An Effective Eating Practice

In my experience, eating is probably the most direct connection to good health. I think, exercising only supplements good eating habits in the pursuit of good health.

With an onslaught of myriad disturbances to a peaceful life, one of the worst hit habits is, eating. Not just the kind of food we eat but also the way we consume it has become unhealthy. While it’s a much bigger challenge to change the entire ecosystem, to revert to the good old days when food was natural and nutritious, it’s easier to regulate the way one eats food.

I recently discovered a great practice to eat better and mindfully.

Those who are using the Black Lotus app might have already practiced this.

One of the Mindfulness Activities in the app is to not move one’s hands when eating or chewing. Hats off to Swamiji’s genius for devising this simple yet highly effective technique for mindful consumption of food.

While there are other practices, I found this one considerably effective and easier to practice. It helps build a good amount of mindfulness while eating.

I have tried other ways in the past, like not talking while having food, chewing longer, and keeping the mobile away from the dining table. But this particular practice of not moving one’s hands while eating has stuck with me much longer. It’s easier to follow it because one has a physical object to focus on – the hands, when eating.

Within two weeks of adopting this practice, I have lost a little over a kg of weight. Not that I am overweight in any way, but I have been trying to lose a couple of kilos to have a trimmer waistline. I don’t do heavy exercises; I just keep myself active and hydrated.

This one change in the way I eat has helped build immense awareness about what I eat, how much I eat and just how much I need – apart from building mindfulness throughout the day, too. I am not going to try to explain the experience I felt, so as not to intellectualise it. I can just reiterate that it’s a great practice. It’s easier to implement, and helps tie up other mindful eating habits seamlessly.

If you haven’t tried it out already, please do so now — you only stand to gain by adopting this habit.