Good morning, beautiful people. How often do you eat while working? We get so busy during the day that it seems obvious, and even smart, to keep working while we have breakfast, lunch, snacks, and sometimes even dinner.
That was definitely me back in my corporate days. I sometimes ate every meal at my desk. The weird thing was, I’d look up when I heard my fork hit an empty plate or bowl and think, “I’m done?” I had no memory, really, of eating the food, and no feeling of satiety. This often led me to eat more in a search for some level of satisfaction from enjoying a meal or a snack.
Then I’d go on yoga vacations to unwind, and our teachers would suggest that we do one thing at a time and give whatever that thing was our complete focus. This is Dharana, the training wheels of meditation. It’s another word for mindfulness.
This “one thing” focus applied to meals, too. And what do you know: I ate more slowly, I really enjoyed my food, and I ate less. Without distractions, I was able to hear my body telling me what it wanted and when it had enough.
Organizational expert Julie Morgenstern shared some of her expertise in Yoga Mind when she said that multitasking is a lie. Our brains can’t handle doing more than one thing at once. If we’re eating while working, we’re either working or eating. We may be shoveling food in while we’re working, but we’re not really registering it.
This completely removes us from the experience of listening to what the body wants, and when it’s had enough. It also takes away the enjoyment of eating, and that’s just a bummer.
But we can learn how to focus. Dharana, the beginning stages of meditation, can be applied to all our actions, and it’s especially great where eating is concerned. There’s a mindful eating exercise in Yoga Mind (I love spiritual exercises that involve food!). Not only will you have an entirely different eating experience, you may also find solutions to problems or get great ideas. And you’ll actually taste your food. What a concept 😸
Bon appetit, divine lights.
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