Food was the very first consciousness practice I ever engaged with. In the beginning, I was 30 pounds overweight; stuck in a vicious ping pong match between binge eating and exercising. My first pass was to get rid of the scale and begin the very long journey of looking into why I was stuffing down feelings with food. This has been a decades long process that began in suffering and has found its way into a celebration of nourishment and nurturance. Who knew? Not me, that’s for sure.

Food is the Mother. It is what sustains, comforts and enlivens. It is what creates us over and over and over again; ever-bearing the possibility and the potential of healthy bodies, clear minds and open hearts. We all know which foods and eaten in what ways diminish us. Begin there. Be willing to start. Anywhere. For if food does anything other than to satisfy, connect and energize you, you are missing out on one of the most powerful practices for living well. It is well worth the effort to begin.