Thursday, April 12, 2012

chewing

I want to share a really wonderful excerpt from Maya Tiwari's book, A Life of Balance, but first a little back story on me.  I have always had one unhealthy aspect to my relationship with food, which is probably why it is such an important relationship for me and such a huge focus in my life.  When I was a child, I would gobble up my food so fast, and eat so much more than I needed to, that I would sit on my bed groaning and holding my stomach until I threw up.  This was a common occurrence.   I'm not sure why.  It isn't like we had any lack of food in the house that I needed to consume as much as I could.  And I had plenty of fresh vegetables from our family garden.  This impulse to eat quickly in excess has followed me (though thankfully the throwing-up has not).  I know the solution is to slow down, chew, and eat smaller portions.  This is the best advice for everyone, really, especially if you want to lose weight.  I have yet to find the source of this unhealthy impulse, and  I've had to work very hard to remind myself to do these things.  I am grateful that in the last year especially, I feel I have almost weeded that impulse out, although I need to be on guard all the time.  I watch this impulse in others and it seems like a widespread sickness to me in this culture of excess.  I hope if there are others out there that want to heal that type of dysfunctional relationship, that these words reach them.  So here is Maya's advice...

Taste is primal to the eating process.  When the juices of the mind and appetite whet the tongue, we are ready to receive the blissful memories each food gives.  the first step of digestion is chewing.  The digestive water of the tongue aids in the breakdown of food.  As we take the time to ruminate, we remember.  Memories of the entire universe are held in the savoring of our food.  Chewing food to a pulp facilitates digestion and lightens the load on our organs of assimilation.  By being considerate toward the agni of digestion, we are rewarded with a calmer mind.  We cannot remember the truth of being if we are agitated.
Chewing is a delicate sadhana.  When we do not chew properly, we deprive the body of its nutrients and shut down the channels of memory.  Conversely, when eating becomes a tedious and jaw-breaking chore, we defeat the process of assimilation.  We must practice quietude and relaxation while we eat.  We must nurture a wholesome attitude and chew with awareness.

No comments:

Post a Comment