Non-religious reasons to pray before eating Bashny.Net

After a long and busy day, many people come to the dinner quite quickly, taking food only to fill the stomach and nourish your emotions, and then leave the table with a feeling of heaviness in the stomach. This approach to eating is causing bloating, often accompanied by a sense of remorse for the food.

Meanwhile, reading prayers before a meal can help us to calm down and establish contact between us and food. This will lead to a healthier relationship with food will improve digestion, as the likelihood of overeating will be reduced.



©Eric Enstrom

In the book "Ayurveda encyclopedia: Natural Secrets Treatment, Disease Prevention and Longevity," Swami Sadashiva Tirtha writes: "Before eating, it is recommended to say a prayer of gratitude to the Creator and Provider or offer food for the welfare of mankind and all living beings."

As representatives of Western society, we tend to associate prayer with religion, but they are not necessarily connected. In his book Nischala joy Devi writes that we are more inclined to read prayers when in distress or faced with a difficult situation. At the same time, according to Devi, the most potent form of prayer is gratitude. Simple sense of gratitude for the abundance that fills our lives, helping us to find a sense of peace, calm and joy.

When we rush we often have a snack on the go. Food becomes something that we use as a means of nutrition of our body in order to avoid starvation. Instead, we can look at the meal as an opportunity to pause, to put aside our business and reconnect with your body and food. Such an attitude toward eating helps us make the most healthy choices in food and also prevent gusts to emotional eating.

Not sure I know how to say a prayer before eating? It can be very simple, such as, for example, to sit down, to pause, a few deep breaths and pay attention to what is on the table in front of You. Then say silently to myself or aloud to share the prayer with others: "I am grateful for the abundance of healthy, fresh, beautiful food! Let it nourish my body and my spirit." You can use any phrase You are considering.

The Thich Nhat Hanh, a monk from Vietnam and author of "Happiness" touches on the theme of the importance of conscious power, and notes the techniques that we can use. He believes that when we sit at the dining table, it is important to take a break and take a few deep breaths, smile and look at everyone present at the table. He writes:

"After you do the breaths and smile, look at the food to allow the food to become real. This food reveals Your connection to the Earth. Each piece embodies the life of the sun and Earth. You can see and taste the whole universe in a single slice of bread! The contemplation of Your food in just a few seconds prior to its use, and its conscious use, will bring You more happiness."In the same book, the Thich Nhat Hanh offers a practical technique Five Contemplations, which can also be a prayer before the meal:

This food is the gift of the whole universe: the earth, the sky, numerous living beings and hard work.

Let us spend a meal with mindfulness and gratitude to be worthy to receive this food.

May we recognize and transform our unhealthy qualities, especially our greed and learn to eat with moderation.

May we keep compassion by accepting this meal so that to reduce the suffering of living beings, preserve the planet and reverse global warming.

We accept this food in order to develop our brotherly and sisterly relationships, to build our society and to nourish our ideal of serving all living beings.

In addition, he advises from time to time to eat in silence, and to utter the final prayer after the meal is over.

Reading prayers before a meal brings our attention to the wonderful abundance that is on the table in front of us. It also reminds us to breathe deeply while chewing food, enjoying the color and texture of the food. Thus we will be able to capture the moment when they have eaten enough and to avoid overeating. By concentrating attention on the foods available to us, and deep breathing we are able to leave any less than positive emotions, promising myself not to use food to fuel such a fleeting excitement, but rather to get pleasure from food, while keeping themselves physically.

When we take time to really enjoy our food, savoring every bite, we discover the possibility of building a healthy relationship with food. Over time a simple application of prayer before a meal will turn into an effective ritual that will change Your relationship with food and process of eating. published

 

P. S. And remember, only by changing their consumption — together we change the world! ©

Source: www.spinachandyoga.com/ru/nereligioznye-prichini-pomolitsya-pered-edoj/