When we were very small, our caregivers made food choices for us; most of us were fed breast milk or infant formula. You got hungry, the food you were fed satisfied your appetite, you ate what you wanted and stopped when you were full. For most people early infancy is the stage where our desire for food and our intake of it is as perfectly balanced as it ever gets.
The first thing the Angels encourage us to do, as we begin the more practical steps, is to spend time (maybe just a couple minutes a few times a day) imagining what it was like as an infant, when our appetite was perfectly in harmony with our physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
Most of us are so out of touch with the mechanism that signals when we've had enough to eat, we’ve forgotten this deep body wisdom is our birthright as human beings. We’ve become so separated from this primal sense of who we really are, it’s like we've fallen out of love with some essential part of our human nature. This exercise helps you to remember and reconnect with this primal body wisdom—and to know it not just in conscious memory but deep, in your cells.
Mindful breathing is an excellent way to help you visualize that long-forgotten harmony between body, mind and appetite.
· Find a quiet place to sit. (examples: in the bath, a comfy chair, a quiet corner in a park, if you are a busy parent your only quiet time might be when you are on the toilet!)
· Close your eyes. Breathe in and out. Don’t try change your breathing in any way. Simply, become aware of the flow of the air over your tongue, down the back of your throat, into your lungs. Become aware of the press of your diaphragm, how your ribs so effortlessly expand and contract. Appreciate the miracle of your own breathing.
· In your mind’s eye, picture yourself as a baby. Imagine what it may have felt like when you were a baby and you knew exactly how much you needed to eat and exactly how it felt to feel full nourished—a peaceful fullness in your baby belly. Don't force anything, just relax and allow.
· Spend a few minutes (or more if you like) with this imagery and the sensations that arise.
· If you feel uncomfortable, stop. Try again another time.
· You might want to jot down your responses in your journal.
The Angels want us to take joy in our physical bodies, to appreciate the goodness of the food with which we nourish ourselves, and to understand that we really do have the ability to recognize the best ways to nourish our bodymind and spirit.
Your comments about your experiences are welcomed and appreciated! Please feel free to share. Thank you....Annie & Karen
3 comments:
This is kind of strange, but I sort of panicked when I thought about being a baby and early food things. I wonder why.
I know that my children ate when they were hungry and ate what they wanted, with us offering more and more selections as they got older and never pushing what they didn't want. My sister-in-law's PASTOR told her to put her daughters on a schedule immediately so that they'd develop discipline. Seriously. It worked ok for one (as far as we know) but the other almost died because of a reflux problem. Fortunately, she started feeding her when she wanted and only what she wanted.
I wonder how long food has been scary to me?
Yesterday I made a feeble attempt at this meditation. I was too engaged in the world around me to really center myself in it. BUT last night I fell asleep to this meditation … I recall what I can only describe as a comfortable void. I imagine that this void will begin to take some form as I practice this meditation. Yet, I slept sound straight through seven full hours - first time in a while.
I suppose I might say that I slept like a baby.
Coincidence? No such a thing! Angels? Oh yeah. :)
thank you for sharing your insights! have you continued the process yet?
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