Great piece! I've actually been working on a new religious practice which requires us to avoid convenience and comfort and lean into tasks that seem arduous and less enjoyable. I have taken the messages of historical religions and I have refined them with the support of psychology and science to create a tool to help people of the modern age. One of the main examples I use is doing the dishes, because few people like doing the dishes, however one things I think that stops people cooking is when they have to do dishes in order to do so.
Cooking would be another perfect example of one such task that gets diminished by people seeking out comfort and convenience, single use dishes with prepackaged easy to heat up meals for example seem much easier than quickly making pasta with fresh chopped veg or something healthier. It's all about using your time to invest in your health by doing the hard things like eating well and exercising that pay off in the long run. I think you should check it out because I think you would agree with a lot that I include in it. If you do, let me know what you think, I'd love to hear your take.
I am already doing this… 90% of the time I eat what I cook… I keep dishes simple and as natural as possible… I also practice mindfulness eating very frequently… I am very proud to see that many people are more oriented towards the healthier way… rather that the unhealthy commercial, fast food, heavy meals ways …
This hits home for sure. I’ve been doing my best to eat at the table with my partner while our phones are put away, but there is often still the urge to snack while watching something later in the evening.
I read somewhere that if we’re watching or listening to something while eating we are literally consuming that thing. I think it was in this book called “The Yoga of Eating”. Think of what that means for so many people watching mind numbing mainstream news & war propaganda, etc. Over time it would become part of their cellular structure..
Anyway.. just some thoughts. Awesome article! Just subscribed 🙏🏼
I know what you mean… it takes strength and awareness to break the cycle… and be free… once you do that you can then restart your new way of eating… start with small things and build from there… eating with no phones around that’s a good step forward ❤️
We reclaim the ritual of eating, engaging with food as an act of care rather than convenience, an invitation to intimacy…
May the way I eat reflect and regenerate a way of life lived at the speed of presence, where joy shows up in the little details and digestion has time to take its course. Where the choice of what to eat is more an act of listening than imposition and the food itself seems to decide how long it needs to be chewed…
This is a radical way of simple, joyful living in such a basic, everyday act- mindful eating, may it be done.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for reading my article.
I think this like from my article fits perfectly and links well to your thoughts: “…But food, this deeply intimate, deeply essential thing, often slips into autopilot.”
99% of population eat with “the eyes closed” or because “the clock says so”.
A little of awareness and self listening would make a huge difference in our lives and health.
This writer (Alexandra Pasareanu) makes 3 great points: First, that if we're somehow mindful while eating, then we're more likely to enjoy life. Second, that we're more likely to choose food that will make us feel good later, because we're being thoughtful. Third, that we're less likely to consume "hijack" foods engineered by corporations to boost their profits, but which leave us addicted and health-damaged. Bummer that last one. But she's nailed it. :)
Thank you @Arthur Cronos I am happy you encompassed well all my points :) and thank you for reading it. I am a big fan of awareness and mindfulness (among other things) and I believe these practices can change many lives
You are very welcome… give it a try and see if mind-stomach connection helps with the digestive issues… perhaps your body will send you signals about when to stop eating or what kind of food not to eat anymore… awareness and body connection might actually help…
Four years ago I went through an intense detox program for alcoholism - and the emphasis even in the out-patient portion was to become more mindful in what we do, avoid the triggers that make us susceptible to relapsing and make it a habit to list (even if just mentally) one thing daily that we’re grateful for. The easy part of it all has been avoiding temptations to drink, but the real work toward self-improvement is honing a disciplined skill to keep mindful and show gratitude - even if just to oneself only, trusting that we (I) truly deserve to be happy. And you’ve hit the right points to me here, and it’s the little steps that are building blocks to a renewal in both body and spirit - including setting aside those other dependencies (cellphone for me) that can be equal threats to staying the course toward a free personhood. Much thanks for this fabulous writeup this morning.
What you said about the “easy part” versus the real work really makes sense. Avoiding the thing is one layer… but learning how to stay present with yourself, to build that discipline of awareness and gratitude… that’s a much deeper kind of strength.
And I appreciate you naming the dependencies too. The obvious ones get the most attention, but things like the phone, distraction, constant stimulation… they can pull us away from ourselves in ways that are just as powerful over time.
What you’re describing… those small, consistent choices, that daily returning to awareness… that’s exactly the space I was hoping to speak to with this piece. Not perfection, not restriction… but a gentle, steady reconnection.
Also, what you said about trusting that you deserve to be happy… that’s not a small thing. That’s foundational.
I’m really glad this resonated with you. And I respect the work you’re doing more than you probably realize.
I appreciate the idea of bringing mindfulness into everyday actions versus making it something that one needs to think about as separate 🙏🏽
Thank you. And I appreciate your time for reading it. I am truly happy that it resonated with you.
Great piece! I've actually been working on a new religious practice which requires us to avoid convenience and comfort and lean into tasks that seem arduous and less enjoyable. I have taken the messages of historical religions and I have refined them with the support of psychology and science to create a tool to help people of the modern age. One of the main examples I use is doing the dishes, because few people like doing the dishes, however one things I think that stops people cooking is when they have to do dishes in order to do so.
Cooking would be another perfect example of one such task that gets diminished by people seeking out comfort and convenience, single use dishes with prepackaged easy to heat up meals for example seem much easier than quickly making pasta with fresh chopped veg or something healthier. It's all about using your time to invest in your health by doing the hard things like eating well and exercising that pay off in the long run. I think you should check it out because I think you would agree with a lot that I include in it. If you do, let me know what you think, I'd love to hear your take.
I am already doing this… 90% of the time I eat what I cook… I keep dishes simple and as natural as possible… I also practice mindfulness eating very frequently… I am very proud to see that many people are more oriented towards the healthier way… rather that the unhealthy commercial, fast food, heavy meals ways …
That's great to hear! I feel like the more people that start enjoying taking care of themselves, the better the world can be.
This hits home for sure. I’ve been doing my best to eat at the table with my partner while our phones are put away, but there is often still the urge to snack while watching something later in the evening.
I read somewhere that if we’re watching or listening to something while eating we are literally consuming that thing. I think it was in this book called “The Yoga of Eating”. Think of what that means for so many people watching mind numbing mainstream news & war propaganda, etc. Over time it would become part of their cellular structure..
Anyway.. just some thoughts. Awesome article! Just subscribed 🙏🏼
I know what you mean… it takes strength and awareness to break the cycle… and be free… once you do that you can then restart your new way of eating… start with small things and build from there… eating with no phones around that’s a good step forward ❤️
Lovely reflection.
We reclaim the ritual of eating, engaging with food as an act of care rather than convenience, an invitation to intimacy…
May the way I eat reflect and regenerate a way of life lived at the speed of presence, where joy shows up in the little details and digestion has time to take its course. Where the choice of what to eat is more an act of listening than imposition and the food itself seems to decide how long it needs to be chewed…
This is a radical way of simple, joyful living in such a basic, everyday act- mindful eating, may it be done.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for reading my article.
I think this like from my article fits perfectly and links well to your thoughts: “…But food, this deeply intimate, deeply essential thing, often slips into autopilot.”
99% of population eat with “the eyes closed” or because “the clock says so”.
A little of awareness and self listening would make a huge difference in our lives and health.
This writer (Alexandra Pasareanu) makes 3 great points: First, that if we're somehow mindful while eating, then we're more likely to enjoy life. Second, that we're more likely to choose food that will make us feel good later, because we're being thoughtful. Third, that we're less likely to consume "hijack" foods engineered by corporations to boost their profits, but which leave us addicted and health-damaged. Bummer that last one. But she's nailed it. :)
Thank you @Arthur Cronos I am happy you encompassed well all my points :) and thank you for reading it. I am a big fan of awareness and mindfulness (among other things) and I believe these practices can change many lives
This is something I've been contemplating lately as I've had digestive issues and I rarely stop to eat or pay attention. Thank you!!
You are very welcome… give it a try and see if mind-stomach connection helps with the digestive issues… perhaps your body will send you signals about when to stop eating or what kind of food not to eat anymore… awareness and body connection might actually help…
Four years ago I went through an intense detox program for alcoholism - and the emphasis even in the out-patient portion was to become more mindful in what we do, avoid the triggers that make us susceptible to relapsing and make it a habit to list (even if just mentally) one thing daily that we’re grateful for. The easy part of it all has been avoiding temptations to drink, but the real work toward self-improvement is honing a disciplined skill to keep mindful and show gratitude - even if just to oneself only, trusting that we (I) truly deserve to be happy. And you’ve hit the right points to me here, and it’s the little steps that are building blocks to a renewal in both body and spirit - including setting aside those other dependencies (cellphone for me) that can be equal threats to staying the course toward a free personhood. Much thanks for this fabulous writeup this morning.
Thank you for sharing this.
What you said about the “easy part” versus the real work really makes sense. Avoiding the thing is one layer… but learning how to stay present with yourself, to build that discipline of awareness and gratitude… that’s a much deeper kind of strength.
And I appreciate you naming the dependencies too. The obvious ones get the most attention, but things like the phone, distraction, constant stimulation… they can pull us away from ourselves in ways that are just as powerful over time.
What you’re describing… those small, consistent choices, that daily returning to awareness… that’s exactly the space I was hoping to speak to with this piece. Not perfection, not restriction… but a gentle, steady reconnection.
Also, what you said about trusting that you deserve to be happy… that’s not a small thing. That’s foundational.
I’m really glad this resonated with you. And I respect the work you’re doing more than you probably realize.
Ready to try this mindfulness technique next time I have a bite to eat :) I can’t wait ✨✨🌸
Thank you for reading Emmett. If you decide to try a mindful eating, you can come back later and let us know how did you feel.
🍲🍜 or 🍨 maybe I’ll try with ice cream :) ✨✨🥹