Guest Blogger, Rob Shulman: Eating local and in-season

One habit I wanted to develop in 2010 was to eat more local and in-season food, but I have found this especially challenging during the winter here. I met Rob through the Philadelphia ashtanga yoga community. I love how he writes about the beauty and benefits of eating this way (especially in the winter), and how it goes hand in hand with our practice of yoga.

Guest blogger, Rob Shulman:  

Eating local and in-season

I have followed the local and in-season concept since the '90s during my first vegan/veggie sojourn (this time I have returned to that diet as a result of my yoga practice and it feels so much better).

My body loves welcoming each new item according to the season and I enjoy knowing I can connect that food with a local farmer. Eating locally forces you to become resourceful to find new ways to enjoy the veggies and fruits you may slowly tire of over the winter. I love all the squashes and apples our region in particular offers, and find new ways every day to enjoy them in my kitchen. I may start canning, which only adds to the arsenal of good food to extend through the Winter, a time that seems to be the most trying for people to maintain the local food strategy. Winter is indeed a time of dormancy, but also can be a time for creative exploration.

Eating local and in-season has another wonderful benefit. Just like our bodies become more accustomed to the cycle of the moon and nature because of our beautiful yoga practice (i.e., how we rest on moon days), our digestive system and thus mind become that much more active and open by eating locally. Our body really awakens with the arrival of Spring and its fresh greens and then rejoices with the arrival of Summer with its broad selection of fruits. And when our body has had its fill of Summer fun, it welcomes the cooler climate and comforting foods that arrive in the Fall (my favorite season).

I think eating in this way also makes you appreciate the wonderful gift of living in the Northeast, with its four true seasons. And it is certainly complementary to our yoga practice and all that it encourages us to achieve.

~Rob Schulman