On Being Satisfied
This month I dedicated my newsletter to Mindful Eating. The word and the experience of being satisfied kept coming to mind. In week one of the MBSR program we eat two or three raisins mindfully. We look at them as if for the first time, we feel the texture, hold them up to the light, smell and then finally taste them. Many people report how much they enjoy eating one raisin in this way and that surprisingly- felt satisfied by it.
The messages we get from media and society is often that we need to have more, and we even need to be more. The Rolling Stones expressed it clearly, “I can’t get no satisfaction!” I’d like to encourage you to challenge this. By practicing mindfulness and meditation we get to experience what we are doing, and living while it is happening, we don’t miss it lost in our thoughts or looking down at our cell phones. This can make moments of our lives much more meaningful and satisfying. If we are distracted while eating- we miss the experience, don’t feel satisfied, and afterwards are left searching for something else to eat. That is why practicing Mindful Eating often leads to a very natural weight loss, and much greater enjoyment of eating.
At the end of his life the Buddha simplified his teachings greatly to these few instructions;
Want little
Learn to be satisfied
Enjoy peace and tranquility
Remember who you are.
I invite you to practice and explore these teachings and let me know what you find.
I’ll be leading a workshop on mindful eating on Saturday Dec 17th at insight LA, join me!
visit www.mindful-way.com/mindfuleating