Everyday Mindfulness

We all know the “right” thing to do: eat your vegetables, get your move on, get “enough” sleep, “enough” sex…but what is the appropriate amount? 

When your favourite food is presented, sometimes the voices of the experts go quiet and all you can hear is “more.”  How can you have your cake and eat it too, and know when enough truly is enough?

Meditation can be a useful tool to help you determine satiation.  It can help to fill up your spirit so you don’t always have to fill your stomach to capacity.  Before you heading to an event – or to your freezer – take a moment to prepare with mindfulness.

Close your eyes and imagine the food that you have determined is stronger than you. 

Let yourself fully explore your relationship with its taste, its texture, its appearance.

Imagine yourself eating this food peacefully, mindfully. Imagine each bite and appreciate the experience of the food.  Let yourself sit for a few moments more to breathe and explore this image.

When you feel calmer, open your eyes. 

Try to bring your meditation into reality the next time you have the opportunity to eat your determined treat. Look at your food before you eat it. Notice the consistency and flavour as you eat.  Notice the nuances that can be missed when a meal is rushed through, like a hint of cinnamon in the recipe. 

And pay attention to your enjoyment of that food on a scale of 1-10.  As soon as your bites start to go to a 7 or below, stop eating. 

Save the rest for another day and another meditation.

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Courtney Sunday has two cats and a boyfriend who are very patient with her health and wellness obsessions. She teaches yoga, Pilates and indoor cycling and gives Thai massages through her Toronto business Om at Home Yoga. When she is tuckered out, she takes up the sport of sleeping.