NATALIE BREWER
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Eating Mindfully

5/9/2012

3 Comments

 
Picture
Lately I've been attempting to eat mindfully...not an easy feat for a food lover/devourer but enlightening none the less. This evening as I was eating I thought to share the experience with you by taking a photo of my delicious pizza! And no, that is not being very mindful of eating and only eating, but I choose not to judge myself because of it. :)

I see mindful eating in three steps:

1. Before eating ~ I sit down (no standing and eating!), I turn off electronics and put my cell phone away, and I pause. I think about my food and where it came from. My pizza is on a gluten free crust (made in Edmonton), with feta cheese (Montreal), balsamic vinegar and olive oil (Italy), and black pepper (India). The shitake mushrooms are organic, from Ontario I think. The arugula, broccoli sprouts, chives, parsley, and sage are all local and organic, some right from my backyard, or pots in the sunroom. I think about the work that went into these things and how they arrived on my table: the farmers and their hands that worked the soil, picked the harvest; the trucks and the drivers that drove long distances to bring some of the toppings to the store; and then the supermarket or farmer's market where I purchased them. I give thanks to all these people. I give thanks to the soil, to mother earth, to the sun and water for helping these things to grow. I give thanks to the divine/creator/spirit for supplying me with the money needed to purchase these things, for allowing me to do a job that I love, and for the clients and students that I share my work with. I could give thanks forever! I look at my food and how beautiful it is and the pleasure that went into preparing it.

2. Eating ~ Yay!! I take a bite and try to tune into each flavour, each texture, and taste separately and then combined all together. I try to chew mindfully and lots! Chewing is one of the first steps of digestions, very important. I try not to rush to swallow it down and get to the next bite but instead take my time and s l o w  d o w n . I set my fork and knife down between bites. I try to keep my mind on the food and not other places. It's interesting to watch my urge to grab my cell phone to see if anyone's sent me an email or text. I think I've realized the reason for this but that's a whole other blog post. Other thoughts that come up often are work, family, men [it is spring time! ;)], friends, etc. 

3. After eating ~ I sit and breathe. Another very important step in digestion. I continue to breathe and sit in the same spot where I ate my meal until my body tells me it's ready to move on. I notice how full I feel or if I want something else to eat. I notice if I have the urge to reach for something sweet or if I don't. I notice if I feel light or heavy. It's all very interesting.  It's also neat to observe the thoughts that come up when I'm eating on a schedule, with someplace to be, or something to do very soon. 

So, why am I doing this? Well, I struggle with digestion and food sensitivities. Food sensitivities are hard to discern but when you eat mindfully you become more aware of what settles well in your system and what doesn't, also what moves along in your system and what doesn't. This is one of the many instances of your body's innate wisdom sending you messages and when you are mindful you are more apt to receive them. And also, I believe that in general we need to slow down and be more mindful, that health and integration will not come to us in this fast-paced, high stress way of living. 

Since I've started eating mindfully I've noticed:

~ Eating mindfully reminds me to be grateful for all that I have.  
~ For proper digestion I need lots of time to relax both before and after eating.  
~ I don't need to rush through my meal. I'm not starving and no one is going to come along and steal my food. 
~ I'm eating less and what I do eat usually consists of high quality, healthful foods. 
~ My digestion is better which leads to more energy, more exercise, more productivity and more smiles!  
~ Food is one of our many connections to the source. If it weren't for earth, soil, sun, water, animals, humans, and divine love and energy we would all be very hungry people. 

Thank you, source. Nandri. 


(Nandri means 'thank you' in Malalayam, the popular language of Kerala, India)



If you would like to learn more about the benefits of mindful eating please visit:  http://www.tcme.org/ 

Please feel free to share your experience(s) with mindful eating and any yummy photos that you may have. :) 

3 Comments
Jenny Rolls
5/10/2012 01:17:41 am

Natalie,

This was beautifully written! I totally dig mindful eating. With a baby (oh god, I feel like I start every sentence with that lately, lol, brace yourself, here comes Jenny with a "now that I have a baby, blah blah blah story") ANYway, with a baby (*giggles) I no longer have as many opportunities to eat mindfully. BUT this is not a sad point, because its made me realize how much I value eating my meals and snacks mindfully, slowly, aware. And I like that about me. I don't think I'll loose the ability to do it though because of the baby, I think that I'll come back to it with more gratitude and appreciation after this :)

NOW! I have a non-baby story to share about mindful eating:

When I first started dating Matt, we went to his parents house for dinner. There they eat like someone has a gun to their head, like its a race, or like someone is going to come very soon and take their food away. Strangely, this is never the case so I don't understand the eating like that....Anyhow, I was taking my time with my meal, enjoying it because it was delicious and being grateful for it as I was in University at the time and home cooked meals were few and far between. I was still eating my dinner when dessert was placed beside my plate and I realized that everyone had moved on and were mowing down on dessert. Matt made a joke about me eating so slowly and I replied (stupidly) "Well I like to enjoy my food! I don't like eating super fast and crazily like an animal".

And his father replied: "Oh, like us?"

Annnnnnnd I realized what I had said and how it sounded and immediately started back peddling explaining that's not what I meant but really.....it kind of was...LOL.

Oh dear.

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Donna Mulholland link
5/10/2012 08:08:22 pm

Good reminder to eat mindfully, Natalie. Food is such a complicated thing for many of us. I had an assignment in my reiki course this week to make or buy a treat and I couldn't do it. Instead I finished off a piece of birthday cake that one of the boys had left behind on his plate ...

Thanks for being a good influence!

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Kathryn Irvine-Bray
5/12/2012 04:28:23 am

I try to say this Buddhist prayer before each meal and find it to be a wonderful reminder to eat mindfully ~

This food is the gift of the whole universe. May I be worthy to receive it. May I transform my unskillful states of mind and learn to eat in moderation. May I take foods that nourish my body and help prevent illness. I accept this food in order that I may realize the path of understanding and love.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

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    Natalie loves life, people, animals, plants, and trees. She believes in the flow of life and approaches each day with gratitude.

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During one of her guided meditations I found the voice of my body coming through loud and clear. Natalie has a gentle way of guiding you along, helping you to discover the Goddess part within. Shianne Doucette

Natalie is a king, loving, and knowledgeable guide through what can be a deeply challenging process of realigning with our divine feminine, energetically, and somatically. She is generous with her time and her wisdom, I would highly recommend working with her! Monica Lacey

Natalie has been coaching me to help deal with stress and an overall feeling of unwellness.  She makes you feel comfortable and is willing to help with any problem.  She gives you confidence by providing you with tools to help guide yourself through the different times of day.  I always leave feeling empowered and happy.  She makes my day better. 
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