Vivekananda Yoga University (VaYU), USA is the first yoga university outside India focused on graduate yoga education and research. Based in Los Angeles, California, VaYU offers online graduate programs centred on evidence-based yoga and a modern scientific approach to the traditional practice.
Sri Sridhar Deshmukh
Director, Rishidvanam · Bengaluru, India
Saturday, 26 September 2026
8:30 PM – 9:30 PM PST · Online · Free to attend
Human physiology evolved over deep time. The food environment it now meets is roughly a century old, and a great deal of modern metabolic disease sits in that gap.
This session explores how evolutionary history, food choices and culinary habits directly dictate biological health. Participants will be introduced to practical, science-backed approaches to optimise nutrition, support the gut microbiome and prevent metabolic disease.
The session covers:
- Evolutionary biology and metabolic mismatch — why modern diets conflict with our biology, and how lifestyle factors influence genetic expression (epigenetics).
- Nutritional frameworks and life stages — adapting dietary needs across life stages, portion management, and diet in the presence of health challenges.
- Grain systems and satiety — the biological differences between standard cereals and traditional millets, including their effects on metabolic rate, inflammation and appetite regulation.
- Gut microbiome and immunity — the link between internal gut health, dietary fibre and systemic immunity.
- Culinary safety and toxins — practical protocols for neutralising plant anti-nutrients, avoiding thermal damage from cooking methods, and identifying modern food-processing toxins.
The emphasis throughout is on shifting the locus of control inward — engaging with the natural intelligence of the human body in service of preventive and promotive health.
For yoga therapists and practitioners, healthcare professionals, students of integrative health, and anyone who wants a physiologically grounded way to think about what they eat.
Part I of two. Part II follows on Saturday, 24 October 2026.
