Guest Author - Martha McKinnon

Yoga teaches awareness and mindfulness. We learn to experience the present moment and pay attention to what is happening within us and around us. The awareness you develop on your yoga mat can be transported off your yoga mat and applied to other areas of your life, like your relationship with food and eating.

Most of us move through our days and our meals at lightening speed. It is hard to pay attention when you are moving so fast. Food often gets devoured on the run with minimal thought about its effect on us. If you have ever eaten while driving or checking your emails and suddenly wondered what happened to the food that was there just seconds ago, you know what I mean.

Bringing the same mindfulness you employ on the yoga mat to eating can change all that. To be truly nourishing, food needs to be experienced. You need to slow down and pay attention to what you are eating, engaging your senses to notice how it smells, looks and tastes. When you slow down and pay attention you may notice when you are full and therefore, be satisfied with less. You may notice that some foods you have eaten on automatic pilot out of habit don't even taste good to you anymore.

When you pause and tune in before eating, you may realize that you are eating for emotional rather than physical needs. And by tuning in to yourself without judgment you may realize that what you really need isn't the candy bar, but a walk, or a bath, or a hug, or a cup of tea.

This is powerful practice that can result in increased understanding both on and off your mat. You begin to make the connection that all areas of your life are related. Therefore, how you approach your yoga practice is probably very much how you approach eating and living. With this understanding real change becomes possible.

Are you ready to give more mindful eating a try? Here are some tips for mindful eating to help you get started.

1. Eat sitting down. (not in front of your computer or the television, or in your car)

2. Do not eat when you are stressed, distracted, or in unpleasant surroundings. Your body won't be able to properly digest or absorb the food. Do what you need to do to calm down and find a pleasant environment first. I try to remember to turn on some music, light a candle and take a few deep breaths before sitting down to dinner.

3. Eat slowly while engaging all the senses. Notice how your food looks, smells, and tastes. Really enjoy what you are eating and try to take at least 20 minutes to finish each meal.