In this retreat we are going to undertake some explorations to become more aware of our body before, during and after eating. We will find ways to deepen our connection with our bodies, practicing to distinguish the different hungers that are part of our human nature and need to be respected (physical, social, pleasure and emotional or the 9 hungers as Jan Chozen Bays teaches). We will explore the gut-brain connection through bringing attention to the way we move, and learn to create neurological balance and ease within our being. By doing these activities together, we can learn to eat without guilt or shame and operate from a place of care and love for ourselves and the world. Collectively, these activities will enable us to eat without guilt or shame and operate from a place of care and love for the whole aspects of ourselves and the world.
“Some people have to go to India. Some people believe they need gurus or esoteric practices. But you have food—and it is your greatest teacher. If you are willing to engage with yourself rather than run from yourself, and if you are willing to be steadfast and not get seduced by the newest greatest diet, you already have what people go to India to get.” ~ Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything, by Geneen Roth.
So, let the food be your Guru!
Jan Chozen Bays, the doctor and zen buddhist teacher, author of Mindful Eating, a guide to rediscovering a healthy and joyful relationship with food, says that it is our birthright to eat healthy using our inner wisdom, the one that is with us since the beginning. Life circumstances can upset this capacity and we can find ourselves confused around our food choices ending up with a loud inner critique that is self destructive. Through Mindful Eating we can rediscover this innate wisdom and bring back the joy of eating in a way that connects us to a healthy and good life.
Food and eating are so much a part of our everyday lives. What if we were to pay more attention to the how and the why and begin to appreciate what we are hunger for? When we are present and aware of our food and eating habits we can ask ourselves questions such as: What am I really hungry for? Am I listening to my body and soul when I eat? Am I comfortable with food, with eating and with my body? With these questions in mind, we can start to appreciate and differentiate where our desire stems from (Is it from the body? Is it from the mind? Is it from the soul?). Developing this awareness allows the possibility for something new to arise. When we can begin to understand our relationship with food and eating, we can begin to nurture and fulfill our deepest needs for love, care and meaning in a more authentic way.
We invite you to join us on this massive journey of awakening, self-knowledge, and care! We call it a massive journey because it sometimes feels impossible to go in another direction. It is so hard to overcome challenges such as compulsive eating, battling with weight and body image, lifelong conditionings that play out in the mind and body, and eating habits that are contributing to chronic diseases…But if you can come with the willingness to learn and adapt, you will discover your own tools, and find that they are available to you – all the time: awareness, connection with the body and self love.
Everybody is welcome!
