If you’ve been at war with food and your body, it’s time to make peace, or, at the very least, become “frenemies” with your food and body rather than enemies. Using mindfulness-based practices you can gain freedom over food and comfort within your body. The foundation of such these practices is meditation. Because of meditation, you will access your Inner Wisdom (a concept that will become familiar to you) to create a new relationship with food based on self-acceptance, self-care and curiosity. Your struggle will end and you will enjoy food and your life much more.
Here’s how to meditate:
- Choose a time when you can take about 15 minutes to meditate. Morning, late afternoon or early evening is recommended, rather than just before bed time (you may tend to fall asleep).
- Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. If there are other family members in the house, let them know that you would like to not be disturbed. If there are pets, keep them in another room if necessary. See if others can watch children if need be.
- Try to set up a regular time and place, but in the beginning, it may be valuable to experiment with different possibilities to get the best idea of what will work for you.
- Sit in a chair with a relaxed, erect posture. If that’s not comfortable, choose another position but make sure it is not too comfortable to prevent drowsiness or falling asleep.
- Set a timer on your clock or phone.
- Close your eyes and focus on your breath.
- When you mind wanders, simply return your attention to your breath. Do this as many times as necessary. Returning to the breath is the essence of the meditation.
- When your timer goes off, open your eyes and gently return your attention to your surroundings.
Remember that learning to meditate is a skill. It will take some time to get comfortable with it. Try not to judge yourself. Notice the thoughts you are having and gently return your attention to your breath. With time, you’ll get the hang of it.
