Mindfulness Moment Monday

The importance of ritual and how to bring ritual into everyday life...........

All the great religions teach that food is a blessing from the Divine and should be treated with immense respect and gratitude. No Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist family would dream of scoffing down a meal without saying a blessing and giving thanks. In China food is considered to be a physical link between humans and the Gods: beautifully prepared meals are given as a sacred offering on the family altars. In the Ayurvedic tradition of India, food is a spiritual science with precise prescriptions of how to prepare and eat food for physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Start by considering the following:

• How do you eat? At table with family or friends? While working? On the run?
• What do you eat? Do you prepare your own food or do you buy ready-prepared processed food?
• Do you ever really taste your food?
• Are you mindful when you eat?

The simplest of rituals can turn even the humble sandwich into a feast for the spirit. The principles of making mealtime sacred are very straightforward - and can easily be adapted to fit your circumstances and preferences.

Preparing "soul" food need not involve new recipes or expensive ingredients. Follow these simple principles to transform the food you eat.

• Say a prayer or blessing before you start. Hold your hands over your ingredients and thank them for giving their life for you. Visualize the journey of your ingredients - how they grew, who tended them, how they came to be on your table. Ask them to help nourish you and your family with love.

• Prepare your food with love and attention. Concentrate on the task at hand - look on it as sacred meditation. Try not to distract yourself by watching television or listening to the radio as you cook. Take time to notice the textures, scents and feel of the food you cooking. Avoid gadgets and processors where possible - hand-chopping brings you closer into contact with the food.

• Think of your cooking as sacred alchemy. Remember you are using all the elements in your cookery - the earth of your raw ingredients; water to cook in; as you stir or beat you are adding in air; and there’s the fire of your stove.

• Pour your hopes and wishes for the people who will eat your food as you cook. Focus your intention as you chop, stir, mix, blend. Cookery is a kind of spell-making. If you add herbs and spices with their magical properties, you can increase the power.

• Lay your table with care - even the simplest meals can be made special by adding a small vase of flowers (a posy of wild flowers, buds or leaves are cheap but lovely); perhaps add a candle. More ideas for table-decoration in the pages which follow.

• Serve your meal so it looks inviting and appetizing. Choose colors which complement each other.

• Say grace or a blessing before eating.

• Eat your food mindfully. Smell the different fragrances before you start to eat. Notice how you choose your food - be aware of putting it on your fork and in your mouth. Don’t just swallow - really taste the food, feel its texture. Make each mouthful mindful.

• Allow time in your meal for conversation and a sense of community. Don’t race up afterwards - sit and talk.

• Clean up with mindfulness and gratitude too. Try adding a few drops of mandarin oil to your washing up liquid to cheer up your senses.

Source:  Jane Alexander;
SACRED RITUALS AT HOME: An easy to follow, highly illustrated book packed with everyday rituals which offer the chance to stop and take stock; to be in the moment; to make us feel more positive, more energised, more relaxed or more confident. This book gives clear instructions on how to create your own rituals: honouring the body; motivating the psyche; boosting relationships; soothing the soul and honouring the seasons. It also gives ideas for a host of rituals – for personal private use or to include family and friends.