Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

Eating is a part of one's routine for essentially every human. It is a pleasurable event to many, to the extent that many take in more than what's needed by the body during meal times. The goal is not only to satisfy hunger but also to stay healthy. However, this is often a considerable challenge to many, thanks to the abundance of food and a diet-oriented culture. Most people practice mindless eating, rather than being mindful of how they consume food. What if instead, eating food, was among the most spectacular moments of your day, when you are absorbed in the present moment and enjoying yourself, free of worry or anxiety. A time when you can both enjoy food, and give your mind a rest simeltaneoulsy. That is mindful eating.

My most memorable and doable resolution for 2016 has been to eat more fat. Yes, you read that right: Eat. More. Fat. Decades ago, fat became the villain of the America diet and carbs were king. Now the low-fat approach to eating is being blamed for the rise of processed carbohydrates and high-sugar foods — think sweetened low-fat yogurts and splenda-sweetened Starbucks bevvies.

We have another guest blogger for you today and she happens to be not only one of our favorite people on the planet, she’s also one of the funniest, smartest and most talented yoga teachers we know. Meet Gina Caputo.

A growing hyperbole around the visible and miraculous benefits of detoxification has many of us reaching for cooling juices even in the dead of winter's cold, resulting in ailments and plummeting energy levels. Each season has unique impacts on the human body, which in many ways resembles their distinct impacts on the overall environment. For example, the blooming spring season replenishes our vitality; summer fires up our energy levels, fall gently subdues our bodily functions and winter cascades them to a near halt to ensure survival.

I was recently hanging out with some old friends and mentioned that I’m living a nearly refined-sugar free life. (I say nearly because I believe in balance and, on occasion, sharing a chocolate croissant with my family is worth it.) They gasped. While I’ve always attempted a clean diet, it was shocking for them to imagine their former fro-yo lovin’ friend off of sugar. I chalk it up to one of the things that a breast cancer diagnosis did for me – scared me straight off the sugar crack.

Life is one beautiful mess of relationships. We can classify them. We can put them in quotes. We can add that extra long, extra inquisitive inflection at the end, but are we in a relationship? Some are transitory. Some are so interwoven into our fabric we can forget that we are separate from them. We can forget that they each deserve reflection and intention. We can forget that they are, no matter what, intimate.

Mindful eating is a powerful tool that can be used to control weight gain, assist weight loss, fight binge eating, and deal with several other eating disorders. There are currently a lot of unhealthy solutions regarding weight loss, ranging from unhealthy fad diets to questionable, chemical supplements. Mindful eating, on the other hand, is a simple attitude that results in being aware of your appetite and thus allows you to control portions and make healthy meal choices. By practicing mindfulness while eating, you engage all of your senses, particularly when choosing foods. This way you are able to choose foods that are nourishing as well as satisfying. You will remain well aware of your level of hunger and be able to choose foods without relying entirely on emotional cues or stimuli, which drive many people to impulse eating. Eventually, you will be able to decide the ideal time to start and stop eating and the ideal foods to eat.

Jo Schaalman of the Conscious Cleanse provides five greatly beneficial practices to achieve mindful eating. Taking time to eat in general can be somewhat of an inconvenience to busy schedules; not to mention actually concentrating on the act. The benefits of this practice, however, range from increased energy, brighter mood and improved mental capacities. Who doesn't have time for that?