“If we always do what we’ve always done–we’ll always get what we’ve always gotten.” -Anonymous
A new year means a new vision, which is why many of us create “New Year’s Resolutions”. Popular resolutions typically involve going on a diet or adjusting what we eat or how we live in the hopes of making a breakthrough on a particular goal. If we really want to change, it may not be enough to “go on a diet” because it is something temporary and a regimen we’ll eventually “go off of”. Furthermore, if we continue to see food as only calories and fuel, and not in the broader sense of being a tool to personal growth, chances are we won’t find our inner potential through eating.
Therefore, I am going to challenge you to open your vision of “food” to the larger concept of “nourishment of the whole self” because I believe it will give you more lasting changes and a renewed, fresh relationship with something as common as eating.
See which areas of nourishment may be particularly relevant to you in 2014:
1. Food is grounding. Here is where most people reside in their relationship with food – it provides a way to be present fully in the body. It gives us the energy we need to exist. Our body provides us with the foundation for our entire being to survive in the physical world. How do you connect with your body and listen deeply for its wise messages? Are you tapped into your instinct, and how do you create stability in your everyday life so you feel safe enough to make choices that serve your body needs?
2. Food is emotion. We have strong feelings about food – what to eat, when to eat, how to eat. Our eating becomes who we are, and, as a result, it creates feelings within us. Sometimes our feelings are trapped within and we don’t express them. Rather, we eat our favorite foods to comfort us. How can you take the concept of “flow” into your everyday creativity, allowing your emotions to be fluid and free? Are there ways that you invite a healthy dance between emotions and eating that satisfy you and not your cravings?
3. Food is transformation. Every act of eating represents one of transformation. We take in a food and turn it into our being. Often when we eat, we are not just taking in the food – we may find ourselves taking in the clutter in our mind and in our environment, including the conversations, the hustle-bustle of the every day, and all the tasks we have yet to do. How can you bring more concentrated fiery transformation into our eating so you can assimilate what is surrounding you in a balanced manner?
4. Food is love. Our heart connects to the eating experience through whether we share a meal with others or give and/or receive food. If we feel moved, we may prepare foods for others or surprise them with a gift of food. When we make foods with love, we are extending the outreach of our heart and we may get gratitude in return. How can you find even more self-love by serving yourself and others by making nourishing health choices that resonate with your heart?
5. Food is our truth. Speaking our voice about what we eat allows us to be authentically who we are. When we are presented with an array of choices, we have the ability to choose for our highest good – our best self. If we make these congruent choices, we are consistent on our path. How many times are you able to find your voice to speak what is on your heart? Are you open to making choices that will surrender you to an authentic life? By expressing your unique eating truths, you may open up to an expanse of opportunity!
6. Food is mood. What we eat can impact our overall mood, and our mood can drive our food choices. How do stay conscious of this rhythmic flow? Are you tuned in to your internal sense of intuition, which can allow you to know what food is good for the type of mood you want to create? We contain all the wisdom we need when it comes to knowing what is beneficial for us. The goal is to go within to seek that internal wisdom that transitions us from intellect into insight that we can harness in every moment.
7. Food is connection. Every bite of food we take represents the web of nature – from the field to the farmer to all the interactions that food had with the natural elements of animals, sun, rainbows, clouds, stars, and moon, to all the hands it passed through to make its way onto the fork. There is something special about the act of eating: it is required for our bodily survival and, at the same time, gives us a pathway to the soul of seeing outside of the constraints of our body and into the eternal landscape of connection. How can you get more connection in that next bite of food? If you can stay in the mindset of every meal being a miracle, you are on your way to filling yourself with the divine nourishment of connection.
Like a kaleidoscope that turns to reveal new patterns and colors, food is an everyday rainbow experience of nourishing the whole self. See what new themes emerge for you in 2014 – be ready to transform through the spectrum of discovery!
Join Dr. Minich April 10th for her Nourish Your Whole Self webinar. Sign up today to get a spot.
