Sarah’s Blog

Becoming a Source of Nourishment

How do we become a source of nourishment?  

You have finally arrived at Week 4 and maybe you are thanking your lucky stars this cleanse is finally over and you can dive into that bag of potato chips or grill up a steak.  Or maybe you are a little heartbroken all the fun had to come to an end, but guess what?  It doesn’t end here.  Don’t roll your eyes at me, I’m not going to spout off any crazy new diet rules or food fads to follow, but I do want you to realize that everything you discovered over the past three weeks is now a part of you.  No matter what your initial reason for starting this cleanse, I have a feeling it has probably evolved in ways you never expected and you have probably grown in ways you never expected. 

Food is a sensitive subject and a hot topic these days.  Just think about how many times throughout the day you think about what you are going to have for lunch or where you will go out to eat for dinner.  As a culture we like to talk about food.  And why wouldn’t we?  Food is great.  We need food to survive and not only that but we want to enjoy it.  And while we can get great pleasure from what we eat, it is also extremely important to create healthy boundaries around our food choices and find a way to nourish ourselves with what we eat; nourishment not only on a physical level, but nourishment for emotional and mental health as well.

Over this next week as you slowly transition back into your routine, I invite you to consider if you have any stressful thoughts around food.  Do you find yourself making “I should” or “I shouldn’t” statements around eating?  Do you feel guilty for having something you deem unhealthy? Sometimes we get so set in our ways of eating and the thoughts we have around food that we are unaware just how trapped we can become by our negative beliefs and associations.  You can find freedom in your food choices and discover what it means to be nourished on a deeper level.  So here is what I am proposing, for the next week (or more if you really like this tool!) use the four questions from the self-inquiry technique called “The Work” to gain insight into the root of your struggles around food.  You can do this with a friend or write it all down so you can go back and read through it later.

1. Write a judgment or stressful belief/thought that you have recently had.

2. Is it True? (Take time to deeply consider the question, and then write your answer.)

3. If yes, are you absolutely sure that it’s true? (Take time to deeply consider the question, and then write your answer.)

4. How do you react and what is it like when you are believing that it is true? (Take time to deeply consider the question, and then write your answer.) The following are prompting questions to help you notice more detail.

a. How do you treat yourself?

b. How do you treat others?

c. What thoughts does this lead to?

d. What does it feel like in your body?

5. Close your eyes and imagine yourself in the same situation, without the thought.  What does it feel like to be in this same situation without the thought?

6. What is the opposite of your original statement/thought?  Are there any ways in which this could be as true or more true than your original statement?

 

 

I also want to encourage you to slowly transition back into your normal food routine; treat coming off of the cleanse the same way you did during the Preparation Week.  Take care not to shock your body back into loads of caffeine or processed foods right away, but gradually add the foods you want back into your diet.  Gently let the body know your intention of returning and take the time to contemplate what you have learned from this cleanse and if there is anything you would like to incorporate into your daily eating patterns.  You can always refine your intention and discover what it means for you to be nourished.

How do we become a source of nourishment?  One way is by making mistakes.  The times when we don’t listen to ourselves are just as valuable as the times we do.  The only way to get in touch with our inner understanding of how to nourish ourselves is by paying attention—seeing what works and what doesn’t work.  Not all foods serve us well.  If we know a certain food causes a negative reaction (headaches, sore throats, bloated tummy), then we learn to avoid that food.  The cleanse is a fantastic opportunity to pay attention to how you feel when you feed yourself clean foods as well as when you add other foods back into your system.

 

Practice nourishment.  Practice it so well, that you forget you’re even doing it.  When we learn something that completely, we have a saying for it.  We say that you know it by heart.