Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Did you have a Sati meal today? Have one today!

Here are some great habits to practice to improve your relationship to your body and your food. Try making two meals a week "Sati" meals. Bringing more intention and awareness to your eating habits will help you bring more love and balance into your life! What is a Sati meal? Sati means mindfulness and a Sati meal is a meal where your intention is to bring more mindfulness to the art of eating with intention and awareness. Making a few mealtimes a week your time to connect your heart, body and mind will help you become more aware of the sacredness of nourishing your body as a gift.
Twice a week have a Sati meal! Sit, smell, taste, chew, enjoy and respect the moment. Sit. No matter how big your small your meal is, take time to sit down and pay attention to what you are eating. Smell. Use all of your senses to bring in the beauty of whatever you are eating. Before you take your first bite pause and take in the beautiful smell. When you invite all your senses to participate you will enjoy it more. Taste. Don't talk while you have food in your mouth, taste it! Feel and taste each bite. Feel the textures, the spices, the temperature, the whole experience. Chew. Watch how people eat around you. Notice how many people gobble or literally inhale food. During your sati meal make it a point to chew your food. Some experts recommend 20 times. Try it. Enjoy. Don't eat things that don't agree with you because you think you "should" eat it. Every body is different and everything doesn't work for every body. Choose foods you enjoy and enjoy the foods you choose. Absolutely refuse to allow guilt to ruin your enjoyment of the meal. Feeling guilty is worse than the calories. Take the time to enjoy your meal. Respect the moment. Beginning or ending a meal with a prayer of gratitude is a powerful practice. It doesn't have to be long, out loud or even noticeable to anyone at the table. Simply take a moment to look at the meal with eyes of appreciation before your first bite and repeating mentally to yourself, "Thank You" will help you remember to honor and respect your food and your body. You don't have to eat this way every meal but setting aside a few meals a week to practice a sati meal will help you create a healthier and a more loving relationship to food. Eat food, mostly plants, not so much, 90% of the time. Patricia