Our Bodies, Ourselves

The body says what words cannot.
~ Martha Graham

So. It's been six weeks since I touched down in the Land of Raw Foods. An alien on foreign soil. And the changes? Whoosh! Amazing grace!

I used to live to eat. I'm learning to eat to live. I'm changing my relationship to food. I'm choosing to become conscious of my food choices; becoming more mindful of what I'm putting in my body and why.

Years of dieting had taught this gal not to trust her body’s messages. I had forgotten that eating had anything to do with being hungry. I tend to go unconscious when I eat. Really. After the first few bites, I'm convinced I don't even taste it. Maybe it's because I'm usually doing five other things while I'm eating. What kind of Gemini would I be if I wasn't the queen of multitasking?

But, if I stop, look, breathe, eat in full consciousness...I ingest Life. I ingest Love. I ingest Source in every bite.

And the more I've embraced the principles of eating raw living food, the more alive I feel and it's not just my body that's shapeshifting ~ 35 pounds, thankyouverymuch ~ but there's an internal shapeshift occurring as well. A change in perception. A change in attitude, for sure.

My body is a Temple. I will treat it as Sacred Space. It has served me well. The fact that it functions as well as it does, is nothing less than miraculous. I have a BMI of 46 and no hypertension, no diabetes, and a total cholesterol level of 101. As an expression of gratitude for this physical body, I pledge to nourish it with clean whole foods (organic when possible), to flood it with live enzymes, to water it regularly, and to MOVE IT often.

Some kernels of wisdom from Geneen Roth and Breaking Free From Compulsive Eating:

  • Most of the time we eat in response to our minds. Most of the time we feed our bodies without consulting our bodies. Most of the time when we eat has little to do with what we are eating for – physical nourishment, satisfaction, a healthy body.

  • Food was the glue that held my life together between hungers.

  • What is it that you want from food beyond its nourishing your body?

  • Physical hunger is of the body. Physical hunger asks for food. Nonphysical hunger is of the mind, the heart. When you see that your physical hunger is capable of being fulfilled, you can begin to allow that same possibility for your emotional hunger.

  • There is nothing you can’t have tomorrow so there is no reason to eat it all today.

Comments

Jackie said…
I haven't quite got there yet. I am Vegan and around 60% raw. Reading Raw blogs helps me a lot.
EARTH MOTHER said…
It's a daily process for me, Jackie, and I suspect, a life-long one. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you have one of your own, please leave me your blog address.
Jackie said…
Thought you would pick up my blogs via my blogger profile but here they are :)

http://thevegandiet.blogspot.com/
http://herbs-n-oils.blogspot.com/
EARTH MOTHER said…
Thanks, got 'em! Blogville is as foreign to me as Raw Food Land. All new terrain. Just learning my way around these parts. Discovered you're over at Blog Catalog too, which is a whole 'nuther world I am learning to navigate.
Unknown said…
Love it, and I love your language! Beautiful flow, and so true!

~Mila
EARTH MOTHER said…
Thank you, Mila. It was really wonderful for me to revisit this again. Looking back...wow, the changes were occurring so rapidly – physically, mentally, emotionally. Such a blessing this lifestyle has been for me.
Unknown said…
I just found your post! I also have read Geneen's books and I am going back to the raw diet.
EARTH MOTHER said…
Hi Elle, I'm so glad you found your way here. It's been quite a loooooong time since I've visited this particular post. Wonderful for me to look back and see all the miraculous changes that were taking place when I was still transitioning to raw living foods.

Best wishes to you as you begin your re-entry into Raw Food Land.
Anon said…
Thanks for this post
Great post and thanks for sharing....
I love that idea. Awesome Post..
Thanks for sharing that. It was fun reading it. :-)
That was a VERY interesting one! Seriously interesting.