conscious eating
meal preparation. Dance as you cook. Do the same thing if you live alone.” Preparing food, whether a healthy
smoothie or a gourmet weekend dinner for two, is a way to express love for our- selves and others. Baron loves the presence of plants, lovely ceramics and interesting platters and dishes, and notes, “Families can defi nitely shop, chop, cook and meal- plan together to make the kitchen a fun place to be. Doing these things together is very bonding and sends the message that looking aſt er yourself is important.”
Soul Nourishment
The Kitchen As Sacred Space by Marlaina Donato
I
n our busy lives, grabbing food on the run or eating while standing at the kitchen counter is oſt en the norm. Des-
ignating the kitchen as a practical sanctuary and seeing the sacredness of food not only makes it more conducive to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but also gives our spirits much-needed satiety. “If we don’t touch the transcendent—
emotionally and spiritually—physical nourishment won’t fi ll us up,” says Ronna Kabatznick, Ph.D., former psychological consultant to Weight Watchers Inter- national and the author of T e Zen of Eating: Ancient Answers to Modern Weight Problems. “Seeing the kitchen as sacred is something that represents gratitude, beauty and blessings.” Delia Baron, co-author of Better
Together Kitchen: Beautiful Recipes to Share With People You Love and the host of seasonal food workshops with partner Ronnit Hoppe in Melbourne, Australia, concurs, “T e kitchen is oſt en the heart- beat of the home and the best place to gather, feast, chat and create beautiful memories and rituals. T e kitchen is also a place to connect to our food source.”
Fun and Felicity Preparing meals the old-fashioned way can slow us down and foster mindfulness, but Kabatznick emphasizes that cooking is irrelevant. “Look at the kitchen in terms of possibilities: ‘What can I create in this space?’ You don’t have to turn into Julia Child,” she says, adding, “You could be eating Chinese takeout or a prune; it’s all about mindset and simple rituals like saying a blessing, appreciating what we eat as a great giſt .” Kabatznick encourages everyone to eat with dignity, and this includes using the good dishes, putting fresh fl owers on the table and eating with awareness. Seeing the kitchen as the inspired
nucleus of the home, it’s natural to add fa- vorite items like art prints, colorful jars, sen- timental treasures, dried fl owers and other seasonal delights to nourish daily content- ment. Conjuring an element of joy adorns the mundane. “Put on some music to put you in either a peaceful or joyful mood,” says Molly Larkin, author, healing practitioner and blogger at Ancient Wisdom for Balanced Living (
MollyLarkin.com), in Corrales, New Mexico. “Turn off the TV and give everyone in the family a job. Laugh throughout the
Practical Magic Meal prep can be enjoyable and even re- laxing in a calm environment. For Baron, organization is key. She advises, “Having all the ingredients you need and working in a clean space also helps make the expe- rience rewarding.” T e smallest of kitchens can be
abundant and organized with the help of a little innovation. A simple bookcase can off er additional shelf space for dry goods, bowls of produce or favorite cups. A small end table can hold a favorite tea pot and a jar of gourmet dark chocolate. A beauti- ful basket can hold go-to spice jars, and a pretty pitcher near the stove can accom- modate a multitude of cooking utensils. “If you can’t fi t it all out of sight in a cabinet, get some glass jars, fi ll them with grains, fl ours and legumes and line them up on the countertop. It will be neat, and you can see what you have,” suggests Larkin. In the end, a well-nourished body
and spirit fosters a beautiful life and in- spires the same in others. An advocate for supporting the hungry in all communities, Kabatznick underscores local eff orts and seeing the big picture of our relationship with food: “Taking out the garbage and cleaning up is also a sacred act if we bring that attitude into it. Food connects us to the Earth, the moon and the stars. From the seed to the truck driver—everything and everyone involved—the process of food is miraculous.”
Marlaina Donato is the author of several books and a composer. Connect at
AutumnEmbersMusic.com.
Visit
AustinAwakenings.com for recipes. May 2020
13
Monkey Business Images/
Shutterstock.com
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