Day 23 - Eyes-Inward Awake Eating Exercise

Every single day I become more enriched and excited about being in my body. Being an awake and intuitive eater is a constant process of using every moment of uniting food and body to the highest potential. It is a joy that I cannot fully explain. As a child and young adult my body was this meat suit that I took advantage of and sometimes I even felt as though it was a burden to carry. Now it is my body that sends me tidbits of inspiration and excitement that set the stage for a fantastic day.

Engaging in the Awake/Intuitive Eating approach can start with some simple exercises that gently begin to send attention inward. This blog today will be introducing you to a brand spanking new exercise from my counseling practice Rooted Nutrition for experiencing joy with food. 

I usually start an intuitive eating exercise in the 'field' by experimenting with it personally for about two to four weeks. If I was impressed with its results and accessibility I will merge it into my nutrition counseling program and start to create a trial run with clients.

Here is a link to this new exercise: Eyes-Inward Awake Eating Exercise. Travel there and give it a try.

Cammie and I had a profound experience this morning doing this exercise! Woah!

I had a smoothie in a bowl and she had her cereal. We sat next to each other giggling about the awkwardness of it initially. Cammie loves to put down her spoon in between bites (because she usually wanders off and does baby talk to the nearest pet) and she had trouble finding it a couple times. It was interesting that I did not have that problem. I always kept my spoon in my hand like a physical extension of myself. Why was it hard to let go?

I found that it was challenging to not know how much I was placing on the spoon. Usually when I eat I like to know that with each bite I am getting a certain amount. Isn't that fascinating? I take comfort in knowing there is a certain amount of substance on my utensil. With my eyes closed I had to trust that any amount was okay because I was going to savor it. 

I ran my lips and mouth over the spoon more than a couple times with each serving to see if I got all the liquid off from the smoothie, sometimes discovering a small pocket hiding on my spoon. I never do that when my eyes are open.

There were many times that I was agitated and wanted to open my eyes and just 'get on with it.' It was only natural to go slow and take my time and if I tried to increase the pace it seemed nearly impossible. If I got distracted I would bring myself back to the sweet and creamy sensation on my tongue.

It seemed like a whole half hour went by and I had taken in hundreds of spoonfuls of my breakfast. I had memorized the cold and velvety consistency and the taste-fusion of berry coconut. My taste buds were now calming down, signaling that they had enough of this experience and it was time to move on. I felt done. I opened my eyes and was in absolute shock. I had applied the Two-Time Sit Down exercise so many times that I knew just the right portion that I needed in the morning and that is what I prepared and put into the bowl. Yet now, as I was looking down, I had only eaten half of the bowl during the whole exercise and felt complete. I could not believe it. Cammie was surprised as well. She is notorious for never finishing her food because she gets distracted. She had eaten the whole bowl no problem.

How could this be?? This is the magic of awake and intuitive eating! When we stop and are present, savor the food and enjoy our body the always in attendance natural health potential pulses its way back in. If you do not nourish yourself enough, you naturally do. If you stuff too much in out of fear you stop when you have received enough physical nourishment.

This breakfast was so enjoyable. Camaria and I talked about what it must have been like to be Helen Keller, engaged largely in the inner world of bodily sensations without sight and hearing for distraction. During the exercise we both felt that reality shifted and during that meal we were in an alternate reality. Do you think telescopes looking outward to space are where its at? I don't think so. The most fascinating world to me is when we close our eyes and the whole world falls away to reveal only a singular consciousness.

I ended up feeling light and optimistic starting my day, even spending extra time preparing a delicious salad to bring to work with me, to practice the Eyes-Inward exercise again.

How did it work for you?

Nat