The course in Mindful Eating is designed to help people change their relationship with food, and could be of benefit to those who are preoccupied with food and weight loss, who are dealing with problems of compulsive eating, or whose eating and dieting habits feel unhealthy and ineffective.
Frequently, problems with food and eating arise when eating is:
- Done on ‘automatic pilot,’ so we the person is not fully aware of what or why they are eating
- An habitual response to stress and emotional challenges
- Not completely in touch with by feelings of hunger or satiety
- Related to a pattern of compulsive dieting and preoccupation with weight.
The approach in the Mindful Eating Course is focused on getting in touch with the wisdom of our bodies and through that changing our relationship to food, so it can become a true source of pleasure rather than a source of conflict or shame. Mindful Eating is a set of skills and philosophies that encourage eating food with one’s full attention. It uses a variety of meditative techniques to help participants move towards greater emotional balance and recognize more effectively the stresses that can trigger compulsive overeating. Mindfulness provides a way for people to be fully present with their eating. This helps them experience greater enjoyment with food and reduces the ‘automatic’ nature of overeating problems, by using greater awareness of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide decisions regarding eating. It allow a greater awareness of food choices, enabling people to choose to eat food that is both pleasing, and nourishing to the body, by using all the senses to explore and taste. It is a non-judgmental, kind approach, based on the understanding that every person’s eating experiences are unique.
Some reasons why a person may want to participate in the Programme:
- Wishing to change their relationship with food.
- Feeling out of control with food and eating
- Having a love-hate relationship with food
- Using food to deal with stress
- Having little or no success with diet and exercise plans
- Currently experiencing an unhealthy/ uncomfortable body weight
Some elements of the Programme:
- Six weeks of mindfulness training
- An accompanying coursebook
- Set of audio instructions for developing the skills of stress reduction, relaxation, and mindful eating
- Psycho- education in the areas of stress, emotional health, self compassion
- Education on Nutrition, the components of a healthy diet and relevant research to facilitate in changing your relationship with food and your body.
- Group discussions on the experiential component of the classes.
- Recipe tips and guidance
The Course Instructors are Karl Duffy, Mindfulness Trainer and Amy Chiconas, Certified Nutritionist.
An Application form can be downloaded at the Root nutrition site , where you can find all the practical details about the Course.
http://www.rootnutrition.net/Root_Nutrition,_Inc./Mindful_Eating.html
If you have any questions or need further clarification pleased send an email to mindfulbalance.geneva@gmail.com, or use the contact form on the first page of this site.
Please note: Although therapeutic, the Mindful Eating Course is a psycho- educational intervention and does not constitute any form of clinical treatment. It is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis, advice or services.
