Those who know me know it: I am a person that is both temperamental and very busy. Over the years, I have tried to appease these traits that have the explosive potential to make me, say, “unpleasant” (I imagine my relatives reading me and I tell myself that a little in self-mockery has never done any harm). So, after several attempts to harmonize all aspects of my life, I realized that healthy eating combined with meditation has made me a person that is more at peace than ever before.

 

More specifically, healthy eating, I believe, is “taking the time” to plan, prepare, vary colors and textures, eat fresh and organic whenever possible, and most importantly, listen to the signals that our body sends us. These signals are not only hunger and satiety, but also the sensations that are felt after eating. An easy example would be that I rarely eat a whole lot of fried food at once, not because I care about the effect it will have on my physical appearance, but because the feeling of tiredness and heaviness that come with it annoy me. Eating right is good for concentration, energy level, immune system, etc. It’s good for your body as well as your soul.

 

I practice meditation alone at home, in public, during my yoga classes, etc. In fact, from researches I made, there are almost as many meditation methods as there are people practicing it. It was not easy at first, because I was restless and my thoughts were constantly wandering around. However, by persisting, I quickly noticed the benefits of “letting go”. Claudia told you about it in this article! By focusing on the present time and on my body rather than the number of pairs of socks I had remaining before having to wash some (read here: all useless thoughts that prevent us from relaxing for a moment), I discovered something very beautiful and useful. Taking those precious minutes in my day means that I regain them in the shorter time it takes for me to fall asleep, work more productively, and, above all, achieve more harmonious interpersonal relationships. Small tip: eating well also helps to put oneself in a state of mind ideal for meditation!

 

Enough about me! I challenge you to start the day off right with a quality breakfast (drum roll … with an Evive smoothie, for example!), listen to your body after eating to be able to favor what makes you feel good, and to meditate at least several minutes every day. Ideally, practicing yoga as an active meditation is all the more beneficial as it stretches and strengthens the body. After a week or even a few days into this challenge, you will not want to go without it!

 

PAR ELIANE DUSSAULT