When diet is wrong,
Medicine is of no use.
When diet is correct,
Medicine is of no need.
Ayurvedic Proverb Begin the meditation by finding a comfortable place to sit or lie down if you prefer.
Let your arms rest on your knees if you're sitting or by your sides if you are lying down.
Become aware of your fingertips,
Especially your right thumb.
Slightly move it and feel the texture of what your thumb is touching.
And then let your thumb become still.
Now bring your focus to your left thumb and move it around a little.
Noticing what your thumb is touching and how it feels.
And then stop.
This time become aware of your right pointer finger.
Notice the sensation in your fingertip and move it around ever so slightly.
And stop moving this finger.
Now bring your awareness to your left pointer finger.
Moving it around just a little bit.
And then stop.
Bringing awareness to your right middle finger.
And start noticing any sensations here as you slightly move only this finger around.
And relax.
Focusing now on your left middle finger.
Just wiggle only this finger very slightly.
Noticing all the sensations.
And then relax it.
Allow your focus to become centered only on your right ring finger.
You can move it just the tiniest amount so that you don't move any other fingers.
And stop.
And this time become aware of your left ring finger.
Moving it ever so slightly.
And relax.
Now we have the pinky on the right hand to focus on.
Move it around a little bit.
Noting the texture of whatever it lays upon.
And stop moving your pinky finger.
Becoming aware of your left pinky finger.
The last one.
Move it around slightly.
Noticing how this feels.
And stop.
When you stop moving your fingers,
You notice how relaxed your hands have become.
Your hands guide you through your entire life.
Choosing things.
And lifting things.
And bringing things home for you.
They deserve to relax fully.
Now,
If you haven't already,
Allow your eyes to gently close.
And become fully aware of what your hands look like in your mind.
These hands are so important to your healthy body journey.
They are responsible for every food choice that you make.
See your hands with your imagination.
Picking up fresh produce from a local farmer's market.
This doesn't have to be a real place.
You can imagine this farmer's market however you like.
But see your hands choosing fresh produce and fresh herbs.
See yourself paying for these items.
Bringing a smile to the face of the farmer who grew these veggies for you.
And for everyone.
You made a wonderful exchange with your hands at this farmer's market.
You traded your hard-earned money for healthy foods that will nourish your body.
Now,
See yourself arriving at home with these items.
You honor the food that you have purchased by cleaning out your fridge from anything that is unhealthy or old.
You can even wipe the shelves in the fridge to cleanse the area for a fresh new start.
See your hands again.
Making the choices to throw away foods with ingredients that are not good for your body.
Your hands hold the items for you to read the labels so that you can make a choice on whether this food is nourishing or toxic.
And then,
See your hands again.
Organizing the freshly grown produce in your fridge and wherever else you keep your items in your kitchen.
You may think it's your mind choosing what you buy.
You may think that you have trouble choosing healthy foods.
But actually,
You can just leave it up to your hands to decide what will benefit your overall health.
Now,
See yourself getting ready to prepare a nutritious meal.
Grab some produce or meats from the fridge and feel the coolness that the fridge has brought to these items to keep them fresh for you.
Bring some things to your sink that need to be washed.
And feel the water washing over these items,
Rinse them,
Cleaning them for you to eat.
Notice how your hands delicately handle these items because you cherish them.
The nutrients that they bring you are literally life-giving.
Prepare the veggies by chopping them with your favorite knife.
And you can see yourself either cooking them in a pan with a healthy oil or eating them raw.
Just notice how your hands do all this wonderful preparation for you without any effort.
You are just enjoying cooking a healthy meal and your hands complete each task effortlessly.
Your meal is ready to eat.
You have cooked yourself a perfectly healthy meal without any junk food or extra anything that you don't actually need.
Now see your hands holding a fork and bringing this energizing nutrition to your mouth.
Enjoy this bite that you are imagining right now.
Your hands are amazing at picking out produce that is fresh and juicy.
Your hands can feel the texture of things and know when they are perfectly ripe.
I'm going to present you now with a little challenge.
And you have the choice here to practice something that happens in your daily life.
Imagine that you are being tempted right now with an unhealthy food choice.
It could be your favorite dessert at a friend's house.
It could be a snack out of a bag at the gas station.
Or it could be those last items that the grocery stores try to tempt you to buy right beside the register.
Whatever you imagine,
You are going to have the choice to see your hands acting in the way you wish them to.
See yourself wanting to reach for this unhealthy food but instead your hands remain at ease.
You can move your fingertips like we did earlier instead of grabbing the snack.
And you can see that you didn't need to reach into your wallet or purse to pay for this unhealthy item.
Your hands helped you decide what you didn't want to eat.
Now allow this visual to fade and become aware of your breathing.
Just notice how you are breathing right now and inhale just a little bit deeper than you were.
Breathe in slowly and breathe out gently.
And when you breathe in,
Say to yourself,
I choose healthy foods and my hands guide me every time.
My hard-earned money is transformed into healthy foods.
Unhealthy packaged foods don't end up in my hands just as my money never pays for these things.
I make choices every day toward a healthy life.
My hands guide me to make a healthy choice multiple times a day.
Holding healthy food in my hands makes me feel powerful.
Washing and preparing these healthy items makes me feel confident.
My hands help me make delicious healthy food for myself and for others.
I choose health.
Now we will take a moment and have five deep breaths.
By doing so,
We will be locking in these wonderful affirmations.
Breathe fully in,
Seeing yourself choosing health,
And exhale,
Relaxing your body.
Breathe in as deeply as you can,
Imagining shopping at healthy places,
Choosing the freshest items,
And exhale,
Relaxing your body right now as much as you can.
Breathe in,
Seeing your hands again choosing for you,
And exhale,
Relaxing even more.
Inhale deeply,
Seeing your hands not act upon those unhealthy choices that you used to make.
Your hands simply remain still and do not act upon urges that are unhealthy,
And exhale,
Relaxing very deeply.
Breathe in one last breath,
And allowing whatever comes to mind that benefits your healthy food choices journey.
Be creative,
And exhale,
Only focusing on how relaxed you are right now.
Congratulations,
You have done powerful work today.
From now on,
Your hands are there to guide you.
They are no longer under the control of unnecessary urges for unhealthy items.
You clearly know when you have an item in your hands,
Whether you should consume it and absorb the nutrients,
Or put it back on the shelf and leave it behind.
Thank you for doing this meditation,
And for loving your body and health.
Your body thanks you.
Your good health thanks you.
From my heart to yours,
With all my love and gratitude,
Namaste.
