Veganism has gained momentum and popularity in the past several years, and what was once considered to be a trend is now becoming more mainstream. To choose a vegan diet means your menu is void of any animal products (including meat, fish, dairy, and eggs), and when fully adopting a vegan lifestyle, everything you purchase or use is free from animal ingredients and animal cruelty—no leather bags, shoes, or furniture, and personal hygiene products and makeup are also carefully selected. There could be many reasons for someone to choose to eat a vegan diet or live a vegan lifestyle: health, ethics, and environmental concerns lie at the top of the list. Many yogis adopt this practice in conjunction with the ethical observance of ahimsa or non-harming, and in general, both yoga and its sister science, Ayurveda, seek out a sattvic diet—a diet containing pure foods that are high in prana or energy. Still, Ayurveda views every food as having a medicinal benefit, and as such, there may be a time when healing calls for the consumption of an animal product, such as cow’s milk or ghee. So while a vegan diet is not necessarily an Ayurvedic diet, it begs the question, how can the two be merged together? The answer is “very consciously.” Continue reading on Banyan Botanicals Insight Blog