Over the past few years, I have attended several yoga teacher trainings and retreats. I have been surprised and disheartened to often find myself being the only vegan present. Since many of the writers who inspired my veganism, such as Steve Ross and Sharon Gannon, are yogis who ascribe to the philosophy of ahimsa (non-harming)—a fundamental tenet of yoga—I expect more from my fellow yogis.
I find it difficult to know how to best deal with my feelings in these situations. Usually I don’t say anything about being vegan; I surmise it is enough to show that it is possible to eat healthily and happily as a vegan. If someone notices what I am eating and asks me about veganism (usually adding that they could never be vegan), I try to respond in a helpful, encouraging, and positive way.
Sometimes, though, my emotions get the best of me, and I speak up without being asked. On a recent training at a retreat center, someone noticed that I was eating a different dessert than everyone else. When I explained that it was a vegan dessert that was available in the kitchen (the retreat center kept the vegan options in the kitchen since they only prepared a small amount of them), the person replied how it was so nice that the center was able to accommodate “all the different dietary restrictions.”
I responded by saying that I was always surprised when I was at a yoga event and was the only vegan, going so far as to ask, “What’s happened to us?” The person replied that they admired the philosophy behind being vegetarian, but that their body just needed meat to feel good. Another person replied that their body needed more fat than they could get on a vegan diet, and that nuts were too hard to digest. I asked if either of them had worked with a nutritionist to find a vegan way of eating that would work for them, explaining how not feeling good as a vegan is often a result of not eating enough calories or enough nutritious, whole foods. I also talked about the huge variety of plant foods available, and how many different eating styles are possible as a vegan. And I talked about the suffering involved in the production of animal products, even the supposedly more “humane” options. Needless to say, this conversation didn’t go over too well, and I had very mixed feelings about having shared my thoughts.
The current nutritional philosophy among a number of people in the alternative/integrative health space seems to be strongly influenced by the paleo diet and by medical gurus such as Dr. Mark Hyman. Dr. Hyman coined the term “pegan”—a hybrid of paleo and vegan—for the diet he advocates, which consists of mostly plant foods but also recommends including some animal protein. I find the term extremely misleading, since this diet is so far removed from veganism.
Basically, it
is very hard not to feel judgmental about people who make the choice to cause suffering and death to sentient beings because they place a higher value on feeling good, being slim, or building muscle. Not that you can’t do those things on a vegan diet, but many people apparently believe that they can’t. I have to remember, though, that I have been practicing yoga longer than I have been vegan; I didn’t get it until I got it, and other people may decide to change when they are ready. Also, similar damning judgments could be applied to some of my own decisions. Does spending money on something I don’t really need, like a cute yoga top, mean I care more about cute clothes than about starving children? After all, I could instead choose to donate every cent of my disposable income to charity.
Still, being the only vegan is especially perplexing to me when I am at an event where the attendees are serious students and teachers of yoga—not fitness buffs who are only into the physical asana practice, but devoted students of the 8-limbed path of yoga—who are dedicated to helping alleviate the suffering of others. Many of these teachers generously dedicate their time and efforts to help populations in need, such as those with post-traumatic stress disorder, addictions, a history of trauma, and victims of sexual trafficking. I sometimes wonder if these compassionate teachers feel a need to block out any thoughts of the plight of animals because they have already opened themselves up to so much pain and suffering through the work that they do.
Ultimately, judging others and feeling superior is not a loving, compassionate attitude to have toward my peers and teachers, or anyone else. Therefore, I try my best to be kind, pray for humility, and make the most compassionate choices that I can, hoping that I may have a positive influence on those around me. And of course, there are many other vegan yogis out there—thank goodness!
I’d love to hear from other vegan yogis about your experiences in the yoga community, or from any vegans about how you cope with judgmental feelings toward non-vegans.
Beautiful piece, Linda, and so true. I always loved animals but it was getting into yoga as a teen that pushed me into going vegetarian. That probably would not have happened today since, with exceptions such as Jivamukti, Sivananda, Integral Yoga, and Om Factory where I do aerial yoga, the community is as you describe.
I had an experience at another yoga studio when a teacher said, “How great that we have humane meat now and don’t have to be vegetarian!” There were so many things wrong with that sentence, I didn’t know where to begin. But you know, yogis aren’t the only ones in this position. Vegan/vegetarian Buddhists are in communities of meat-eaters very often, even though the teachings of Buddha were strongly ahimsa-based. Half of Seventh Day Adventists adhere to the original Biblical diet the church recommends and half don’t. In my church, Unity, the founders were vocal vegetarians and it was a major teaching in the early days; now it’s almost imperceptible, except that Unity did invite me to do my vegan podcast through their radio station. I think “giving up” anything people are used to having is a hard sell in our culture, even when a long tradition says it’s the way to go.
Maybe we need to subliminally infiltrate…OMooooooo.
Hi Linda-Thanks for your article. I really enjoyed it. I eat vegan (for about 2 years; previously having been vegetarian most of my life) and have recently expanded my interest in meditation and yoga into a daily mind-body spiritual practice (having previously done yoga and pilates since I was a teen as a form of exercise). In other words I am no longer just using life, but am learning how to live well and in a more grounded mindset of harmony with other beings, including animals. I have to say over the last 2-3 years in learning more and more about yoga.meditation I have wondered at the meat eating ways of many of the instructors/yogi gurus…thanks for pointing out that perhaps the yogic community has “forgotten” about the connection between diet and our spiritual nature. Good luck with your work.
THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are a few very specific things that get me in such a rage, so stabby, as quickly as this! I don’t know when we lost our way or why non-vegan yogis continue to defend their cruelty or even call themselves yogis if at the VERY least they’re not vegetarian. It’s maddening and, I too, struggle with my reaction because on one head, some of the similarities between yogi, veganism and Hinduism is practicing kindness, acceptance, love but I just get SO STABBY AND ANGRY lol. USually, like you, I don’t say anything and I do my best to let go of the negative feelings as quickly as possible bc they do not serve me and I try to lead by example but uyhghhghghgughuhguhg this is so bad.
I say good for you for sharing your feelings with people. You never know, there might just be a person that has never heard that being vegan means you can still be extremely healthy (and happier then ever). I sometimes feel like it’s the people that say “I really love animals” or “I tried being vegan once, so 2 weeks” that are the most closed off to hearing what you have to say. I also think that part of the issue with non-vegan yogi’s might just be that yoga itself has become so much more mainstream. Where I live, I find the yogi community a bit click-y and just more into yoga because they are all young and pretty and can impress people with their pretzel-like poses 🙂 Anyway, I say that you can still continue to be your kind self, but there is also nothing wrong with kindly sharing your thoughts and beliefs either — and remember, most things that people don’t want to hear, they will find offensive anyway, whether it is or not.
Thank you, Victoria. It’s interesting to think about parallels in other communities, as you mention, and you make a good point about the hard sell of “giving up” anything. It makes me think of something I’ve heard you say, about making sure you add more to your life than you take away—I love that!
North Frank, thanks for your comment! It sounds like you have found a very rewarding and meaningful path as a vegan, meditator, and yogi. I love the beautiful way you describe your mindset of harmony with other beings. Namaste!
Ines, stabby is a great word—boy can I relate! Thanks so much for sharing; it’s nice to know I’m not alone in feeling this way at times.
Thank you for the encouragement, Dawn! It is hard to speak up, but you are right about it being a good thing to do (kindly). Take care!
I was vegetarian for over 20 years. I developed multiple health problems and modified my diet with a nutritionist (who herself was a former vegan) and ended up including meat again for a period of time. I’m working my way carefully back to no animal products.
One thing that I have noticed from both sides of this dietary choice is that many vegans (the author included) are vocal and judgemental about the dietary choices of others. I even left a vegan Facebook blog because of the disparaging comments made about people who eat meat, as if they are somehow less human.
As a true Yogi/ Yogini, the judgment of others says more about your own personal development and perhaps an egoic attachment to what a “true yogi” is like. I would suggest that living your own personal truth and value system should be your focus. Others will admire that and perhaps be inspired to change, rather than responding to guilt and judgement by a “vegan yogi”.
By saying: ‘Most things that people don’t want to hear, they will find offensive anyway, whether it is or not’ Dawn is so right. And the ‘speciesist-carnist-torturer-murderers-by-proxy’ as someone called those who are not in to practising ahimsa are easily offended.
Psychological processes like compartmentalization, projection, speciesism and selective compassion can help to explain why they are so in to finding the right way to do wrong.
And even if they have second thoughts about eating the corpses of murdered animals, they keep at it. Still looking for the right way to do wrong, they ‘do something for the animals’ by going vegetarian ‘journey’ taking ‘baby steps’ towards veganism without accepting a deadline to ever reach it.
As such they – depending on what they eat – still pay people to throw 1-day old roosters into a grinder alive by the millions, to lock hens away and steal their eggs,to drag newly born calfes away from their mother, to breed cows that provide far too much milk to be good for them, to kill calves and cows repeatedly, taking them out of the frying pan, streight into the fire.
This is not about being judgemental. It’s an observation that many feel that’s ‘hurting an animal unneccessarily’ is wrong, but will not put the money where their mouth is. Making this observation and mirroring it like it is, will allmost always evoke the wellknown carnists’ responses: being offended, putting up they ‘how do you know someone is vegan?’ -joke, denial, ….
That has nothing to do with the messenger. That haslittle to do with the message. But that has a lot to do with the mindset of the recipient and his/her conscience speaking up.
Compassioned teachers do not need to block seeing animal suffering. We are all animals. Suffering is universal. There is no logic explanation for them being able to take in more human suffering, but not being able to take in the suffering of other species, without finding new speciesist inhibitations.
If Tat Tvam Asi has no meaning in our practise, we’re merely gymnastics. All of the above evil and neglect is mainly ego-driven. Not being willing to give up palate pleasures, luxury of wool and silk, not going into suffering of others now that they are ‘only animals’, not being prepared to give up the ego and ‘die’, into a universal awareness where Tat Tvam Asi is a reality.
The ego is fear-driven. Fearfull to die. Fearfull the be alone.
Our message should be clear. There is no middle ground in this. We either support violence or we choose to do the least harm we can, by going vegan. Some find that to be extreme.
Let me quote Tom Regan on that:
‘The unspoken suggestion is that extreme cannot be right: extremists must be wrong.
But I am an extremist when it comes to rape — I am against it all the time!
I am an extremist when it comes to child abuse — I am against it all the time!
I am an extremist when it comes to sexual discrimination, racial discrimination — I am against it all the time!
I am an extremist when it comes to abuse of the elderly — I am against it all the time!
And I am an extremist when it comes to using and hurting animals. — I am against it all the time!
The plain fact is, moral truth is often extreme, and must be, for when the injustice is absolute, then one must oppose it — absolutely.’
We should make peoples’ ego’s aware they are not alone.
They are Allone instead.
Veganism just helps and supports practise. On so many levels. Not mentioning and not advocating for veganism as the moral baseline (the least we owe the animals who are here with us and not for us) constitutes betrayal to the animals,
But by doing so, we fail to help our fellow yogi’s just thesame…
Linda thanks for the beautiful article. I became vegetarian when I became serious about yoga, and vegan when dear friends educated me about the diary and egg business, and I read Main Street Vegan. The studio where I practice promotes vegetarianism, although it is not a requirement to practice there, and many people still eat meat. Yet any events done at the studio or even as a group are vegetarian; no meat is allowed in the studio. Since dairy is used in Indian cooking, it makes it harder to convince people to become vegan. Yet yoga changes you, and I am optimistic that as more information is known by the public about the meat and dairy industry, the environment, and the health benefits of a vegan diet that things will hopefully change.
Great article, lol, here I am!! I am getting ready to attend my first larger yoga conference/training event in a couple of weeks. I am curious how difficult eating will be, and I have no car to venture where I know some great vegan places to eat are!! (tease!!) Usually at yoga events I also find myself the lone vegan and pack a lunch vs going out. I grew up on a dairy farm and noticed my playmates were disappearing. I became a vegetarian at age 12 and finally fully vegan 3 years ago. (and the wonders finally on my digestive system!!) My family still eats meat, dairy etc but are choosy with the eco meat options. (3 friends and us pamper a cow until it meets the freezer and my jack o lantern just went to the neighbors chickens whom we get eggs from) They are those who do not feel well without meat. I so wish my husband would as he has been living with cancer , but ……. i’m blabbing, thank you for the excellent article!
Wonderful article. I too have been completely surprised to find so few vegan in the broader yoga community, but am encouraged that locally we are growing in numbers. My inspiration for creating “Plant Based Yogi” is to lead by example and show people how connected food is to yoga practice.
Just like our physical practice of postures, it’s not about perfection. But when we make firm intentions and commit ourselves to practice, then we go deeper.
Personally I’ve found the best way to encourage and advocate people to go vegan is to be so compassionate that it shows in everything we do. This is my mindfulness practice. It’s so difficult not to judge, especially when I’m at yoga workshops where everyone repeats the words:
lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu
Yet so few practice it. I also believe another way to encourage or be a positive example for others is to share amazingly delicious food!
I took the Rouxbe Plant-Based Pro course that Dawn helped create. It was life changing. Highly recommended!
Namaste
I’ve often felt the same way when attending silent Buddhist retreats. Although catering is vegetarian for everyone, I am usually the only vegan. Your quote about “dietary restrictions” made me laugh; I hate it when veganism is deemed “restrictive” as though it was all about forbidding certain foods. Thank you for this post!
yes, i feel surprised at the very same thing. It seems like a natural progression of someone who is living the yogic lifestyle…..and yet i witness the same. I know a handful of yoga vegans….and it is a small handful. A few vegetarians. But mainly they have maintained meant in their diets. i really try to stay silent. I know it is a process for people. I do not expect it from students new to the yogic path…..but…….Ahimsa IS the first moral precept…do no harm. I just feel dumbfounded by it and again, unless someone brings it up to me, I do not say anything to them. It is a place where people feel very defensive. Thanks for speaking up. I didn’t read your piece as judgemental but a bit confused as i feel…….
Hey Linda!
I just stumbled upon your blog and this post while brainstorming for a yoga festival where I will be presenting and conducting workshops.
I am a plant-based nutrition therapist and chef, as well as a practicing yogini of 21 years (not professionally). I travel (locally and regionally) teaching veganism to these yogis who have gone astray! Thanks for not being one of them!