Greetings.
This is Britta Green Violet and I'm delighted to be here to share and guide you through my 8-step Eat Here Now mindful eating method.
Utilize this method before a meal to remind you of all the ways listed here that can assist you in slowing down,
More fully enjoying the food on your plate and in your mouth,
And listening more deeply to your body in the process.
Step 1.
Make time.
I invite you to take 100% responsibility for your relationship with time.
Decide today,
Right now,
That nourishing yourself is worth the time it will take.
Step 2.
Take a seat.
Mindless snacking and mindless eating often happens while we're standing on our feet.
When we stand,
We invite movement,
Multitasking and distraction.
Sitting on the other hand,
Invites relaxation,
Breath and presence.
You're invited to make a deliberate choice to sit while you eat.
Step 3.
Set an intention.
As you sit in front of your plate,
Set an intention to eat slowly and mindfully,
Savoring each bite and listening for your body's cues of hunger and satiety.
Give yourself full permission to be present with this process of eating a meal.
This too is part of your spiritual practice.
Step 4.
Give thanks.
Gratitude slows us down and it deepens our appreciation for the food on our plate.
There are many ways to give thanks.
You can say a prayer either silently or out loud.
I like to think about all of the human beings who touched the food from seed to plate.
I like to think about the four elements and how they alchemize together to create the miracle of these nutrients,
Vitamins,
Minerals.
You can hold your hands over your plate and imagine good positive energy streaming from your fingers into the food.
Or you can try my personal favorite,
The yum chant,
Which sounds like a long om you might chant at the end of a yoga class,
But you'll say yum instead.
And it might sound something like this.
Yum.
Step 5.
Take three breaths.
Before you even think about touching your utensils,
I invite you to take three full deep breaths.
Not one,
Not two,
But three.
Three is the magic number that will allow you to fully surrender and relax into the process.
These breaths will help you relax.
They will help you notice how hungry you actually are.
They'll give you time to reflect on your health goals.
And they'll help you recall your intention to nourish yourself mindfully and give thanks for every delicious morsel of food that you chew and swallow.
Step 6.
The mastication meditation.
If you do nothing else from this methodology,
Practice the mastication meditation and I promise you will see drastic and amazing results.
It's a simple process,
But not necessarily easy.
Redoing decades of patterning can take some time,
So be gentle with yourself.
Here's how it looks.
First pick up your utensil,
Put your food in your mouth,
And then set the utensil down.
This is a key component,
So I'll go ahead and repeat it.
Set your utensil down and move your hands away from the utensil.
I find placing my hands in my lap is a helpful way to go.
Chew thoroughly.
And as you chew,
Observe the flavors,
The textures,
Any sensations that arise,
And any thoughts that cross your mind.
Once you've swallowed completely,
And I do mean swallowed the entire bite,
Everything in your mouth completely,
Then and only then start again by picking up your utensil.
This step is an absolute game changer,
And it has been transformative for me,
And I hope it's transformative for you as well.
Moving on to step seven,
Notice your full sigh.
Pay special attention to the moment when you automatically heave a big sigh.
That is your body's signal that it is satiated.
Pause at this time and give yourself a few minutes before you start eating again.
You might find that you feel more full by the minute.
Step eight is listen and observe.
After you have completed your meal,
Hopefully followed some or all of these steps and eaten mindfully,
Take a moment to breathe and simply reflect what came up for you during this process.
Were there distractions around you in your environment?
Did you feel frustrated?
Did you feel moments of pleasure?
Were there foods you loved or foods perhaps you ate despite not even really wanting them?
Please don't judge yourself.
From here,
You can learn and simply course correct in the future.
It is my hope that you utilize any or all of these steps in any or all of your meals and notice what happens for you.
Notice if you're able to listen to your body more deeply and care for your body in a deeper,
Fuller,
More mindful way.
You're welcome to stay seated here,
Take a few more breaths and set that intention before you move into your next meal.
Thank you for spending time with me today and I send you love and blessings from my heart and my body to yours.
