try eating less

Most of us eat more than we need to, and there are various reasons for that. So today I'm inviting you to try eating less.

What has this got to do with the spiritual path? you may be wondering. What we consume is really an indication of how we are relating to the rest of existence. There is a natural level of consumption and when we go beyond that, it is indicating something about our psychology. And by breaking the pattern of overeating, there are various benefits.

The first and most important is that there will also be a change in the psychology. Secondly, we will actually have more energy and more time, because our digestion takes up time and energy. And of course, we need to eat and digest. But if we overeat, then our body is stressed and takes more time to digest. Whilst that energy is focussed on digestion, we will not be in such a position to meditate or inquire into the depths of our being.

And of course, overeating can cause physical health difficulties, such as obesity. So there are various benefits from eating less. 

And if you feel that you might struggle with this, that you might find it difficult to eat less, then here's a simple technique you can try. I call it contemplative eating, or eating with awareness.

When you are about to eat, take a good look at the food that you're about to consume – the different components – and imagine where they have come from. Imagine the whole chain of supply that has brought that food to your plate. Of course, you will not know the detail but just imagine it anyway – starting from a farmer growing a crop, or a fisherman going out to sea. And imagine the whole journey of the food stuff as it has worked its way towards you.

And give thanks for the plants that have died so that you may eat, and the animals too, if you are not vegetarian. And give thanks to all the people who have helped along the way to bring this food to you. And as you're eating the food, focus all your awareness on it. Don't do anything else. Don't talk. Don't watch TV. Don't think about other things. Try to really taste the food. And if you are thinking at all, try to keep your thoughts on the food and where it's come from.

Bringing this extra awareness to the eating process, you will naturally feel fulfilled with about half the amount of food that you normally eat. So you'll soon find that you are naturally eating less.

If you try this technique of eating less, you may also get glimpses of some of the reasons why you have been overeating. There are various possible reasons. I'll mention a few of them, but see if you get some feeling for what has been happening in your own case.

Sometimes we use food as a substitute, when we are not being nourished in some other area of life. For example, if we do not feel we are receiving love, then we can try to substitute food for that love. Similarly with sex: if we are not enjoying enough sex, then food can be a substitute for that.

Or it may be that we feel very insecure about life in general or some part of our life. That feeling of insecurity arises as anxiety about the future. And even though we have enough today, tomorrow something may be lacking. It could be money, it could be a job, it could be relationship – there are many things that we can feel insecure about. In this case, overeating is a way of building up reserves, in case of a future lack of supply. And notice that it is not food that we're really anxious about. But somehow that anxiety is transferred onto food.

A related cause of overeating can be that we feel threatened by life, and building up a layer of fat is a way of protecting ourself from life, a defence mechanism. Both this defence mechanism and the case of building up reserves, are indicating a lack of trust in existence.

These are just a few of the possible reasons for overeating. Try to find some sensitivity within yourself to see what is going on in your own case. And try eating less.