The Yoga of Eating - Om na yumm!

What are our usual eating habits? Think about it, what are we usually doing when we nourish ourselves. If you're anything like me, and always on the go, your idea of a relaxing meal is driving down the road at 80mph, stuffing a sandwhich or a Meal Replacement Shake down your gullet while trying to stay between the lines. Seriously, this is a relaxing meal to me. At least I'm not having to entertain anyone, talk on the phone, or attend to anyone else's needs, I'm just driving...and eating.
I read an article a few months back in a magazine I cannot remember now. The name of the article was the Yoga of Eating, and it has stuck with me. As a Yoga Instructor, I instruct people to unite body, mind and spirit into the present moment to accomplish the task they've set before them. In this case, the task is usually to do the Yoga class. But, Yoga reaches beyond the physical discipline of exercise and trains us to be focused and intentional in all efforts of the present, like eating. Yogic principles applied to eating mean that each time I eat, I eat in a calm, assertive manner and I only eat that which is good for the body, mind and spririt. Hmmm...how am I doing with that??
I have practiced this way of eating a couple times, now. Here's how it looks in practice:
1) I breathe. Believe it or not, everything we do in life starts with our breath. Even eating. By nature, I am a very high-strung individual. I constantly find myself holding my breath. But, when I focus on my breath, taking in deep, abdminal, nasal breaths, everything else calms down around me and comes into focus.
2) I meditate. Meditation is nothing less than listening. I listen to God, my mind, body and spirit and let those forces direct me in choosing what food is good for me at the time.
3) I choose. I deliberately choose exactly what my body needs at the moment. It could be anything my body wants, or needs. Remember, I am not just feeding the body, but also mind and spirit. Most importantly, I choose without regret, thinking things through before I make my choice. I do not react and choose from emotion, I choose with my mind, body and spirit.
4) I breathe. (By now, I'm probably holding my breath again. Did I mention how important breathing is??)
5) I prepare. I take my time in preparing the food and my plate so that I may eat in a calm, assertive manner, and enjoy the experience.
6) I eat. Each bite is an opportunity to enjoy all of the many pleasures our gustatory and olfactory senses afford us.
7) I thank. I thank God for the wonderful gifts He provides us in food, and every other good thing He allows us in this life.

OK. Let's get real. In reality, it's very difficult in our society to do this every day. However, my goal is to increase the discipline of this manner of eating. How much better off would we all be if we all adopted this manner of eating. Here's the short list of what I feel would change for our society:
1) Obesity
2) Anxiety
3) Stress-related disease/disorders
4) The list could go on and on. I'm sure you could think of a few dozen yourself.

The point is, stop what you're doing, and breathe. Focus. Choose to live a life of purpose and intent. Choose to respond, not react. Choose to nourish your body, and the bodies of your loved ones, not punish them with bad food choices and methods of eating. Breathe, eat, love and be thankful. Namaste.