sacred ritual of eating.

Eating is a sacred act. When we eat, we are giving life to our bodies. We are connecting with the Earth, with the plants, the animals and the people. So many of us give attention and focus to what we are eating but often very little attention to how we are eating.

1. PREPARE YOUR FOOD WITH LOVE AND PLEASURE

How can you pour more love into the process of preparing food? How can you make your environment more pleasurable?

The preparation of food in a loving environment is basically like foreplay for your digestive system. You might want to listen to some peaceful music or something that gets your hips moving a little. As your cooking, really take in all of the colours, the aromas, the sounds. Send some love into the food that you are preparing, your body will feel it.

2.PREPARE A RELAXED ENVIRONMENT

Your environment affects digestion in many ways. Eating in a calm, peaceful, visually pleasurable environment really supports the nervous state the body is in and supportive digestion. I know we can’t always set up the perfect environment if we eat at work and in offices, but even taking 1% of this and letting your body have as much of a peaceful and pleasurable environment as is possible.

If you’re at home, set the table for yourself, light a candle, put some fresh flowers on the table. Treat yourself in the same way you would if you had a guest coming over. If it’s warm enough outside, maybe you take your meal outside and can be accompanied by the sound of the birds and the trees. When we eat quickly and on the go, it is stressful to our nervous systems and digestion system. When we bring importance to creating a calm environment to eat, the body feels cared for and nourished and we really feel the benefit of that.

Another important factor when preparing your environment is to minimise your distractions around. Keep your phone in another room, turn your laptop off and instead eat to the accompaniment of some gentle music you enjoy or enjoy the silence.

3. HAVE A MOMENTS PAUSE BEFORE EATING

Before you eat, take a moment to pause and take in the food on your plate. Take in all of the colours, shapes, textures and smells. As you connect to the food, maybe you take a moment to express gratitude for the food in front of you. You may want to thank all of the beings that worked to bring your food to where it is today. If you eat animal products, you might want to be in reverence to the animal that gave its life. If prayer is in your practice, say a prayer. This is a moment to enter a sacred space to receive your meal.

4. SOMATICALLY EXPERIENCE YOUR FOOD

Let your bites be very slow - just like we did in the ‘somatically experiencing food’ practice. Take pauses to check in with your bodies sense of fullness VS your minds.

Happy exploring my love ! x