The yoga of food

Think back to your last meal. How heavy was the weight of the food on your tongue? Could you sense the texture as it dissolved from solid to liquid and slid down your throat?

We are bombarded by advice about what to eat, yet how much focus is given to the how of eating? Taking a look at the process of eating can lead right into the heart of yoga. An ancient science that includes postures, breathing exercises, meditation, and chanting, yoga was developed to make us more conscious with our lives and our actions. One way in which I have become more conscious of how I am living is through eating mindfully.

Many of us eat prepackaged, processed food. It is convenient to choose power bars and smoothie blends that have been pieced together from other foods or to seek out meals that are microwave friendly. Advice about what to consume is answered by asking what foods provide particular nutritional value and which properties can be extracted for optimal health (i.e. beta carotene, vitamin c, proteins, etc.).

What does it mean to become more conscious and live more mindfully when it comes to making choices around food that nourishes you? Here are some options:

Sit down to break bread with someone else instead of shoveling your food alone. Acknowledge the route your food took from its source to your plate. Thank a higher power for the gift of nourishment. Invite the nutrients to be absorbed into your own body.

The most direct way to connect with your food is to experience it. Put down the book, turn off the television, even pause your conversation, and discover your food. See, savor, sense, salivate over the food as a whole and let its energy nourish your entire self.

As you unite with the morsel in your mouth, can you be present with it as it changes form? How often do we wolf down lunch between meetings or grab a bite in the car, barely even tasting the food? Precious are the moments when I take the time to. feel a blackberry burst between my teeth and ooze onto my tongue, rolling it around until the soft pulp becomes liquid and only tiny seeds remain.

Allow this direct experience to be your gifted teacher. What happens if you focus on how you feel before, during or after you devour a broiled hot dog or a huge slice of chocolate cake? If you take the time to savor each bite, noticing how the sensations change as your digestion kicks in, perhaps your perception of the food will also shift. Does the hot dog leave you craving for more because there is little to taste after the grease goes down? Does all of the chocolate overwhelm your senses as the sugars bombard your taste buds? Check in with your body the rest of the day after eating. Has the food given you energy or left you feeling sluggish?

Much like holding a yoga posture, connecting with what you put in the body requires that you truthfully listen to the body's responses. Dropping into Downward Facing Dog pose is not just an invitation for me to stretch my muscles but to savor the sensations that I uncover. As I receive my body's messages, whether my hamstrings are tight or my shoulders ache, I can begin to also hear my mind chattering away, and sometimes I can even open to the feeling of energy moving within my body. Intentionally taking the time to savor my food allows me to discover what is going on beneath the surface as I feel physical sensation, listen to my mental commentary, and become aware of the energetic response of the food. Sometimes this truth reveals that my emotions are encouraging me to consume in ways that don't suite my body. Perhaps I eat two slices of chocolate cake just because I am angry with my boss or drink carrot juice because I read it is good for me even when it turns my stomach upside down.

By cultivating this relationship with your body, you are truthfully asking yourself what works and what does not. Granted, like most relationships the process of listening takes time. But take a huge sigh of relief. By following this diet, we give up the torture of self-denial and we can mindfully make choices about what to eat! You learn to trust that your body is safe, intelligent, and does the best it can under all circumstances. Eating mindfully as a yoga practice encourages us to live with connection and compassion as we move toward wholeness. So the next time you pick up your fork, eat as if your life depended on it!

For further reading: The Yoga of Eating by C. Einstein and Yoga and the Quest for True Self by S. Cope.

Christina Johnson, RYT is a Certified Kripalu Yoga teacher in Atlanta, GA. She and Rocky Beeland, RYT will be presenting a workshop, Eating Yoga, on October 23rd at Jai Shanti Yoga. Food will be prepared by Saucy Vegetarian. (See website www.JaiShantiYoga.com for details.)

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