Nourishing the Soul: Cooking as Spiritual Practice

“…reclaim your kitchen as an altar of wholeness, wholesomeness, nourishment, and nutrition, and as a centerpiece of sanctity…” ~ Maya Tiwari, Podcast Episode 129, “The Kitchen Temple”

As the season turns and days grow colder, we enter a time of year that offers many layers of invitation. For example, the invitation to turn toward gratitude, togetherness, sharing food and nourishment, and generosity. As yoga practitioners and people practicing intentional, present, and awakened living, this season also offers a beautiful opportunity to connect modern life and daily routines and tasks with ancient wisdom and our spiritual path.

In yogic teachings, the practice of santosha — contentment — reminds us to recognize and honor what is. It invites us to pause and give thanks not only for abundance, but for simplicity: for breath, for presence, for a warm meal shared with loved ones. And another principle and practice that pairs seamlessly with santosha, is dana, or generosity — the willingness, practice, and art of giving without expecting anything in return. 

So, what if we expanded these values and practices beyond a season, a holiday meal, or a fleeting moment of gratitude? What if, for example, our daily cooking became a living meditation? And our kitchen became the altar?

In the sister sciences of Ayurveda and yoga, as they are sometimes called, sadhana is any dedicated practice that connects us to the Divine within and around us. While we often associate it with practices like meditation, asana, or chanting, sadhana can also be chopping carrots. In fact, daily rituals like cooking may be one of the most potent forms of spiritual practice available to us — because they are already a part of our lives. The question then becomes not what we do, but how we do it.

In her podcast episode called, “The Kitchen Temple,” Vedic teacher Maya Tiwari reminds us that the kitchen is not just a place of utility — it is an energetic and spiritual heart and hearth of the home. When we step into this space with reverence, it opens the opportunity to remember that, for many reasons, all nourishment is sacred, and specifically, nourishment prepares and fuels us to be generous, give of ourselves, and contribute our gifts to others and the larger world. In other words, it’s difficult to be generous and contribute, without being and feeling nourished ourselves.

These philosophies and ideas are familiar to many of us, and they are of course beautiful and powerful. And yet, perhaps we don’t always know how to put them into practice. I can speak for myself, at least, and say that I don’t always remember to turn every task I do in daily life into a mindful activity or act of devotion, even though I absolutely aspire to do this! 

This is where the senses come into play! 

Many forms of meditation encourage the practice of pratyahara – which is also the fifth of the eight limbs of yoga – and which is the practice of withdrawing attention and awareness from the external world, through withdrawal of attention and awareness of the senses and the fluctuations they often create in the mind. In other words, the purpose is to withdraw from the external, so that attention and awareness can be directed inward.

On the other hand, there are also forms of meditation and daily spiritual practice which promote intentional and conscious use of the senses as a way of being mindful and more wholly present in whatever activities one is participating in or carrying out. The practice of using and resting on the senses in this intentional way is both simple and rewarding when applied to activities and tasks done in the kitchen! Think of:

• The colors of different foods and of spices in jars;

• The feeling of different temperatures and textures on your hands;

• The sound and smell of simmering spices;

• The sound of grains being poured or sifted, or the sound of hand-shelling nuts or seeds;

• The rhythm of chopping vegetables, or of a bubbling pot.

If you ever read or listen to Maya Tiwari’s work, or receive advice from some Ayurvedic practitioners, in general, these are not just background noises. They are sacred sounds that remind us that the universe itself is made of vibration.

When we pay attention to the sounds of our kitchen, we’re tuning into this universal hum. When we cook with presence, we are praying or chanting with our actions. Every stir of the spoon becomes like a mantra. Every scent a messenger. Every meal, a communion with aspects and forces of nature. Mindful, intentional cooking has the power to connect us with the Earth, with culture and ancestors, with Earthly cycles like the seasons, and with even more universal cycles of birth, life, nourishment and sustenance, digestion/transformation, ultimately death, and then again of rebirth (and so on).

Related to seasons and cycles, Ayurvedic wisdom doesn’t focus on restriction of foods — it celebrates rhythmic nourishment that matches the energy of the season. For example, according to Ayurveda, this time of year is governed by the vata dosha — composed of air and ether. It’s a season of movement, change, dryness, and cold. Emotionally, we may feel ungrounded, scattered, or overwhelmed. So how do we nourish ourselves in a way that calms and supports us?

From an Ayurvedic perspective, the answer is warm, oily, spiced, and grounding foods. Think stews, porridges, single-pot meals that cook for many hours, root vegetables, cooked rather than raw fruits, and digestive spices like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. No wonder chai tastes so good this time of year, right?

Overall, mindful an intentional cooking – and really any activity you want to transform into a part of your daily sadhana – requires slowing down. In today’s fast-paced culture, cooking is often seen as a chore — something to rush through, outsource, or avoid. But what if it could become one of the very things that actually restores us the most?

You don’t have to be an Ayurvedic chef or a yogic master to bring these principles into your life. You don’t need special tools or ingredients. You simply need the willingness to show up to your kitchen a little bit differently, with a little bit more intention, and an inspiration and aspiration to be more deeply connected with yourself, the ingredients and tools you’re using, and those you might be cooking for.

So this season, you could intend for your cooking and the meals themselves to become meditations. And for your kitchen to become a sanctuary. And as you gather — however you gather, and for whatever holidays or reasons — your presence in anything you make or share can be the deepest offering of all. Even one intentional meal — made with gratitude, awareness, and care — can ripple out in powerful ways.

Below are a few inspiring and practical ways to explore cooking as sadhana this season. At the end of this blog, we’ve also shared a two seasonal-based Ayurvedic recipes that incorporate familiar and well-loved ingredients used often in holiday cooking.

🌱 Start with Gratitude

Before you begin cooking, take a moment to thank the farmers, soil, water, sun, and hands that helped bring your ingredients to the kitchen. Offer your practice of cooking as an act of service — to yourself, your loved ones, and all beings.

🔥 Tune Into the Senses

Notice the sound of the knife against the cutting board. The aroma of ghee melting in a pan. The feel of lentils or rice between your fingers as you rinse them. Let your senses awaken you to the sacred.

🌬️ Breathe with the Food

Let your breath guide the rhythm of your actions. When you feel rushed or distracted, pause. Take a breath. Return to the present moment. Breath regulates not just your nervous system, but your awareness.

🕯️ Create Atmosphere

If you like, light a candle. Play calming music. Invoke a mantra or intention. These small rituals mark the kitchen as sacred space and elevate the ordinary into the extraordinary.

🤝 Cultivate Connection

Food is never just food. It’s story, memory, culture, and relationship — a thread that connects us not only to our bodies, but to one another across generations and geographies. This season, let cooking be a portal into deeper connection, not just through shared meals, but through heartfelt conversation. Ask your loved ones about the dishes that remind them of home. Inquire about their family food traditions, holiday meals, or childhood favorites. What spices or ingredients make them feel grounded? What recipes have been passed down — or perhaps lost — and are ready to be remembered or reinvented?

🏆 Bonus Fun

Questions to reflect on in your journal, or with friends or loved ones:

1. Who or what am I cooking for today — and can I offer this as a form of love?

2. How do I want this food to feel in my body and spirit?

3. What sounds, textures, and smells am I grateful for right now?

   
   

Recipe: Ayurvedic Apple-Cranberry Porridge

Warming, grounding, digestion-boosting, and cozy. Includes grains, but if you want a similar grain-free option – more of a sauce made with a similar flavor profile -- see the apple-cranberry chutney recipe below.

This spiced porridge is a celebration of fall fruits and the perfect alternative to a heavy holiday breakfast. Makes about 2-4 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 apple (chopped)

• 1/3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

• 1/2 cup rolled oats or amaranth flakes (could substitute quinoa, brown rice, or basmati rice)

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp cardamom

• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

• 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

• 1 tsp ghee or coconut oil

• 1.5–2 cups water or almond milk

• Pinch of salt

• Optional toppings: toasted nuts, maple syrup, chopped dates

Instructions

1. In a small pot, heat ghee or coconut oil. Sauté ginger and spices for 1 minute.

2. Add chopped apples and cranberries. Cook until slightly soft.

3. Add oats and water/milk. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10–12 minutes until thick and creamy.

4. Top with your favorite Ayurvedic-friendly ingredients and serve warm.

Why it’s a seasonally-aligned dish: Apples and cranberries are seasonal and full of fiber. Warming spices stimulate agni (digestive fire). Cooked fruit is easier to digest and more grounding than raw.

Recipe: Ayurvedic Apple-Cranberry Sauce/ Chutney 

Chutneys are an essential condiment in Indian cuisine, typically a sauce or relish that accompanies a meal and plays a vital role in enhancing the taste, texture, and flavor profile of various dishes. In Ayurvedic cooking, chutneys have an additional role: to intentionally aid digestion, stimulate appetite, and balance the body's doshas. This recipe uses a similar blend of warming spices as the porridge above, and uses ghee to help carry the spices' benefits.

See recipe here.