I have found meditation to be my most powerful tool for living a life of fullness and joy. Since I have used meditation for transforming my mind, I thought why not use it to transform the body too? As I continue on my 100 pound weight loss adventure, my secret weapon is meditation. A few years ago I conducted a personal experiment to see if I could lose weight just meditating. The plan was to link my mind and body and start a conversation with my fat cells. Everything has a conscious right? I began to chat with the issues in my tissues to see if by addressing the emotions that were being held captive in my fat, I would be able to negotiate their release. By doing this, I would then give my fat the opportunity to leave my body since there was nothing to hold on to. It worked, in two weeks I had lost 5 pounds just meditating.
This new weight loss hack uses the power of my mind and body connection to remove stored emotions. My fat now had the freedom to leave my body the more I convinced it that no more negative emotions would be arriving. By letting go of my fears, thoughts and the emotions that did not serve me, the fat that was holding on to them was dissipating. After I was in the flow, I added gratitude for my fat cells for holding and protecting me from toxic thoughts and emotions but asked for cooperation now in their removal. To maintain the effort, I kept my emotions in a state of safety without generating fears that would raise my level of cortisol and thus affect the sensitivity of my response to insulin, throwing off my metabolism.
Day after day I convinced my fat that everything was fine, I had plenty to eat, I had water and I had shelter. I was slowly and deliberately convincing my fat cells that there was no need for survival mode and to let go. This had the added bonus of lowering my stress levels which were previously diminished with a donut for comfort. Through this process I developed an awareness that any worries would create cravings for food or alcohol that became unyielding tools for survival.
I searched for some scientific evidence that would validate my success. I found Eric Loucks, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Brown University. In a recent study he discovered that people who live in the moment tend to have less body fat. Loucks believes that because humans had to hunt and gather their food, our brains are designed to eat as much as we can and that thinking comes from a concern that we don’t know where our next meal is coming from. His study suggests that the human brain has not had enough evolution to change the response. People with low levels of mindfulness were 34 percent more likely to be obese. I had tapped into a huge resource, I could think myself thin. I was training my mind to notice but not automatically react like old habits, for example not reaching for a glass of wine or a Butterfinger as a response to anger or frustration. By recognizing what I was feeling I could intervene before acting on a thought and end up with a better decision. Every day that I could get my mind to tune in with my body, the outcome when sensations of hunger and cravings arrived, had me making a healthier choice.
At the end of my meditations, I pictured myself in the future at the perfect body weight and healthy form that I desired. Through these visualization techniques I found myself standing in my driveway in my future, pulling into the garage with bags of organic food. I was patient as I waited to see my new self emerge from the car. I saw the door open and there was my upper arm, completely reduced in size. I then saw my thigh emerge and the same thing, thin and appropriate for my frame. I realized then that my mind and my body were on board, they were working to create the future me, the whole me was conspiring to get me to my future self. I was now into the sensory part of my manifestation as I was seeing it and feeling it. All was aligning with purpose and cause.
I have found great potential in this and I am now taking my lessons beyond my meditation time and on to the dining table. This awareness and focusing on the moment of consumption has me actually paying attention to what I am going to eat instead of thoughtlessly cramming down a bag of salty chips. I also find myself more separated from food than having it as a part of me. My list of must eats is diminishing by the day as I no longer have an intimate relationship and connection to certain foods as I did before. The power of connecting the mind and body can move mountains of emotion and get you to a place of clearing and paving the way to health and happiness.
