I vividly remember when after a year and a half of continuous travelling,
I returned to Barcelona.
It had been a year and a half of non-stop movement.
During that time,
We visited around 5 or 6 countries and lived in over 20 different places.
It was an incredible experience.
Every time we arrived in a new country,
I already had some knowledge and experience about how people live,
Where they eat.
I would see what was sold in stores and slowly,
I was building my own diet,
What I wanted to be made of.
Before returning to Barcelona,
I completed a couple more Vipassana retreats in France and Bulgaria.
And when I got back to Barcelona,
My focus shifted to organic,
Sustainable foods.
By then,
I was already a full vegetarian,
100%.
That transition happened during my travels when I finally gave up fish and I was able to handle it.
Why?
Because I had gained an understanding of my inner states,
But this insight only came through my meditation practice.
If I had tried to change my diet without the support of meditation,
Without any mindfulness,
I might have felt a little better,
Yes,
But the changes would have been minor.
Without a meditative practice,
My states would have shifted only subtly.
However,
When I worked on my internal state alongside my practices,
The practices allowed me to see the true components of my mental and physical condition more clearly.
It was through meditation that I was able to observe the disturbances caused by what I ate and how certain foods affected my ability to access more subtle,
Refined states of mind.
For example,
It was during this period that I managed to cut out meat.
This happened when I realized that all green,
Plant-based foods were actually pure proteins.
Only with this understanding was I able to eliminate meat from my diet.
And this is scientifically supported.
When I had moments of realization,
Understanding that I could replace something in my diet,
Only then was I able to remove certain products like flour or dairy.
But how could I live without milk?
After all,
I thought,
Milk has calcium.
So I began to search for calcium-rich plant-based alternatives.
And so,
Step by step,
I replaced familiar animal-based products with plant-based ones,
Searching for those same nutrients,
But in plant foods.
That was my task.
To transition my diet completely to plant-based sources.
Traveling across different countries was a profound learning experience.
I was learning to see what people are made of,
How food influences them,
What they eat,
And how this impacts their perception and temperament.
It's important to note that all the food I consumed affected the quality of my perception of the world.
I began to see,
Hear,
Feel,
And smell more clearly.
My thoughts also became more distinct.
The more synthetic or plastic food I consumed,
The more unclear,
Confusing thoughts would arise,
Almost as if they weren't my own.
I noticed more fear,
Anger,
Anxiety,
And various disturbances creeping in.
I could only recognize all this through daily meditation.
Morning and evening meditation helped me observe these effects clearly.
Of course,
During my travels,
One consistent element in my life was ginger.
For about three or four years,
Ginger was a part of almost every day.
Even while traveling,
I would make sure to have it,
Sometimes even carrying a grater with me.
I still drink ginger tea,
Though not as often.
When we arrived in a new country,
We would always bring a small grater and a filter to strain the ginger after boiling it.
Every place we went,
I would buy ginger,
And if possible,
Turmeric,
And brew them at night before bed.
In the morning,
Before meditation,
I would drink this light detox tea.
This became a visual,
Practical aspect of my journey.
A reminder that I was on a path of purification,
Heading towards a more wholesome and evolved state.
It confirmed to me that I was cleansing my body.
With this understanding,
I could continue evolving,
And with meditation,
Become more aware of how food influenced my state.
For example,
As soon as I ate something like pizza,
Even a vegan pizza,
I would observe what happened to me.
This was a clear indicator of how clean my body was,
And how different foods affected me.
These were experiments,
A kind of game in which I played the role of both the observer and the experimenter.
Cleansing myself,
I experimented with sweets as well.
Typically,
We crave sweets when we're under stress.
Emotional stress,
I've come to understand,
Is closely linked to food cravings.
If we're stressed out,
It means we aren't giving ourselves enough attention.
These travels are still ongoing,
And they began back in 2012.
Moving from place to place is an incredible tool for observing myself from different perspectives.
I can always reflect on myself through the lens of diverse cultures and environments.
But if I get stuck in one place for too long,
I get too comfortable,
And that comfort becomes hard to break free from.
I become attached to local stores and local foods,
And it becomes difficult to detach from that comfort.
So the best thing is to keep moving and keep changing my environment.
That way,
I can always see new options and new foods,
And choose the healthiest ones.
Regarding states of mind,
I noticed that when I practiced meditation less,
Paid less attention to myself,
And gave myself less love,
I wanted to eat more sweets and overindulge.
However,
Meditation and mindful practices are a crucial part of maintaining balance.
The yoga and meditation practices played a significant role in my understanding of the impact of food,
Helping me avoid overeating and steering clear of junk that didn't sit well with my body.
Let's say without it,
My development could not progress at all.
Thank you for joining me along the way.
