Mindfulness and Eating: Divine Desk Dining
Are you stuck eating lunch at your desk again? Lucky you. You see, staying put can be surprisingly soothing compared to making a mad dash to the cafe for a sandwich and running back to your office, all the while worried that you'll miss an important call. If you feel chained to your desk, try viewing it instead as a powerful anchor that keeps you from drifting mindlessly. Desk dining can be the epitome of mindlessness-or a remarkable opportunity to slow down, reconnect, and enjoy a delicious moment or two. You can choose a chug-and-chew cubicle lunch or settle in for a session of mindful mastication. Mom always told us to slow down and chew our food properly. She was more worried about choking, indigestion and bad manners than she was about the possibility that we would grow up to be disconnected from our experience of dining. As usual, Mom made good sense. New research indicates that becoming more mindful of every mouthful is a powerful way to reduce our food intake, increase our meal satisfaction, and savor more than just the taste of our veggie on rye. Jean L. Kristeller, Ph.D., is professor of psychology and director of the Center for the Study of Health, Religion and Spirituality at Indiana State University. Over the last ten years, she has been working on ways to help overweight individuals develop greater awareness of their eating triggers using mindfulness meditation. Her program is being applied in a number of different settings, and the results have been quite promising. There's even a fancy term for her technique of paying attention to what you put into your mouth-Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training, or MB-EAT for short. It's not rocket science-just a simple way to assess your needs and attend to the process of eating slowly. Even if you don't have an eating disorder, chances are you've had more than a few meals on the go. Perhaps you are a practiced drive-and-diner, grabbing your order from the drive-thru window and perfecting your food balancing technique. More likely, you've eaten an entire lunch while simultaneously answering phones and typing out email messages-and not really tasting a single bite. Don't curse your go-go lifestyle. Instead, choose to savor a slow-slow moment-even if it's just a two-minute yogurt break. Your divine desk dining experience starts with a couple of deep breaths and a commitment to focusing for two-count 'em, TWO-minutes. Feel your belly, and pay attention to any hunger pangs. Check in to see if you are eating now because it's lunch time, because you are ravenous, or because you know you won't get a chance to eat for several more hours. Take note. Then, take a bite. Put down your fork, spoon or sandwich, and simply chew your food slowly, relishing the flavors and textures, just like Mom taught you. Do this for one minute, and then pause. Feeling better now? Sometimes the simple act of chewing mindfully for just a moment can help us slow down enough to recognize that we're not that hungry. Savor another minute of mindful mastication without getting wrapped up in thoughts of work or anything else. Come back to "just this bite" until your two minutes are up. After that, feel free to eat at your normal pace, and even if you get caught up in the type-and-swallow routine, simply note it. We spend a lot of time and energy bemoaning our busy lives. Instead, spend two minutes tasting mindfulness right there at your desk. It's simply divine. Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse in Portland, Oregon. Through her company, Real-World Mindfulness Training, she teaches playful and powerful eyes-wide-open ways to get calm, clear and creative. To read her free special report, "The Dirty Little Secret About Meditation" visit http://www.MayaFrost.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Laughter YogaWPTV, FL - 15 hours agoBACKGROUND: Yoga is a well-known exercise that incorporates breathing, stretching and a variety of poses. Now, a growing number of instructors around the ... |
If you're not into yoga ...Sioux Falls Argus Leader, SD - 17 hours agoEast Bank Yoga is the latest addition. The center opened last week at 8th & Railroad Center. The center offers a host of yoga and meditation classes ... |
The medicinal powers of yogaCBC.ca, Canada - Sep 5, 2008But medical research that's been accumulating over the past 10 to 15 years is showing that yoga can provide health benefits that many people may not realize ... |
Higher education, with yogaGlobe and Mail, Canada - Sep 6, 2008... a gymnasium and a 1700-seat varsity centre that can host convocation ceremonies, as well as dozens of dance, fitness and yoga studios. ... |
Yoga - Google News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Understanding Meditation
It is impossible to overstate the importance of daily meditation. The benefits are enormous.
Meditation: Time to Stop & Listen
As a co-active coach, one of the underlying principles that I subscribe to is that everyone has their own answers within. Most of what I do as a coach is to give people the time, space and permission to find these answers (and sometimes I provide a question or two to get things going).
Establishing A Daily Meditation Practice
It's important to establish a daily practice and then stick to it. This doesn't mean dedicating 12 hours a day to meditation, it just means creating a space in your home where you can take a few minutes and meditate and do the exercises.
Quieting the Mind Opening the Heart
To put it simply, the act of meditation involves quieting the
mind so you can open the heart. That's it in a nutshell.
What Does Meditation Music Do To You?
Personally I belief that it is possible for anyone to live a life of happiness,inner peace, and outward success, no matter what their present or past circumstances.
There are very real methods anyone can use to achieve these things-if they are willing to make the necessary changes in how they see themselves and their relationship to the rest of the world, and take the necessary actions.
Can Cognitive Fitness Be a Workout for Your Brain?
There is growing interest to exercise your brain using something called "cognitive fitness."It's a known fact that exercise and meditation reduce anxiety, ease depression, and give you a general feeling of wellness.
The Benefits of Meditation: Tips and Techniques
Meditation is healthy, safe and affordable. In fact it's free.
A Look at Meditation
I've counseled many people from every background and led
workshops and lectures about self-empowering topics for
about 25 years. Over that time, I saw a need.
The Relationship Between Meditation and Self-Analysis
These are two very powerful tools for self-improvement, but how can you use them in harmony? For example: Self-analysis and meditation cannot be performed at the same time. After all, multi-tasking runs contrary to what meditation is all about.
Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe, With Which Meditation Should I Go?
There are many different styles of meditation, so which one is right for you?You can choose from:1. A writing meditation - using either the dominant or non-dominant hand2.
A One Minute Meditation
Maybe learning to meditate intimidates you, and in any case it's tough to find the time for daily meditation. The solution to both problems is an easy meditation you can learn right now, that will only take a minute to do each day.
Secrets of Meditation For Better Health
Meditation can improve your health, increase energy levels and maximize your enjoyment of life. Without a doubt, more people would benefit from meditation if they took the time to practice the simple exercises used to calm the mind, reduce stress and increase energy levels.
Past Life Regression - Without Trance or Hypnosis!
Instant Past Life Regression - No Trance RequiredI was in the employ of a UK adult education college at one time and was asked to do a course on Hypnosis - BUT I was not to do any hypnosis with anyone, nor hypnotise anyone because that was too dangerous and they didn't want to take the risk. It was also something to do with the very strange regulations that exist in the UK for the use of public buildings for hypnotist performances and group hypnosis; either way, I was faced with the bizarre challenge how to conduct a hypnosis training but without hypnosis.
A Forty-Five-Second Meditation
Is Meditation Too Much Time And Trouble?If you haven't meditated before, you might think it's too much trouble to learn. If you do meditate, you know it can be difficult to find the time to do it consistently.
Mindfulness and Eating: Divine Desk Dining
Are you stuck eating lunch at your desk again?Lucky you.You see, staying put can be surprisingly soothing compared to making a mad dash to the cafe for a sandwich and running back to your office, all the while worried that you'll miss an important call.
Scientific Research on Transcendental Meditation (TM)
Scientific research has shown that the most beneficial meditation technique is Transcendental Meditation (TM). The striking reduction of stress and anxiety caused by TM are 3 times greater than the effect caused by most meditation and relaxation techniques.
The Art Of Meditation: How Easy Is It?
Meditation is a form of relaxing and a method to spiritual enlightenment that has been around for centuries. Yet with all the different types of meditation as well as the varied methods, how do you know you are truly meditating? Which one is right for you?We are often told that to meditate is to think of nothing and clear your mind, which to me is impossible.
Understanding Meditation
Meditation has been around for many thousands of years. It is a technique geared towards inner discovery and enlightenment.
Wireless Meditation: Top Five Tips For Wherever-Whenever Mindfulness
The problem with meditation is attachment.We get in the habit of needing our altar, favorite cushion, incense, CD, certain time of day, necessary length of time, or particular style of sitting.
Practicing Staying Present to the Now
Transformational Counseling is about assisting others to transform their life. Transformational Counseling is a process of assisting others to learn how to let go of the past and live fully in the present.
|
