Guest guest Posted March 17, 2006 Report Share Posted March 17, 2006 Are you suffering from food cravings today? I have a contemplation (sort of prayer) exercise you can try. First, find someplace quiet and relax. Let go of distraction. Stay with your breathing. If thoughts interrupt you, welcome them, then let them go. You don't have to chase them out; they'll pass on their own. Just come back to here, and to your breathing. If you have a god-type higher power, say a little prayer of greeting to acknowledge HP. Thank him or her or it for your breath. Imagine the big pool of unlimited love that comes from that HP. If you're not a HP-type of person, the Big Pool of Love is still out there; just flash on it. You can feel it. Breathe it in. Now: Imagine what your life would be like if you could not eat: You had to feed through a feeding tube, or there is no food due to famine, or you don't have money for food. Your cupboard is bare; your plate is empty; a bag of liquid tube-feeding formula hangs next to your bed. Now imagine in front of you a delicious, pouch-friendly meal. Meat or stir-fried tofu on your plate, and you can eat it! It's just enough to make you feel satisfied. Aren't you lucky? Isn't this the best food, the best life ever? Rejoice, this is YOUR DAY today! Now imagine someone you love, and imagine cooking a pouch-friendly meal for them. Imagine that they love it! It's delicious and they think it's so great that you made it for them! Aren't you lucky? What could be better than that!? Rejoice! Be happy! Now...it CAN get more challenging, if you want to stretch yourself. Imagine someone you don't care about, someone you envy, or even someone you don't like. Imagine cooking something good for them, something you enjoy eating that's pouch-friendly. You bring them the food, and offer it. They love it! And you're actually happy that they enjoy it! Aren't you lucky? What could be better that that!? Rejoice! At the end, dedicate this contemplation to everyone in the world who is suffering from starvation, from overeating, or whatever type of suffering is bothering YOU today. This is a good way to cut our feelings of being deprived, cultivate joy in our eating plan, and the last part is a way to work with our negative feelings about other people. I got this exercise from Pema Chodron, the Buddhist teacher. But you don't have to be a Buddhist to use it. Martha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 17, 2006 Report Share Posted March 17, 2006 this is fantastic. I love it. I have been reading the E-book gowith love.com and it says very much the same thing. Instead of using HP or God, it says that we have love inside of ourselves and it has been blocked and we need to reach in and pull it out. Love will help us if we can just imagine it all around us and in us and if we can use it in every thing we think, feel, and do. I am trying to do this now that I feel very vulnerable after surgery. Lilka > > Are you suffering from food cravings today? > > I have a contemplation (sort of prayer) exercise you can try. > > First, find someplace quiet and relax. Let go of distraction. Stay > with your breathing. If thoughts interrupt you, welcome them, then let > them go. You don't have to chase them out; they'll pass on their own. > Just come back to here, and to your breathing. > > If you have a god-type higher power, say a little prayer of greeting > to acknowledge HP. Thank him or her or it for your breath. Imagine the > big pool of unlimited love that comes from that HP. If you're not a > HP-type of person, the Big Pool of Love is still out there; just flash > on it. You can feel it. Breathe it in. > > Now: Imagine what your life would be like if you could not eat: You > had to feed through a feeding tube, or there is no food due to famine, > or you don't have money for food. Your cupboard is bare; your plate is > empty; a bag of liquid tube-feeding formula hangs next to your bed. > > Now imagine in front of you a delicious, pouch-friendly meal. Meat or > stir-fried tofu on your plate, and you can eat it! It's just enough to > make you feel satisfied. Aren't you lucky? Isn't this the best food, > the best life ever? Rejoice, this is YOUR DAY today! > > Now imagine someone you love, and imagine cooking a pouch-friendly > meal for them. Imagine that they love it! It's delicious and they > think it's so great that you made it for them! Aren't you lucky? What > could be better than that!? Rejoice! Be happy! > > Now...it CAN get more challenging, if you want to stretch yourself. > > Imagine someone you don't care about, someone you envy, or even > someone you don't like. Imagine cooking something good for them, > something you enjoy eating that's pouch-friendly. You bring them the > food, and offer it. They love it! And you're actually happy that they > enjoy it! > Aren't you lucky? What could be better that that!? Rejoice! > > At the end, dedicate this contemplation to everyone in the world who > is suffering from starvation, from overeating, or whatever type of > suffering is bothering YOU today. > > This is a good way to cut our feelings of being deprived, cultivate > joy in our eating plan, and the last part is a way to work with our > negative feelings about other people. > > I got this exercise from Pema Chodron, the Buddhist teacher. But you > don't have to be a Buddhist to use it. > Martha > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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