How does one listen to their food?

If you have ever taken a yoga class you may have heard your yoga teacher give you cues in class. Such physical and metal cues might include: lift the knee caps, draw you shoulders onto your back, find your breath, hug your muscles to your bones, relax the belly and the face. When you hear these cues that's your yoga teacher giving you the opportunity to listen more deeply. You are drawn inward, the mind calms and a deeper experience occurs.

Food like your body in yoga has a voice. The practice of mindful eating comes to fruition when we learn to cultivate awareness and hear our bodies' needs in relationship to food.

When we are confronted with LOTS of options the mind might want one thing while the body might want another . Who are we listening to? The food? The mind? The body? Whose needs get met? What needs get met? How can we learn to listen more deeply with food as our guide?

Below is a personal experience I had one morning at breakfast while I was on a retreat last year.

I had just finished my morning yoga practice and a THOUGHT came to me.
I want an egg and yogurt for breakfast. My mind confirmed, "You haven't eaten much protein since the retreat started. Here's your opportunity. Take it now. This egg is the only sign of (animal) protein you will see all day. ( We served a vegetarian diet at the retreat)

As I approached the breakfast buffet I noticed myself slow down and a little voice inside said to me, "Are you sure you want the eggs and yogurt?"
I was grateful that I heard that little voice and decided to ask it what it meant.

So I just stood there looking at this spread of delicious organic food and silently I asked the food to talk to me.

I looked at each item and imagined myself eating it. What would it taste, smell and feel like as I took a bite? This took a bit of time. I noticed I was overwhelmed, there was SO much food. I had to slow down a lot.

Fresh multi grain porridge. Fruit: bananas, strawberries, cherries, melons, nectarines, peaches, apples AND bananas. Plain and vanilla yogurt. Fresh almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, whole milk. Soaked almonds, raisins, eggs, manna bread, homemade granola- 2 different kinds! You could see that I could have said forget the voices I'm ready to dive in!

Then I took a breathe and again said to the food, "Talk to me…I'm listening."

I sensed into my body, took a scan.

Again I stood there and imagined the experience I might have eating the food that was being presented. I sensed into what I might feel after I ate each food.

Then it came to me - the fruit SCREAMED out at me.
"EAT ME!"
The fruit said, "I'm juicy and light. I'll hydrate you and I have lots of different flavors and textures. I wont fill you up too much since you are already ½ full. I can even help you detox."
The granola spoke: "Oh come on, you're on retreat and I'm your special retreat food. You only have 2 more mornings to splurge …eat me instead"
The digestive system said. "No don't do it. The granola is too dry and I'm already having a tough time down here."
The fruit "Look over here!"

AAAAAHHHHH!
Another breath
Slow it down Darshana
Feel
Sense
Experience
Relax

What was it that spoke to me? How fortunate I was to have "been there" to hear it.

I was grateful for my regular "formal" meditation and asana practice.
These practices and tools have been key players as I stay on the path and learn to listen more deeply to myself.

Food can be our teacher.

It shows us when we are not fully present. When we are in our desire. When we are in our truth. When we are feeding ourselves for nourishment and when we are feeding ourselves only for pleasure.

Start now. It's never too late. Just begin to converse with your food, with your body and see what happens….

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GET IN THE WATER.
Whether it's the tub, a pool, a lake or the ocean.
Swimming and splashing around is fun.

It is also an opportunity to feel our body more.
Now that you are developing the tools to converse with your body, how can you use them when you enter water? (Either nude or in a swim suit).

Treat it like any other relationship.
Listen – it's got a message for you!

Fruition Women's Health is a holistic approach to wellness that includes:

• Nutritional education to help you understand and clear up health concerns
• Skilled counseling that supports you to work through emotional blocks in your personal relationship to food &
• Inspiring coaching to transform your ideas into practical action steps

Both in person and phone health counseling programs available. Find out more at www.fruitionhealth.com

Contact us for your FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION. During your free initial session, we will review your health history in detail and discuss your goals. Then we will work together to design a program that focuses on your specific health goals.

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