What we choose to eat, drink and breathe determines how we express compassion and mindfulness for ourselves. The life force that we take into our body every day comes from the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.
Together these elements create and sustain life. We are either joyfully alive or suffering in the pain and loss that comes with living.
To express gratitude for this process we call life, we can choose to be present in each new moment – mindful of each bite, each breath and every sip of water. We chew, breathe, and hydrate in grateful acceptance.
We mindfully breathe in oxygen, the invisible staff of life that energizes us. We mindfully chew, putting down utensils between bites, and enjoying the sensation, textures and beauty of the food we are partaking of.
Do I drink a glass of water with mindful gratitude for this precious resource? Water is the key to all bodily functions, including digestion and assimilation.
Water is the best way to naturally protect ourselves against disease and infection. The processes of mindful eating, focused breathing, and conscious hydration is a way of expressing gratitude for the food, water and oxygen that sustain this wonderful body we dwell in.
Is the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink the fountain of youth for our humanity? Our parents created a body and our spirit decided to enter into this body – we may choose to love, like or hate our body. Either way, our bodies will remain with us for the rest of our lives.
When we are young most of us take our bodies for granted, never considering what goes into them. Life’s lessons are an opportunity to learn, but we may think them irrelevant and stupid.
There are no mistakes, only mirrors that reflect to us where we are in our lives. Growth is a process of trial and error, where we stop, observe, breathe, and do our best again.
The failed experiments are as much a part of the process as that which ultimately works. What we make of our lives is up to us, and today we live in an age with many options.
Do I put in the extra effort when choosing the food I eat and the water I drink and bathe in? How do I breathe the best air when I live in a city full of pollution?
Can I clean the air in my home? These are a few of the topics we will be discussing in future sessions. It is our choice and being mindful of these choices helps lead us down the path of gratefulness.