By Kali Jennifer Patrick with A Journey into Health
One of the ways I work with people as an Eating Psychology Coach is to get them back in touch with how pleasurable food can be. In the Chakras Tune-up workshop this past weekend, we talked about how second (sacral) chakra issues revolve around pleasure, and how the energy in this part of the body is frequently blocked by guilt.
Perfect example: say you eat an amount of chocolate that you don’t think you should have (or something else you find pleasurable but “forbidden”). What might you feel afterwards? Guilt! And sometimes then comes the punishment, like over-exercising, or restricting food (i.e. pleasure) even more. But there was a good reason for the chocolate, wasn’t there? Maybe you can’t point your finger on it initially, but if get quiet for a minute or more, I’ll bet you can find it.
We cannot live without being open to experiencing pleasure. (And this is coming from someone who has had her fair share of pain.) So today when I happened to be in a state of pain (more mental than physical, yet due to physical issues), I got myself to cooking.
It didn’t have to be much, or take a lot of time, but what it had to be was SPECIAL. So I took the extra time I gained today by having to cancel all my “stuff” to cook some oatmeal over the stove (i.e. the old-fashioned way, sans microwave). I combined it with some ghee and vanilla almond milk, and topped with with some shredded almonds and a few prunes. (I happen to really like prunes. ? ) Instead of putting it in a bowl, I picked a nice tea cup, and ate it while nestled under a blanket, propped up on the biggest pile of pillows ever, on the sofa.
Then for lunch, I was reminded of a Facebook post I saw some time ago about cooking scallops in a bit of vermouth with butter. (I believe it was a Paleo recipe.) My lovely partner was kind enough to get me my standard order of “6 large scallops” from the seafood counter at Central Market yesterday, and we happen to have vermouth and Kerrygold! I also threw in some garlic and ginger for good measure.
Now given what I’m dealing with, let me tell you that there are likely several people who would scoff at the use of the alcohol as well as the dairy. But you know what? I know my body, and I know that when something happens to slow me down, avoiding things I enjoy just means I deprive myself of even more pleasure and don’t heal any faster. So why not enjoy something, when I’m restricted in so many other ways? That’s my philosophy anyway!
When people come to me dealing with an issue about food, food generally isn’t the issue. It’s how they’re approaching life. I never “take away” someone’s treat. The treat is there for a reason. Sometimes you don’t need it. Sometimes you do. The trick is that when you have the treat, you take the time to enjoy it.
What’s for dinner?
About A Journey into Health:
In 1998 Kali added power yoga into her fitness routine to increase her flexibility, and started exploring meditation to offset the stress of her high-tech corporate job. It wasn’t until many years later–after several significant challenges and deep internal work–that she started to see more clearly what it meant to be healthy.
In 2012 Kali took the full leap into mind-body wellness, forming A Journey Into Health. She became a 200-hour certified yoga instructor, found energy healing and holistic nutrition: she’s also an Usui Reiki Master and an Eating Psychology Coach. Kali also achieved the “experienced” yoga teaching designation along with her 500-hour certification in Yoga Therapy. She teaches group classes, offers private yoga, coaching, and Reiki sessions, as well as gives workshops in and around the Austin area.
