Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 6 verse 16

Chapter 6 verse 16

 “Verily, yoga is not possible for him, who eats too much, nor for him who does not eat at all, nor for him who sleeps too much, nor for him who is always awake” 

I just finished reading a book by my Guruji-Om Swami called “Mind full to Mindful” on Zen meditation where he begins with an episode of the Buddha where he realizes (satori or instant realization in Japanese) listening to a sitar player talking about how the string could be too tight or too loose and both are not good. Likewise, Buddha realized that too much pleasure while he was at the palace or complete depravation of the body now are not good either. Once he realized this mistake, he started feeding himself appropriately having understood that depriving the body of food in order to attain Self realization is not smart at all. Treating hunger as a disease of the body and treat it in a timely fashion is advice Adi Sankara has also given in his “sadhana panchakam” as well. Krishna in this verse talks about moderation in eating, sleeping and other activities in order to manage energies around the person who is aspiring to achieve Self realization through meditation.