Introducing… ways to incorporate Spiritual Practice into your daily life with simplicity.

Today I’d like to share with you a short and simple practice you can try out and think about today and throughout the weekend.

I clearly remember when I first began a daily spiritual practice that it sometimes felt like more than I could manage.  I would feel that I didn’t have enough time to sit and settle into Remembrance.  I would hesitate to start and then end up avoiding Remembrance, sometimes unconsciously, for the remainder of my day.

As I would lie down to go to sleep each night, I would suddenly be struck with the impulse to review my day and compare that day to the others that had unfolded during my week.  It started to become clear that days with Remembrance were always much more… More grounded, more rewarding, more productive, more in flow.

It didn’t mean my days were without challenges or struggle, because sometimes they were full of those, even with Remembrance.  But it was really clear that I was always more able to manage when I had spent time in connection to Source that day.

I had clearly identified, for myself, and within my own experience, this pattern.  I had been told this would be the case, but it wasn’t until I noticed it for myself in my own life that I really became a subscriber to this practical reality!

It was then I decided to come up with Simple Practice… ways I could incorporate Spiritual Practice into my day on days when I felt like I just could not spare the time it would take to actually sit down and fully engage in my Remembrance practice.  I decided that at a minimum, on those days, I needed Simple Practice.

Over the coming weeks I will be sharing with you a wide variety of ways to embrace Simple Practice.

Simple Practice: Chewing Your Food

As you sit down to eat, take a moment to silently check in with yourself before you start to eat.  Just pause for a moment to allow yourself to feel whatever you’re feeling and make space for whatever is true for you in that moment.

Then, connect with Source by calling The Name you’ve chosen to use in Remembrance.  You can call it just once or twice if that feels right to you.  (I now find that after dedicating myself to spiritual practice, I can call the name three or four times and sense that I am connected.) Do whatever feels right for you.

Then, as you eat, bring your attention to the act of chewing your food. When I first began this Simple Practice I noticed that I wasn’t chewing my food! I was chomping through my meals without actually mashing my food up before I swallowed it.

I realized that my digestive system would likely appreciate it if my teeth and jaw contributed a bit more to the process before sending that food along down the digestive track.

So while chewing for a bit, I call The Name, and then after I swallow, I pause to take a conscious breath before moving on to the next bite.

Now this is obviously easier to do when you’re eating alone, but over time, you will find that with practice, this can become a natural part of your meal.  I don’t always sit and call The Name with every mouthful, but even if I just begin or end my meal this way, I find that the enjoyment of eating is elevated.

I also find that when I eat in this way, I don’t overeat. I’ve been able to curb an undesirable habit of eating beyond the point of feeling full by incorporating this Simple Practice into my life on a regular basis.

I also find that on days when I’ve paid attention in this fashion at all of my meals, I feel better!  It’s clear that my body really does appreciate it when my teeth and jaw do their job with focus and thoroughness.

So see if you can incorporate this Simple Practice into your day today, even if it’s only for a couple of bites and even if all you do is take time to chew!