Does Eckhart Tolle’s Power of Now Apply To Mindful Eating?
Several years ago I read The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and typed up my notes for clients to help with mindful eating. Since mindful eating is in the limelight I thought it might be timely to share my notes with all of you.
Tolle states “disease is what happens when life gets out of balance.” His principles for life can be applied to any lifestyle change you may want to make. He states maintaining presence is a good way to help the feelings of wanting to eat when you are not physically hungry.
You’ve just finished dinner but the leftovers in the refrigerator or the dessert hidden in the freezer is calling your name. You are not physically hungry but don’t know what to do. Here’s some tips from Tolle:
- Focus your attention on the feeling inside of you
- Accept it for what it is
- Don’t think about it
- Don’t judge or make an identity of yourself out of it
- Stay present and continue to be the observer of what is happening inside you
- Become aware of the silent watcher – that is the power of now – the power of your own unconscious presence
If you stay present and not react to the pain body it allows for a powerful transformation inside. If you can sit long enough and apply the above principles the voice telling you to eat something can die down, allowing you to go on with your evening and go to bed satisfied versus full and guilty.
Many people use outside solutions – food, alcohol, drugs, etc. to help their unease – which can become addictive or abusive and all that is achieved is short –term symptom relief. Using the challenges in life to awaken you rather than go into the “pain-body” or numb place and stay present in that moment can be life-changing.
If you are identified with a strong pain body – that is your identity – you may experience a strong resistance to change and you would rather stay in the pain body than take a leap into a different existence. Observe the attachment to your pain, the pleasure you receive from staying attached to it. The resistance will cease if you bring presence to it. Acceptance is the key to working through resistance and creating change.
The root of suffering is constant wanting. Living in the present moment and mindful eating can be the key to liberation.
November 30, -0001 @ 12:00 am
I completely agree Cheryl – thanks so much for sharing your insights – can help many people!
June 28, 2010 @ 10:50 pm
I agree that Eckhart Tolle’s work is one of many helpful ways of making sense of eating disturbances. In addition to the very useful information that you provide here on dealing with the pain- body, he also talks about times when it’s not about the pain- body. He writes, "Not all unhappiness is of the pain-body. Some of it is new unhappiness, created whenever you are out of alignment with the present moment, when the Now is denied in one way or another"
It’s amazing to me how very many ways we try to deny the Now. Acceptance of what is, is empowering. It frees us to live our lives, feeling the joy of being here now. Denial ties up much of our energy. We need as much energy available to us as possible to live a life worth living.
June 29, 2010 @ 12:59 am
I completely agree Cheryl – thanks so much for sharing your insights – can help many people!