All fresh, organic, non-GMO, and vegan 🙂

What colorful tropical fruit!

Sant Jnaneshvar said, “food itself is Brahma.” The whole universe originates from, sustains on, and merges into Brahma, the ultimate truth.  All living creatures originate from, survive on, and merge into food.

At Wise Living Yoga Academy, food is prepared and served with metta, or loving-kindness, by our jolly Thai cooks. Importance is placed on making the food with intentions and thoughts that are sattivic, pure and clean. As the food, so is the mind; as the mind, so are the thoughts; as the thoughts, so are the actions; as the actions, so are our karmas; as our karmas, so is our life. Hence our meals are prepared with these feelings of happiness and sacredness.

All joy around the lunch table.

After our sunrise meditation and early morning asana routine, we are served a wonderful breakfast that changes by the day. We have delicious vegan milks, fresh tropical fruits, and homemade muesli. Occasionally even scrumptious vegan omelets or decadent tofu scramble! Depending on the season, our tables abound with various other fruits such as rich mango, watermelon, papaya, dragonfruit, and pineapple.  The plentiful farms in surrounding Doi Saket produce these fruits in abundance.  Their deep, vibrant colors and bright succulent flavors put a smile on everyone’s faces.

Fresh mango, avocado, and dragonfruit!

Our Thai cooks are geniuses and create wonderful Indian-Thai fusion dishes for us. Not only do they prepare our meals wonderfully but also with such love and grace. Sometimes we have delicious pumpkin curries, red chick pea salad, papaya salad, myriad fresh vegetables, purple cabbage salad, moong sprout salad, black-eyed peas salad, chana masala, chapati, Thai classics such as pad thai and khao soi, and many others.

Mmm…Khao soi

Fresh produce from our garden! Beautiful greens and purples grown with love.

To rest during the heat of the day, we take afternoon tea — but no caffeine! Instead, we have myriad delicious herbal teas in a rainbow of hues: ocean blue anchan (butterfly pea), bright orange bael fruit, golden ginger lemongrass, and deep sanguine rosella. They each have such exotic flavors and colors which delight the senses while simultaneously calming and soothing the mind.  All fatigue is forgotten when combined with a bounty of fresh, organic, seasonal fruits.

Rainbow on a plate.

Sumptuous dinners are served including a variety of soups such as corn, tom yum, and tomato; Indian and Thai curries including masaman and pumpkin; chana masala, sweet corn, and an extensive variety vegetable dishes and salads.  Every dish here is 100% vegan and organic with very little oil used, but heaping spoonfuls of love. Meals are also served buffet style so please help yourselves — just remember to eat mindfully!  Additionally, each meal is also prepared in line with Ayurvedic traditions with all elements, tastes, and properties balance.  In this way we may achieve balance in life by consuming balance nutrients, three times every day.

Papaya salad, potato curry, and chickpea salad.

Our all-star chef, Panan

Consuming this wonderfully and lovingly prepared food, many students report weight normalization, improvements in skin texture and glow, healthier hair, and increase in their energy levels. This diet has proved to be a boon for overall health and well-being, truly a remarkable menu. This remarkably healthy diet compliments the holistic education, peaceful atmosphere, and wonderful people here. There could be no better name for this haven for pilgrims on the journey of life as WISE LIVING YOGA ACADEMY.

Wonderful staff

May you enjoy your meals today and remember to continue to eat — and act — mindfully.  Namaste!

For more information, and to see what we’re currently doing at the ashram, head over to Wise Living Yoga‘s Facebook page for some insight into our 200, 300, and 500 hours Yoga Teacher Training here in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Sometimes we’re even lucky enough to receive vegan brownies!