I was at a conference last week and for the mid-morning break there was a lavish spread. Along with the tea, coffee and fruit were trays piled high with pastries. There were scones, danish rolls and a variety of muffins enough to feed twice as many people as were actually at the conference. As I waited in line, the man behind me said in apparent dismay. "And this is only the beginning. From now until January 2 is the 'Feeding Season' I try to resist but it is hard."
I took away two things from the brief conversation...That the Holiday Season was also the "Feeding Season" and for most people there is a need to resist.
However, I was able to walk away from that spread with only a granola bar and a cup of hot lemon tea. It hadn't been hard to resist because the practice of controlling my thoughts around food had been a regular part of my spiritual practice for over a year. Because of that practice of resisting what I don't need to eat and embracing what is good for me I'd been preparing for this Feeding Season without realizing it.
We are all constantly tempted to eat too much or to eat the wrong things or to eat for the wrong reasons. But consider this, it is always easier to NOT be disciplined. It is easier to choose to not exercise. . Criticism comes easier than praise; complaints quicker than gratitude. A frantic (too busy) pace feels normal. Building a daily schedule around times of prayer and reflection is more difficult. Add to that the constant barrage of bad economic or political news and you can see why one must work hard to not be in a constant swirl of worry and anxiety.
But every day there are opportunities to "Stay" the mind. As in "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee...." Isaiah 26:3
OR As in-
"Mind -you will not think that unkind thought."
"Mind- you will stop criticizing."
"Mind- you will not worry about this."
"Mind. No, you will not have a second helping."
"Mind- we are going to the gym today."
"Mind- Sit! Stay!
Admittedly, Staying the mind is not easy- but it can be done. And what better practice tool for becoming more Christ-like than food! Just imagine if every single time you thought about food or ate anything- you also thought about God.
Next week we celebrate Thanksgiving, a major part of the Feeding Season. Contrary to popular belief, most people won't gain a lot of weight during the Holiday Season. A normal weight person may gain a pound or less, and an overweight person may gain only 2 pounds. The problem is that many people will never loose those few pounds. Year after year, the weight gained during the Holiday Season will account for a large part of all the weight gained in midlife. For more read the story- from the NY Times.
One strategy to reverse this trend is to do an extended fast in January. Many church communities engage in this activity. I realized last year following my 40 day raw food fast that the problem of my eating habits come from my thinking habits. I weigh less than now than I did last year not because of loosing the Holiday weight but because I have used the practice of fasting to discipline my thoughts around food.
The benefits of the Sacred and Fit Gradual Fast, or of any fast, is to cause a change INSIDE. If the only change after a fast is the loss of a few pounds, the point has been missed. Fasting is a spiritual tool that uses our desires around food to increase our dedication, determination, discrimination devotion and discipline. Every day can become a fasting day, if one is mindful of what is eaten and what is not eaten.
Don't be in the same place next year as this year. Let this be the year for real change.
Mind. Sit! Stay!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Lessons taught: Lessons being learned
I have always tried to be a good teacher. However for the last two years, since taking a new job at an HBCU, I've had to become a better student. The topic I am learning about most is...myself.
Teaching is ordinarily a lot of work and when you have to teach a course that you've never taught before this is called a "new preparation." I was hired to teach courses that I had taught before- courses about the brain and about the brain and drugs. As it turns out, it is like a new prep teaching at my new school. The majority of my students haven't had a science course in a number of years and are convinced that they don't like science. Others don't believe that they can learn it.
Then there are the distractions. Many of my students have jobs and work more than 20 hours per week. Some support families. A few are pregnant.
Then there are the demographics. Many of my students are first generation college students. Some come from lower middle class families but some are struggling and can't afford to buy the text book. One was recently arrested.
In the midst of all of this, getting to Chapter 6 by midterms is no longer the most important thing. And yet, I am challenged every day to utilize faith and compassion. Faith to see my students as capable learners, no matter what- balanced with enough compassion to assist where I can while not loosing sight of my primary role as educator. It is a hard balancing act....especially when I'm tired and lonely and just want to be back in Wilmington with William curled up on the couch with a cup of Chai tea.
So, I am learning that the very same disciplines I learned in Sacred and Fit around food are now serving me very well, as I discipline myself to not become overwhelmed. After learning how to be disciplined around food choices, I am now learning to discipline thoughts and my feelings around my job.
As you know, my regular spiritual practice includes prayer and meditation and I am good at stilling my mind in the morning before the day has started. What is more challenging is stilling my mind when there is a line of 15 people outside my office door. So what a surprise it was to learn that when I started every class period with 2 minutes of silence, that I began to feel better. That's it. That simple. Creating a moment of stillness, just two minutes, at 11:00 and 2:00.
I started this practice of beginning each and every class with 2 minutes of silence at the beginning of the year. The only other time I had attempted it was the semester before when a student had been murdered in his off-campus apartment. At that time, it was a way to acknowledge the grief that my students were feeling. Now I use it to deal with fear, stress, anxiety and overwhelm...for them and for me...And it is working.
Not everyone has to participate..but everyone has to be quiet, so there is a class decorum that is set right away. During the two minutes, as I give the instructions, I feel myself calming down and leaving all the stress build up that has occurred before I entered the room. I leave all of those thoughts and "arrive" in class, becoming present to what I am doing and more importantly, why I am doing it. The students also arrive and then we begin.
Along with this self-learning, my students also contribute to my education. The faith they place in me and in the educational pursuit strengthens my confidence and when I feel more confident and composed I do a better job. Contemplation leads to composure leads to self-confidence leads to competence...this is what I've learned...and the semester is only half over.
Teaching is ordinarily a lot of work and when you have to teach a course that you've never taught before this is called a "new preparation." I was hired to teach courses that I had taught before- courses about the brain and about the brain and drugs. As it turns out, it is like a new prep teaching at my new school. The majority of my students haven't had a science course in a number of years and are convinced that they don't like science. Others don't believe that they can learn it.
Then there are the distractions. Many of my students have jobs and work more than 20 hours per week. Some support families. A few are pregnant.
Then there are the demographics. Many of my students are first generation college students. Some come from lower middle class families but some are struggling and can't afford to buy the text book. One was recently arrested.
In the midst of all of this, getting to Chapter 6 by midterms is no longer the most important thing. And yet, I am challenged every day to utilize faith and compassion. Faith to see my students as capable learners, no matter what- balanced with enough compassion to assist where I can while not loosing sight of my primary role as educator. It is a hard balancing act....especially when I'm tired and lonely and just want to be back in Wilmington with William curled up on the couch with a cup of Chai tea.
So, I am learning that the very same disciplines I learned in Sacred and Fit around food are now serving me very well, as I discipline myself to not become overwhelmed. After learning how to be disciplined around food choices, I am now learning to discipline thoughts and my feelings around my job.
As you know, my regular spiritual practice includes prayer and meditation and I am good at stilling my mind in the morning before the day has started. What is more challenging is stilling my mind when there is a line of 15 people outside my office door. So what a surprise it was to learn that when I started every class period with 2 minutes of silence, that I began to feel better. That's it. That simple. Creating a moment of stillness, just two minutes, at 11:00 and 2:00.
I started this practice of beginning each and every class with 2 minutes of silence at the beginning of the year. The only other time I had attempted it was the semester before when a student had been murdered in his off-campus apartment. At that time, it was a way to acknowledge the grief that my students were feeling. Now I use it to deal with fear, stress, anxiety and overwhelm...for them and for me...And it is working.
Not everyone has to participate..but everyone has to be quiet, so there is a class decorum that is set right away. During the two minutes, as I give the instructions, I feel myself calming down and leaving all the stress build up that has occurred before I entered the room. I leave all of those thoughts and "arrive" in class, becoming present to what I am doing and more importantly, why I am doing it. The students also arrive and then we begin.
Along with this self-learning, my students also contribute to my education. The faith they place in me and in the educational pursuit strengthens my confidence and when I feel more confident and composed I do a better job. Contemplation leads to composure leads to self-confidence leads to competence...this is what I've learned...and the semester is only half over.
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