Mindfulness-Based Eating is a practice of choosing the food we consume in an intentional way. This training helps you to develop a positive relationship with food and in turn, make healthier choices.
This program is not a diet and it does not tell you what to eat or what not to eat. Instead of thinking of some foods as restricted and others allowed, it's about shifting that thought process to "am I really hungry?" or "what do I really need right now?". We focus on being more present and cultivating awareness around what our body really needs instead of giving our body what feels good in the moment, which ultimately is often an unhealthy option in the long run.
When we are living on auto-pilot and not fully present, we tend to get caught up with just getting through the day. We either skip meals and over eat later, or do a quick stop through a drive thru to give us enough energy to get through whatever our day entails. Many of us have been caught in the cycle of emotional eating. We feel anxious, stressed, overwhelmed, sad, mad or lonely and we feed those emotions with treats or unhealthy meals. Unfortunately this cycle is a tough one to break free of as the unhealthy eating patterns tend to make us feel more of those negative emotions, leading us to again feed them with unhealthy choices.
Slowing down, becoming more aware of our thoughts and emotions and how we self soothe, can quite literally be life changing. Instead of masking our emotions and pushing them down, we can learn great insights into those emotions and choose to break that cycle and heal.
When we become more aware of our emotions and physical sensations, we are better able to give ourselves what we need, rather than the next quick fix. We develop a loving relationship with ourselves where we give ourselves the space to make healthier choices. We can intentionally choose those "sometimes" foods and treat ourselves without the shame that accompanies mindless binges.
Eating mindfully allows us to truly savour the aroma and flavour of the food we are eating. How many times have you treated yourself only to find it doesn't even taste that great? When we are more mindful about the foods we choose, eating becomes more pleasurable. We slowly start to re-wire our brain to crave nourishment, rather than that dopamine hit we get from high sugar or high fat foods.
Self acceptance is key to creating healthier habits. This means accepting and loving ourselves exactly as we are right now, not when we reach that particular size or weight. Living mindfully naturally enhances self compassion and compassion for others. When we become more aware of that critical voice inside our head we can shift those thoughts to a more non judgmental perspective. When our intention to change comes from a place of love rather than shame, we are more likely to make healthy choices, rather than falling into that feeling of "there's no point", or instinctively self soothing with unhealthy choices.
The Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training is a 12 session in person program. We will meet for 10 weekly sessions and then 2 follow up sessions a month apart afterwards. In each class we will discuss a new topic and experience mindfulness practices via eating, meditation and/or journaling. You will be given access to the classroom portal where you can access handouts and recordings of meditations.