Patience is the sticking power gene; the ability to stay the course even we face challenges. Add persistence in keeping up a practice and as S.N. Goenka, the Vipassana Meditation teacher says “patience and patience are bound to bring great results”
The repetition of practicing a skill such as Mindfulness when we want to give in and stuff down all those feelings with food takes a lot of patience. How do you keep up a daily ritual of awareness, without making it feel as if it another rule, so reminiscent of the diet days?
When I focused on the purpose, the real reason I wanted to stay on this path, it made the choices easier. I wanted to stop being at war with food and my body. And I knew, without a doubt, dieting was not the answer.
What path did I want to take? Who did I want to be?
I probed and obstacles fell to the wayside as the answer came: I want to be a normal eater who listens to her body to tell her what, when, and how much to eat. And only by practicing Mindfulness could I do that.
It takes trust and knowledge and a lot of practice. It takes time to develop a new relationship with yourself as you get rid of all the old ‘diet ‘ ideas.
Every meal gave me an opportunity to explore why I had continued to eat when I was satiated. The questions provided the answers to make changes. What an incredible chance to learn new ways and to heal after decades of hating my body.
What a gift to the path to wellness and healing my relationship with my body and food.
The patience, practice and persistence I used to make changes morphed in to every area of my life. It spills in to every thing you do and with every relationship you have. The payback is never ending and who doesn’t like a good return on their investment?
Thanks for reading
Christina