Find & Maintain Your Perfect Weight: The Yoga of Mindful Eating

A common experience, among those who have practiced some form of yoga (or qigong or meditation) for a sustained period of time, is the experience of having ones weight stabilize, and maintain itself ~ almost magically ~ at the “perfect” level. This has certainly been my experience … Regardless of what I eat (and granted, my diet is, my most standards, quite a “healthy” one), my weight has appeared, over many years, to fluctuate no more than a couple of pounds in either direction. I don’t have scientific “proof” of this, since I almost never weigh myself on a scale … but it is my perception, which I’ve grown to trust. Basically, I feel comfortable in my body, and most of the time what I want to eat is what my body needs … After I’ve eaten what I have desired, I feel nourished, satisfied, and energized by those choices.

But this sort of natural equilibrium, around weight and food choices, for most people takes a while to cultivate. So, in the meantime, what to do about this eating thing? This body-weight thing? Based upon advice I’ve received, over the years and from people I trust, I’d like to present two practices: one very simple (in terms of its mechanics, at least); the other a bit more involved. What they have in common is this: you’re not required to change WHAT you eat, in any way. Sound intriguing? Read on … !