Do I Have to be Vegetarian if I do Yoga?

You don't have to be anything to practice yoga. All you need is yourself and an open mind.

Likewise, practicing yoga does not automatically mean that you need to change your diet. Before making any major changes, focus on self-love and acceptance and listening to your inner wisdom.

As you continue to practice yoga, your inner wisdom may guide you to make dietary changes. If this happens, it will feel natural and you will make these changes enthusiastically. It will feel like your body wants and needs whatever its craving. However, unless your inner wisdom is telling you to make a change, don't fall into pressure to become vegetarian or even vegan just because yogis are "supposed to."

Many yogis are vegan for a couple of reasons.

As you continue to practice yoga, your connection to your inner wisdom begins to increase and will guide you to try and change different things ranging from diet, other meditative practices, and personal habits. Many yogis naturally take on a lighter diet over time.

Many people find that meat and sugar cause stiffness and make asana practice more difficult. A vegetarian diet can add lightness to the body and can make asana practice easier.

But is a personal journey of trial and error of what works for each individual body.

Ahimsa is the Sanskrit word for non-violence or non-harming. Many yogis take this to mean non-violence toward animals, which would mean that killing and eating animals would be prohibited. The Yoga Sutras do not specifically require a vegetarian diet.