Checking in meditation.
Many times we reach for food when we're not truly hungry.
Could be out of habit or to soothe a variety of emotions using food as our therapist.
When we eat for a reason other than hunger,
There is no end point to the meal since you won't feel a difference between hunger and satisfaction within the body.
Without checking in throughout the day or before a meal you may find yourself eating all the time or not at all.
Use this meditation to check in with your body to help you decipher if you're truly hungry or not.
Sitting upright in a chair,
Gently close your eyes.
Bend your feet firmly into the ground beneath you,
Palms face down on either thigh.
Focusing in on the energy within your body.
Take a deep breath in through the nose all the way down to the belly and fully exhaling all of the air out through the nose.
Continue the cycle of breath,
Deeply inhaling and completely exhaling through the nose.
Inhaling and exhaling.
Continue this deep belly breath throughout the rest of this track.
Open yourself up to how the body feels right now.
Are you truly hungry?
Is your stomach growling?
Do you feel lightheaded?
Do you have a headache?
Are you having a hard time concentrating?
Do you feel nauseous?
Are you open to suggestions about food?
Where do you find yourself on the hunger scale?
Are you at a five and all you can think about is food because you're starving?
Or are you at a one?
You don't want to think about food because you're stuffed?
Or are you somewhere in between?
If you're not hungry and you're going to eat,
Ask yourself why do I want to eat?
Is it out of habit or emotion?
Are you sad,
Mad,
Excited,
Happy,
Stressed or bored?
Do you see food?
Is there free food available?
Is this a reward?
Are you thirsty?
Do you find yourself connecting with any of these statements?
Allow yourself to continue breathing into what's going on inside your body and mind,
Allowing you to cue in to what you really need.
If you're truly hungry,
Ask yourself what will nourish you best.
Ask what textures and tastes will most satisfy you.
If you're not hungry,
Ask yourself what you need.
How can you soothe yourself in another way to honor instead of punish your body?
Sit with these questions and allow your body to guide you to the answer.
Whenever you feel ready,
Allow yourself to come out of this meditation and follow through with what your body truly needs.
You
