Food – we love it and we hate it, a twisted relationship for sure. How do we begin to unwind this conflict so that we appreciate food, relax around consumption and awaken our capacity to be truly nourished by what we eat?
Start by getting simple – just eat. Period! No multi-tasking. Don’t read. Don’t watch TV. Don’t text or answer the phone. Don’t write or review your to do list. Just eat. Focus solely (souly!) on the meal. If you slow down and get simple, food becomes a multi-sensory experience. When you free yourself of the myriad distractions, you begin to unravel the ways in which you are resisting being and move more openly and genuinely toward being fully embodied.
The next time you sit down to a meal:
- Take 4 long, slow deep breaths to bring yourself into this exact moment
- Look and appreciate
- Smell and be present
- Taste and enjoy
- Chew and be grateful
- Pause between mouthfuls and unwind any tension in your thoughts, relax your neck and shoulders
- Soften your belly. Let it hang – you heard me, let it all hang out! Let it be – soft, open, spacious belly
- Do you feel nourished? Slow the whole process down enough to be in that inquiry
- Take another set of long, slow deep breaths and smile
Getting simple and being attentive while eating is a way of encouraging a more meaningful relationship to food and to your body – from one of unconscious distraction to full-on engagement and receptivity to the bounty of this life.
To Your Body, Carol
