V’Achalta, V’Savata, u’Verachata
(You shall eat, you shall be satisfied and you shall bless God.)
—Birkat HaMazon, traditional Jewish blessing after the meal.
Anxious? Stressed? Unable to focus or motivate yourself? Countless books and articles would advise you to take up meditation. Ananda Anand, 56, has now taken that practise to another level, or in some ways back to the basics, by applying the rules of mindful meditation to food and its consumption.
His food meditation sessions were started in Delhi five years ago. “It is like welcoming ourselves to food. We introduce real food to people, i.e food is grown in areas where there is fresh water and air. We then present ourselves to this food,” says the former businessman who quit everything to become an Osho sanyaasi in 1995.
And he did not look back. His food meditation sessions are influenced by GI Gurdjeff’s ‘The fourth way of teaching’, which passes on the message of the need for self-knowledge, self-observation and conscious evolution.
Anand gives credit to his spiritual guide Dr Ravi Ravindra for the knowledge that he is passing on.
The whole idea is to move away from the chattering mind for a while and become aware of the senses. The process involves eating each bite with full consciousness and gratitude.
“Food meditation is suited for everyone regardless of the religious background or past meditation experience. The main aim is to make people aware of the changes a simple act of eating and reflecting can bring about, and to introduce them to slow food movement. The food we eat becomes organic if we eat it organically, even if it’s a potato chip,”he says.
He adds: “In today’s busy lifestyle, most people tend to slip into a semi-conscious state of eating after the first few bites; mobiles and televisions have our attention while we eat. Once they start mindful eating, people have reported deep relaxation, insights into their personalities and immense gratitude to God.”
Anand organises food meditation sessions, on request, at different places in and around Delhi.
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