Mindful Eating

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We all eat mindlessly sometimes, but when was the last time you savored something you ate? Really connected with the joy and texture and flavor of the food? When we eat without savoring the experience, we miss out, and since we're not satisfying the pleasure centers of our brains or bodies, we almost certainly eat more than we need or want. In this audio tapping session, we explore the blocks to mindful eating and take you through exercises designed to help you reconnect with that pleasure and joy. EFT tapping rounds on resistance and reinforcing the positive make this a powerful recording for anyone wanting to change their relationship with food.

- What is Mindless eating (driving in the care, eating in front of the tv, bag of chips while working)
- What do we mean by mindful

Fears to Tap On
- If I appreciate food, I will eat more. I won’t be able to control myself.
- Guilt and shame, I shouldn’t be eating ANYTHING until I’m at the ideal weight.
- Is it safe to enjoy food? People will judge me if the see me enjoying eating.
- Do I deserve it?

- From food we derive energetic nurishment as well as vitamins, minerals, and calories

A Food You Want to Really Enjoy
- Look at it and smell it, appreciate the journey took to make this.
- Notice how it feels on lips, teeth and tongue.
- With the intent of enjoying it, texture, flavor, smell, colors, etc.
- Notice what blocks come up.

Positive tapping on allowing/remembering to allow pleasure in, give my body permission to enjoy this even more...

Additional Thoughts on Mindful Eating

There are several aspects to food that are important to us as humans:

1) Fuel
2) Enjoyment and satisfaction
3) Social interaction

1) Food for fuel is about taking in no more calories than the body needs, and if trying to lose weight, moderating our intake AND eating from a place of "all is well" rather than from stress. When we overeat, it is as "unhelpful" as filling the gas tank on the car and then opening up the trunk and filling it with gas, too!

2) Enjoyment and satisfaction can be radically (!!!!!!!!) increased by a process called Mindful Eating.

• Focus on the Joy of Eating only.
• Just focus on eating rather than on eating while focused on something else (reading, watching TV, driving, working).
• Pray and consider with gratitude all the people, insects, and plants and technology that went into bringing this food to you.
• Eat a bite, and really savor it. Taste it fully. Chew. Notice the textures.
• Make happy noises! Mmmmmm! Oh God, that tastes so incredibly sweet! I love it! Thank you!! Amplify the joy of eating, while eating "the perfect amount."
• Take a breath between bites. And smile! It is great to be alive and eating delicious food!
• Take a small sip of water between different foods.
• Eat until you feel satisfied, but make the process slow and delicious. DELICIOUS!
• Practice by eating one raisin or one slice of orange or banana. Or one piece of chocolate.
• Make it a moving, eating meditation. Mantra: "There is enough. I am enough! I deserve to fully taste the sweetness of this food and of all of life, right now and always."

Unless you are allergic/sensitive to some foods, we believe you can eat whatever you want if you are mindful and really listen to your body as it eats. It will tell you, "Enough!" But it won't tell you if you are not listening, if your mind and attention are elsewhere, and if you are not taking emotional pleasure and gratitude and sweetness from the sensual pleasures of the ACT of eating.

3) Social interaction used to be a benefit of the way that people ate. We joined together as a tribe to enjoy the fruits of the forest and of the hunt. We often danced before and after, and felt connection and honored the earth spirits that brought us the abundance.

How far we've strayed from those rituals! If you feel "unsatisfied" after a big meal, ask yourself, "What do I feel is lacking here?" Is it connection? Is it sweetness? Is it contentment? Regardless of what it is, you can experience it both through food and through other means. Take what you still crave after mindfully enjoying enough "fuel" and consider how else those energies can be healthily brought into your life.

Discuss Mindful Eating in the team member forum