Tranquility Workshops Blog

As I previously mentioned in my 30 Day Mindfulness Journal, I will now start focusing on using mindfulness to improve on my self-care…….primarily eating mindfully and engaging in daily physical activity.  It’s time to shed the 10 pounds I’ve been complaining about for so long.  I could join Weight Watchers once again,  paying $12/week to count up my food points, weigh in, and attend a support meeting.   Instead of that, this time I’m going to pay close attention to my thoughts, feelings, urges, choices and behavior as they relate to eating and exercising, instead of just running on auto pilot. 

Last August I attended a 6 day mindfulness retreat (with Thich Nhat Hanh), and of course, all meals were eaten mindfully (with full attention).    We silently walked into the dining hall, contemplated and chose what we wanted to eat (from the vegan selections), while paying attention to taking only as much as we could comfortably consume (without wasting food or over-indulging).  As we sat down to eat, we closely looked at our food, considered the origins of it, and attended to the texture and taste of it.  We ate and drank slowly, as we attended to our hunger cues, noticing when we felt satisfied.  When we were done eating,  we sat in silence for a bit, before getting up and leaving the table.   At first, I found this all to be a little strange, however as time went on, I grew to enjoy eating in this way.  I especially enjoyed the vegan diet and appreciated the absence of “junk food”. 

Of course, after the retreat,  I went back to my old habits, as a hurried pace, time constraints and social situations in the real world don’t always allow for taking the time to eat mindfully. At that time,  I did change my diet, somewhat, by eating more vegetarian meals. Eating out, snacking, week-ends, holidays and vacations, however, involved a lot of poor food choices and mindless eating. 

Well, now I’m ready to step out of auto-pilot mode and into the realm of being mindful of making healthy decisions in relation to eating and getting physical exercise.  Although mindful eating does not need to involve following a vegan diet, at this time I’ve made the choice to attempt to follow one, with coaching from my friend, Joy Riccardo.  Joy  is very knowledgeable on the subject, as well as  passionate about the welfare of animals, the well-being of humans and the health of our planet.  She believes all beings matter and all have the right to live their lives happy, healthy and out of harms way.  She believes animal species resemble humans in that they have families, care about each other, protect one another and love to have fun with each other.  If you talk to her, she will tell you:  “Farm animals are no different than our companion animals--they feel love as well as feel pain physically and emotionally”.  It is her intention to create delicious vegan food so people can see that our bodies, the earth, and the lives of animals can all benefit from a plant-based diet. 

I will also be referring to helpful principles taken from the book, “Savor….Mindful Eating, Mindful Life, written by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Lilian Cheung. 

I’m looking forward to this new adventure as it unfolds, and eager to share my experiences in with you, as I attempt to demonstrate how mindfulness can help you attain your self-care goals.