COOKING WITH MARIKA: Awareness (Incl. Beluga Lentil Soup Recipe)

I believe that Awareness is the number-one ingredient for a healthy and happy body and life. I am therefore spelling it with a capital A. Health is so much more than the absence of disease. It means bursting with vitality, being full of life force, radiating positive vibrations and having all the energy you need to do all the things you love to do.

You allow your body to function with ease and pleasure by being aware of how and what you feed it, by listening to its messages and heeding them, by lovingly practicing self-care, by consciously relating to yourself with kindness and understanding, by honoring your body for the things it does for you, by keeping your negative thoughts in check and replacing them with positive affirmations.

Happiness is a big word. But when you master the ability to notice the little things that bring you joy and to relish them consciously, you will find that you do not need that much to be happy. The glimpse of a bird on a tree branch, the first blossoms to emerge out of the snow, the purring of your cat or the smell of freshly baked bread can easily uplift your spirits. All you need is the Awareness to notice them.

Awareness means to be present and awake to feel, see, hear, taste, smell and sense what is going on right now in this very moment. Life is but a string of millions and millions of moments. The more aware you are, the richer and fuller your life can be.

We live in an action-packed, fast-paced time. Because we are so busy doing, most of us have forgotten what it is like to simply be, listen or observe. We overlook the need to slow down once in a while, to stop and reflect.

What is holding you back from having a rich and fulfilling life? Is it the chatter in your head? Is it a hectic work schedule? Is it an overbooked social life? Is it a soft addiction to Facebook or electronic devices? Have you turned into a workaholic? Are you depriving yourself of rest and chill time? Do you eat while busily multi-tasking other activities? Are you spreading yourself thin by agreeing to volunteer, help and provide for too many worthy causes? Are you packing your calendar with too many appointments and forgetting to plan in transition times, breaks and downtime? Do you block or suppress your feelings?

Awareness for me is something multidimensional that connects body, heart, mind and soul. Ultimately, it means experiencing life on many levels at once. It means being present physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually, having all your feelers out.

How Can We Practice Awareness?

I find that a great starting point is to experience Awareness through the senses of our body.

Awareness can be practiced in many ways. For example, when you take a shower in the morning, instead of going through the motions mechanically, really enjoy all the sensations. Do not rush. Instead, turn this into a little spa experience for yourself. Feel the warmth of the water, feel the drops caressing your body. Notice how soothing it is, how relaxing and pleasurable it is. Just be in the moment, let go of any thoughts and tune in to your body. Smell the scent of your shampoo before even putting it into your hair. Feel your hands massaging your scalp. Feel the lather sliding down your neck. Notice the calm and serenity a simple daily cleansing ritual can bring to you.

The next time you hold a piece of fruit in your hands, pause. Look at it. Think about how this fruit came about. A seed was planted in the soil. Roots took hold, and a little sapling grew. Over the years, this little sapling developed into a grown tree with branches spanning several meters.

One spring, first blossoms sprang and by the fall, a fruit matured. Think of all the people who took care of the tree, who harvested the fruit and transported it to the farmers market or store where you bought it. Think of the traveling this fruit has done to arrive, finally, in your hand. Then smell it. Then savor it.

Metabolism

Awareness also has a big impact on our metabolism. Metabolism is defined as the total sum of all chemical reactions in the body. Digestion starts in the brain as we see, smell and taste our food. Visually taking in a food alone can lead to a reaction in the body. Seeing a lemon might cause your salivary glands to secrete. Smelling your favorite meal might make your stomach churn before the food even arrives. Researchers have estimated that 30 to 40 percent of the total digestive response to a meal is due to our brain’s becoming aware of the food we are eating.

When we are busy doing something else while eating, when we are not aware of the food we are ingesting, our distraction easily translates into low gastric acid, enzymes and hormone production, less blood flow to the digestive tract and less oxygen for the cells of our digestive organs.

An action taken with Awareness is more powerful than an action taken without Awareness. For example, if you choose to feed yourself with nourishing foods and consciously take good care of your body in non-food ways, your choices send a powerful message: They confirm to your body that it is well taken care of and can therefore relax, move out of survival mode, function better and use its resources to heal and rejuvenate itself. You put your body at ease.

Awareness will allow you to digest, absorb and assimilate the nutrients from your food more effectively.

Marika Blossfeldt
Author . Speaker . Coach
https://marikab.com/cookbook/