Emotional Eating

Summary from the book...
"Your Natural diet: Alive Raw Foods"
by T. C. Fry and David Klein

Getting to the Core of Your Appetites via the Somatic Inquiry
"Know thy self" - Socrates

"Food! Feed me now and dont stop until i feel better!" Very often we eat just out of emotional habit. You may believe you need to work on "controlling your appetite". We dont understand the nature of the "appetite" nor how to approach it.

Understanding "appetites"

"Appetites" can be considered to be desires which arise from thoughts, memories and bodily needs. the needs can be physiological or emotional. Emotional eating can and does help us sometimes to cope. However, food can never fully solve an emotional "appetite".

Essential and non-essential eating

There are only three essential reasons to eat:
1. to nourish our bodies when we experience true hunger;
2. to hydrate our bodies when we are thirsty; and
3. to fuel our bodies before and during rigorous work and exercise.

Body awareness

The key to healthful eating is mindful body awareness. This practice leads to self knowledge, which is the gateway to health, freedom and longevity. As conscious beings, we have the ability to develop our self-awareness on our pathway of self-mastery. With regard to eating, it is beneficial to observe our food cravings/appetite, food choices, the manner in which we eat, what our mind is doing when we eat, our emotions, and our body´s sensations during and after we eat.

The Somatic Inquiry

The Somatic Inquiry is a practice of sensing and observing the energetic presences and voids in and of the boy, the inner terrain so to speak, and so discovering our true needs. In practicing the Somatic Inquiry you will naturally hone your ability to eat, live and care for yourself healthfully. By inquiring into your appetites you will gain a deeper understanding of the nature, so that you can discern what is and is not true hunger. After a while it becomes easy and natural to integrate the Somatic Inquiry into your life - just like sensing the outside air temperature and deciding how much clothing to wear.

Guidelines

Sit in quietude and develop an internal witness who silently and non-judgmentally observes everything about your self: your thoughts, emotions, sensations, circumstances, etc. In a relaxed manner, keep on observing and practicing being present in the body, every moment.

One or more times each day, while sitting in quietude, have the witness to a somatic inventory. From head to toe, or any direction, observe all of the qualities of the energies, sensations, feelings, emotions and voids you sense in your body. When you come to a strong and interesting presence, locate it in the body and delve or inquire into it via the Somatic Inquiry as follows: What is the temperature, shape, color, texture, density, space, movement of the energetic presence? Does it have a sound? Is there any message? If it is a void, can you delve into it? Stay with the energies or the void and delve deeper and deeper, without dwelling on or analyzing anything that comes up. A shift or resolution may occur as you sensefeel.

Keep  practicing emotional-body awareness all day, even while talking to people. Sense the energies in your body and just accept whatever is there. Also practice the same thing when you have food cravings. Focus on the energies in and of the body - get in touch with your true needs. Is it located in your stomach area? What do you feel? Observe and sense the energetic presence as a whole. Is this a clear food signal? Maybe it uncomfortable and just flexing. If you stay with it the craving may shift and resolve to something else. Try to drink a glass of water, maybe you are thirsty? Maybe your stomach is empty and just wants love - eating is not love. but caring for your emotional needs is loving. Invite the feelings of love in and see what happens.

Do you have a feeling somewhere that is calling for specific type of food locate it in your body and get to know it. What is the food your body truly needs. do you recognize the food it wants? If you do, and its healthful food then eat it slowly, sniff in the aroma and truly enjoy eating it being present all the time. Observe the sensations and how you feel as the food goes down. Relax into the eating and digestion process, stay tuned in and keep on observing how you feel. continue to eat until you are satiated. your appetite may shift, or the taste may change. Its best not to eat past a "stop" signals. Put the remaining food in the refrigerator, compost it, or share it with a friend.

If you have difficult time getting touch with your body, it may indicate that you need to detox further, work with a coach, or just keep practicing on your own.

After you have finished eating, observe for several hours how you feel. Notice your energy, any pleasant or unpleasant feelings in your body, any indigestion. Do you feel happy, balanced, unbalanced, energized, sleepy, moody? Are you experiencing an appetite/craving? If yes, locate it in the body, inquire into it and accept it as it is.