and Georgia. He led an international team of volunteers to set up makeshift kitchens in villages across Sri Lanka in response to the Asian tsunami.

In 2010 Paul directed an international relief effort in Haiti where Food for Life Global served thousands of organic vegan meals to devastated Haitians.

In 2011 Paul travelled to Japan and established a feeding program for the survivors of the tsunami.

Paul said he had conducted workshops all over the world, directing the journey for food and using food to connect people. He now has several books published and two more books in the making. Readers can download the eBook from www.FOODYOGI.ORG ($9.95) or pick up a softcover at Witchie Woo Wellness B&B, 10 Eighth Ave, Woorim.

For more information on Paul’s food yoga checkout – www.foodyogi.org

SOURCE: Caboolture News

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FOOD YOGA at St Kilda Festival

FOOD YOGA at St Kilda Festival

Standing room only for the Food Yoga workshop

Melbourne, Sunday, 12-2.-2012 — Over 70 people attended the Food Yoga workshop at the St Kilda festival in Melbourne’s Catani Gardens. During the workshop, Priya Vrata (the “Food Yogi”) demonstrated raw food recipes from his new book FOOD YOGA – Nourishing the Soul book. Participants could hardly wait to buy the new book. During the presentation, Priya touched upon a few of the key messages in the book, including the 5 keys to optimum health: Resonating to Phi (fivenesss) by reconnecting to the 5 basic elements, Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether. To learn more about this system, download the latest version of the ebook now for only $9.95 [paid-downloads id=”4″]

Kurma writes foreword to FOOD YOGA – Nourishing the Soul

Kurma writes foreword to FOOD YOGA – Nourishing the Soul

Australia’s Vegetarian Guru, Kurma Das, author of numerous vegetarian cookbooks, including Great Vegetarian Dishes, shares his thoughts on FOOD YOGA – Nourishing the Soul.

FOOD YOGA – Nourishing the Soul is a virtual manifesto of the art and science of food yoga, and is a treasure trove of priceless information about many of the divine aspects of foodKurma Das

FOREWORD

It is an honour to have been asked to write a small foreword to this fascinating book. I have personally known Paul Turner for over 30 years. We have shared a common yoga path, and from time to time, we have found ourselves cooking together in kitchens around the world.

We both became inspired and empowered by the same teachings of the founder of ISKCON, Swami Prabhupada. From him we learned the art and science of the Yoga of Eating.  As explained in this book, one of the main elements of this Yoga is the preparation of sacred foods. For thousands of years, kitchen-yogis in temples throughout India have practiced the divine art and science of preparing wonderful and diverse vegetarian food saturated with love and devotion.  Cooking thus becomes yoga.

The Sanskrit word yoga carries the meaning of ‘connection’, specifically the connection between the individual soul and the Supreme Soul. This connection has now been broken, and yoga is the means for reestablishing it.

The techniques for reestablishing the connection are intimate and personal. If we love someone, we want to do things for them, and a very common thing that people do for people they love is to cook for them.

Kitchen Yogis around the world prepare offerings in this same spirit of love. This love is manifested at every stage of the cooking process – from the purchasing of the ingredients to the final offering of the sacred meal to the object of one’s devotion. Such a spiritualized diet is thus spiritually elevating.

If something is good for you spiritually, it is generally also good for you materially. Medical studies have shown that vegetarians tend to suffer less than others from various heart diseases and cancers. As far as the planet is concerned, the meat industry is one of the most wasteful of natural resources and the most destructive of the environment. A spiritual vegetarian diet is good not only for your soul but also for your body and our planet.

From The Yoga of Eating you will learn how to achieve optimum health by practicing the Food Yogi diet and lifestyle, which includes what to eat, when to eat, water therapy, food offering meditation, and conscious eating. The characteristics of a food yogi, the metaphysics of food, sacred foods, the importance of water, the culture of spiritual hospitality – and much more – are explained in detail.

FOOD YOGA is a virtual manifesto of the art and science of food yoga, and is a treasure trove of priceless information about many of the divine aspects of food.

By reading this book you will learn just how important food is to your spiritual journey. You will discover how to genuinely feel compassion and respect for all living beings, and how this universal respect is so fundamental to a Food Yogi lifestyle.

Foods prepared with loving intention have the ability to unite people in a loving bond. From this excellent book you will learn how to spiritualize your eating, and by doing so, help the world to become a better place.

Kurma Dasa
New Govardhana Farm
Murwillumbah, Australia
14 January 2012
www.kurma.net

About KURMA

Kurma was head chef at Melbourne’s most popular Vegetarian Restaurant, Gopal’s, for many years and is the author of Great Vegetarian Dishes which is in its seventh print run, Cooking With KurmaQuick Vegetarian Dishes and most recently Vegetarian World Food. All books have received wide acclaim for their professional, clearly written and richly illustrated presentation of vegetarian cuisine.

Kurma has hosted three internationally broadcast television cooking series seen in over 46 countries. His third and latest 26-part TV series “Cooking with Kurma – More Great Vegetarian Dishes” screened throughout Australia on SBS and Foxtel.

eBOOK $9.95

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Softcover (318 pages) $29.95 Buy Now

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