Healthy Eating the Yoga Way
/By Lori Kampa — Last Updated: December 8, 2025
The holiday season may be one of the hardest times to stay connected to how we eat. We have traditions, parties, cookie exchanges, snacks and drinks at every gathering, and a hundred little moments where it feels easier to say, “It’s the holidays… this is fine.”
“Yoga has always brought me back home to myself—my breath, my body, my intuition.”
We all do it. I’ve done it, too. And this is exactly why I love talking about healthy eating through the lens of yoga. Yoga has always brought me back home to myself—my breath, my body, my intuition—even during the busiest, treat-filled time of the year.
If you had met me 15 years ago, you would have met a woman who did not think twice about what she put into her body. I was living on Diet Coke, processed food, too much wine, and whatever was fast and convenient. I barely chewed before I swallowed. I was always rushing, always in motion, and completely disconnected from my body. Food was something I “got through,” not something I enjoyed.
Then yoga entered my life.
Yoga slowed me down. It softened the edges I didn’t realize I had. It invited me to listen. At first, that listening happened on my mat—listening to my breath, my tight hips, my racing thoughts. But slowly, it followed me into the rest of my life, including at the table. I started noticing the way I ate: how quickly I moved, how numb I felt, how little I tasted.
One of my favorite yoga principles is ahimsa, or non-harming. It is the practice of kindness, especially toward ourselves. The moment I learned about ahimsa was the moment I realized I had been harming myself for years with mindless, disconnected, unhealthy habits. I have always valued compassion toward others. Why had I never offered myself the same care?
Another principle I love—especially in December—is santosha, or contentment. Santosha gently reminds us satisfaction isn’t something we chase; it’s something we notice. It’s the gentle knowing that we don’t have to eat every dessert on the table or go back for seconds just because everyone else is. We can pause. We can savor. We can find joy in “enough.”
When I began eating with these principles in mind, everything shifted. I didn’t need strict rules or rigid diets plans. What I needed was presence. Awareness. A willingness to honor my body the way yoga had begun to teach me to.
Today, as a health coach and yoga instructor, my meals are simple, joyful, and nourishing. I focus on whole foods, colorful veggies, clean proteins, and healthy fats. Real ingredients make me feel grounded and energized. Most of the time, I eat healthy, nutrient-dense food because they help me feel my best. And sometimes, I mindfully savor homemade cookies or enjoy a glass of wine—without guilt and without losing connection.
I’m almost always the last one at the table now. I chew slowly. I taste my food. I enjoy every bite, especially the holiday favorites that remind me of my childhood.
And this is what I teach my clients:
We are not judging food.
We are not judging ourselves.
We are learning to tune in—gently, honestly, consistently.
We ask questions like:
What does my body truly need today?
Will this choice nourish me?
How do I want to feel after this meal?
These questions don’t lead to perfection. They lead to self-respect.
Especially in December, when treats seem to appear on every surface, this approach can feel like a breath of fresh air. It’s not about restriction. It’s about compassion. It’s about responsibility. It’s about remembering that nourishing yourself is a deeply powerful act of self-love.
So, as you move through the holiday season, I invite you to bring a little yoga to your meals.
Take a deep breath before you eat. Just one. Let your body arrive.
Sit down whenever possible.
Eating while standing is a fast track to disconnect.
Taste your food—really taste it.
Notice flavors, textures, temperature.
Pause halfway through.
Check in: Am I satisfied? Do I want more? How do I feel?
Practice santosha.
Let “enough” be enough before discomfort sets in.
Let your meals support you, ground you, and draw you back to yourself—not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually.
Because when we eat the yoga way, we are not just feeding our bodies.
We are feeding our whole selves.
Practice yoga with Green Lotus
Lori Kampa Kearney is a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Wellness Educator, and 200-hour-certified yoga instructor. She has been teaching yoga since 2014 and specializes in vinyasa power yoga, gentle yoga, and chair yoga. As a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Lori teaches busy professional women how to stay energized, reduce fatigue, improve brain clarity and overall health, and revitalize their outlook on life. Lori helps women over 40 who struggle with anxiety, depression, divorce, and/or pain in their bodies to feel better physically and mentally and to connect to everything around them mindfully. Using the principles of clean eating, self-care, and mindfulness, she helps her clients take the mystery out of eating well and have fun making the transition to a healthier lifestyle. Lori facilitates wellness workshops at Green Lotus that dive into reducing stress, kicking sugar, detoxifying the body, learning secrets to sleep, and so much more.
