This will be the third year we are developing and offering this retreat. It is beautiful to remember the insights, and shifts that can happen in just a few days.
We feel the benefits from simply starting to be more present for the eating moments; to stop, breathe and share from our hearts the depths of our relationship with food. We knew at the end that it was not just about food and how healing can have the food as a vehicle to go deeper in understanding ourselves.
“Thanks to you all for your companionship and guidance which has been a turning point for me in my eating journey. A badly needed reset! I feel empowered and relieved to have turned a corner and feel firmly on track now going forward. Yay yay yay! AND THANK YOU!” — Katerina Selligman
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?).
“We shared so much of ourselves with a trust that came with the peace at Wangapeka and the guidance from our wonderful guides. Loving thanks for it all… Being mindful as I make choices about my food, my nourishment. I am eating more mindfully and chewing!! Very good!!” — Margo Crick
What this retreat is about
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.
“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.”
~ Geneen Roth, Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything
So, let food be your Guru!
Jan Chozen Bays, physician and Zen Buddhist teacher and 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 critic 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.
We invite you to join us on this massive journey of awakening, self-knowledge, and care! Everyone is welcome.
