To mark the launch of YogaEasy, Europe’s largest online yoga studio, we spoke to three of its top yoga teachers and teacher trainers, to discover how their yoga practice has influenced their eating habits – and vice versa!
Esther Ekhart
As one of the original founders of EkhartYoga (now YogaEasy), Ekhart has thousands of students following her online classes.
She teaches dynamic and slower practices which allow for deeper connection with body and mind. To join her retreats, visit estherekhart.com
Yoga is a journey of self-awareness. It’s about becoming a more conscious human being.
I believe what we eat plays a crucial role in supporting our physical and mental wellbeing.
By nurturing the body using wholesome, plant-based foods that are low in simple carbohydrates and sugar, and by being mindful of our choices, we can create a foundation of vitality, clarity and peace. This, in turn, complements our practice and enhances our overall quality of life.
I mostly practise a mix of hatha, slow flow and meditation. Yoga offers me a sense of balance and integration, and has allowed me to cultivate a deeper sense of self-awareness and a sense of compassion. This positive shift naturally extends to all areas of my life.
Heightened awareness
My diet has definitely evolved as a result of my practice. Yoga helps me tune into my body, allowing me to feel what truly nourishes me (and what doesn’t). For example, when I consume sugar or caffeine, I notice a nervous energy lingering in my body for hours. Often, it’s not worth it for me. Yoga and meditation fine-tune my awareness of my life energy (chi) and the state of my nervous system. This heightened awareness enables me to feel the effects of what I consume – whether it’s food, or what I watch, think about and read. These choices deeply impact my inner state, and I adjust accordingly.
I’ve realised that food choices also significantly impact how I feel – mentally, emotionally and physically. Certain foods energise and ground me, while others leave me feeling sluggish or unbalanced. For example, I love starting my day with chia seeds soaked in water or almond milk, with nuts and frozen wild blueberries. This keeps me full and grounded until lunchtime. Hearty foods ground me, while sugar or coffee make me feel jittery.
Mental clarity
I love incorporating chia seeds, nuts and leafy greens into my meals. They provide essential nutrients, healthy fats and fibre, supporting both physical vitality and mental clarity. Every morning, I drink warm water with a teaspoon of homemade ghee and a pinch of Irish sea salt. The natural mineral content, purity, lower sodium content and minimal processing of Irish sea salt make it a great choice for helping to balance electrolytes and support overall health.
One of my favourite dishes is a mix of roasted cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli and kale, alongside colourful veggies such as sweet potatoes, bell peppers, carrots, and zucchini. Tossed with chickpeas, little olive oil, and herbs – like rosemary, thyme or oregano – it’s cooked to perfection in the air-fryer.
Top tip: Listen to your body. Pay attention to what makes you feel light, energised and centred, and stay away from foods and drinks that make you feel heavy, tired and low on energy and motivation. Choose whole, fresh foods that support your practice and give you the vitality you need to feel your best, both on and off the mat.
José de Groot
De Groot specialises in teaching yin and yang yoga, which integrates meditation, pranayama, functional anatomy, meridian stimulation along with five-element theory. To practise and train with her via the YogaEasy academy, visit yogaeasy-academy.com
I love practising yin yoga – it allows me to turn inward and take the time to reflect and become aware of my feelings, thought patterns and tendencies.
It also reminds me I am so much more than my body and thoughts. It connects me to the energy within and beyond myself, making me feel part of the whole – of nature, of universal energy. It also makes me much more sensitive to how external and internal factors, such as stress, food, social interactions and hormones, impact my body, breath and mind.
Conscious eating
At the beginning of my yoga journey, I stopped eating meat and fish as part of practicing ahimsa or non-violence [one of the eight limbs of yoga]. However, over time, I noticed cravings in my body and didn’t feel as strong. Later, as I discovered yin yoga and learned more about Chinese medicine, I started eating meat and fish again, but much more consciously. I don’t support animal suffering, mass production or food waste, especially knowing that in other parts of the world, people suffer and even die from hunger or malnutrition.
My family and I eat fruits and vegetables that are in season, trusting that nature provides what we need at the right time. For example, in the winter, nature supplies vegetables high in vitamin C, such as kale, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and cavolo nero. Occasionally, we also buy organic meat from the farm. When we eat food – be it meat or vegetables – that isn’t organic, we notice the difference immediately. Not only does it taste different, but it also doesn’t sit as well in our stomachs.
Ayurvedic influence
What I eat and drink definitely influences my mind, energy, body and emotions. We try to eat as much fresh, natural and minimally processed food as possible – known as sattvic food in ayurveda. I find I have more energy when I start the day with oatmeal and chia seeds and have a hearty soup for lunch. While I aim for a predominantly sattvic diet, I occasionally eat rajasic [hot, spicy, fried] and tamasic [animal-based, sugary, highly preserved] foods, but their effects on my body, mind and energy are noticeable. I feel more sluggish or restless after having too much sugar or heavy foods, so I’m mindful of my choices and try to balance them out with healthier options afterward.
Finding balance
I love using herbs and spices that offer either a warming or cooling effect, depending on the season. One of my favourite drinks is a cappuccino with oat milk and a dash of cardamom, which gives the coffee a warm, slightly sweet and aromatic flavour. In ayurveda, cardamom is known for its ability to counteract the stimulating and sometimes aggravating effects of caffeine, helping to create a more calming, grounding effect.
Top tip: If possible, prepare meals with love and gratitude, as the energy with which food is made can also impact how it nourishes you. Take time to sit, breathe and truly savour your food without distractions. Eating in a calm, intentional way helps you stay connected to your body and the present moment – just like yoga does.
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Tashi Dawa
Dawa is a retreat teacher and teacher trainer. She aims to guide each student towards developing a deep love for yoga as a self-led practice. To find her 2025 retreats in Italy, France, Spain, Finland and Morocco, visit tashidawa.com
Yoga and mindful eating go hand in hand. When we stay present, we can listen to our gut and feed ourselves according to what the body needs. Being mindful also affects our ability to digest.
I started travelling to India annually in my 20s to study yoga, and this has profoundly shaped my personal and professional life. My daily physical practice is a modified ashtanga vinyasa. It’s dynamic, demanding and stimulating, connects me to my breath, helps me feel present and co-ordinated, and grounds my mind.
The essence of vitality
I’ve been vegetarian since I was young. Now that I’m approaching 50, I’m more mindful of my body’s hormonal and metabolic changes. I pay closer attention and am much more conscious about how I eat. In fact, eating is as much of a practice of yoga as the postures and breathing techniques. According to ayurveda, overeating can deplete our ‘ojas’ which is the subtle essence of vitality and immunity. When we eat more than our digestive system can handle, it creates what is called ‘ama’, which means toxins. ‘Ama’ diminishes the clarity, energy and balance that ‘ojas’ provides. I can really feel that, too – when I eat the right amount for my body, I am genuinely bright minded and energised but if I overeat, I can feel a sluggishness that is beyond the heaviness in my gut, I feel sluggish in my mind. It’s a palpable energetic downgrade.
Studying yoga and ayurvedic medicine in India transformed how I view eating. Ayurveda encourages a balance between the six tastes – sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. The pungent flavour is warming, stimulating and detoxifying, and we find this taste in ginger, pepper, chilli, mustard and cayenne pepper, so a salad dressing is an easy way to include this taste. The astringent flavour is a mouth-puckering taste – it’s cooling and drying, and we find it in fruits such as apples, pomegranate and cranberry or from green tea. We can prioritise the tastes, the colour and the texture of food as well as the timing and the environment we are eating in.
Happiness in a cup
One of my favourite tastes is bitter greens – things such as rocket, endive, watercress, kale, artichoke and beetroot leaves – which help stimulate our digestive juices. When I’m travelling in India, one of my favourite things is warm spiced milk (or plant milk). I like to use chai spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg or mace, and turn it into a golden spiced milk by adding turmeric. Simply simmer the spices in the milk, cool to taste and sweeten with honey. It’s absolutely delicious – heart-warming happiness in a cup.
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