Hi Friends,

Qelsey from Mainstream Meditation here.

Let’s talk about our tummies!

We love food and we love to feel good.
What interrupts that?
Eating food in a stressed state and eating food that acts like a drug (gets us high & happy only to make us free-fall from great heights).

Let’s start with: Stress.
It throws us into the Sympathetic nervous system, this is our fight or flight mode.  In this tense and anxious mode our body doesn’t focus on functions such as digestion and nutrient absorption; they get kick to the back burner and become secondary functions.

[Cue Meditation Coach]

By calming our mind and body through meditation or conscious breathing we encourage our nervous system to activate the Parasympathetic functioning.
What we experience are improved blood oxygen levels and circulation, which effectively aid digestion and nutrient absorption.  Providing immediate relief as well as long-term solutions for digestive health.

Digestion is also effected by the type of foods we are eating!  
Mindfulness is paramount to influencing our mindset around which foods we choose to eat.

Both a poor diet and overeating can be changed with meditation, because when we practice mindfulness and the act of being still we’re able to be aware of what choices we are making and observe the beliefs that are causing those choices.

The reasons for overeating are mainly linked to beliefs of anxiety and depression resulting from internal emotional conflicts.  High fat, refined foods and sugar can be an effective drug for changing your emotional state and burying uncomfortable emotions!

Mindfulness brings awareness to these impulses and distraction methods, so we can understand our actions and begin to change our course.

TIP: Next time a strong negative thought and emotion over throws you and without thinking you reach for the chocolate cabinet, catch yourself!

Hold right where you are and don’t change a thing.
Just take one breath, inhale feel your lungs fill up and feel your head get a little bit of space. Put all your attention on your sensations in your body as you exhale.

If you feel like you want to follow it up with another breath, do that. Maybe close your eyes and feel any turmoil inside.
Maybe the negative thoughts are still sneaking up and the desire for your sugar or fat & salt fix is still heated.
It’s not about trying to change your mind and force yourself not to eat, its about creating space, so your body & mind can heal themselves.

With love,
Qelsey

Qelsey Zeeper
Founder | MainstreamMeditation
www.mainstreammeditation.ca