Eating is such a significant part of our daily lives, yet it’s so easy to be disconnected from it. In one moment, our plates are completely full, and in another, completely empty. What happened? We hardly tasted or consciously enjoyed even one bite. We can change this mechanical way of eating by establishing a daily mindful eating practice. Easier said than done? Maybe not. Here’s what mindful eating is all about:
- Allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available through food preparation and consumption by respecting your own inner wisdom.
- Choosing to eat food that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to your body by using all of your senses to explore, savor, and taste.
- Learning to be aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decision to begin eating and to stop eating.
- Acknowledging responses to food (likes, neutral or dislikes)a without judgment.
Anyone who practices yoga can attest to the fact that there is tremendous power in bringing our body and mind together, and the same holds true when it comes to eating. The connection helps us to see that we have a choice: We can actually taste and experience what we’re eating, or we can eat unskillfully and miss the whole thing entirely.
For all of you Type A personalities out there, myself included, mindful eating is not something we can attack and conquer in a week. Establish a daily commitment to a mindful eating practice. Begin again and again. There are many insights and eating experiences to savor as your journey continues.
