Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 6: The Path of Meditation

Bhagavad Gita 6.16

nātyaśnatastu yogo'sti na caikāntamanaśnataḥ | na cātisvapnaśīlasya jāgrato naiva cārjuna ||

Yoga is not for one who eats too much, nor for one who does not eat at all; not for one who sleeps too much, nor for one who stays awake too long, Arjuna.

Modern context

This is a strikingly sensible verse. Yoga is not for the glutton or for the one who starves, not for the oversleeper or for the one who stays up all night. Extremes in either direction disturb the mind. Spiritual seekers have often been drawn to harsh austerity, as if suffering were proof of seriousness. The Gita rejects that. A body that is overfed is dull, and a body that is starved or exhausted is irritable. Neither can hold a calm mind.