AsiaSpa — November-December 2017

November/December 2017 AsiaSpa 59

pull him out of focus but he found humour

an aid. “It’s learning to laugh at yourself.

Learning to see that cyclic self-destructive

talk and chuckle at its absurdity,” he says.

With the indulgent party season upon

us, a few days eating mindfully could be

a worthy antidote from winter’s excesses.

Start now, if you are nibbling on a snack,

by putting this article down.

Khichari

This recipe from The Sukhavati Cookbook by the Sukhavati Ayurvedic Retreat and

Spa is a classic Ayurvedic staple, for a warm, rebalancing and restorative meal in one.

Serves Four

Directions:

1. Wash the rice and mung dal and bring to the boil with water in a heavy bottomed pot.


2. Add turmeric, ginger and salt, cover and simmer until consistency is soft and porridge-like.


3. Heat ghee in another saucepan and add mustard seeds. Stir until they begin to pop and
   then add cumin seeds. Sauté until fragrant.


4. Add the spice mix to the cooked rice and dal and stir through until combined thoroughly.


5. Add the coriander and let simmer for a few minutes. The khichari should be an even
   smooth texture that is not too thick.

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice

½ cup yellow (split) mung dal

5 cups water

½ tsp black mustard seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

3 tsp diced ginger

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 stem coriander leaf (chopped)

Salt and black pepper

One technique called Dear Body works
like a daily meditative reset, tuning the
mind’s chatter out and the body’s needs in.
The exercise anchors a busy mind, halts
stress, and gives space to fully monitor real,
honest information from the body on what
it needs to thrive at that moment – be that
food, hydration or sleep.
“The more you eat with attention
and intention the more you naturally
steer towards the healthier options while
minimising treat food. It’s generated through
an internal respect for the body rather than
rules,” says the clinic’s director, Charlotte
Thaarup, who herself overcame an eating
disorder with mindful eating, says simple
congruence succeeds where diets cannot.
She says, “The invitation is to fall in love
with the body. We want to honour the
relationship because you protect what you
love.”
Cristina Tahoces of the Thrive Nutrition
Practice in Hong Kong says, “Mindful eating
activates the parasympathetic nervous
system which is actually our rest and digest
mode.” Reading emails or trying to work
while eating actually impacts how well the
body digests and absorbs nutrients, and
stressors send the body into a fight-or-flight
mode that impacts the digestive process
negatively, so taking a few minutes out to
focus on food and away from issues can be
helpful, she says.
Slower chewing (some suggest 20
chews per mouthful) reduces bloating.
Still, conquering the mind isn’t easy and
even two minutes of mindful eating can be
a struggle, says Tahoces. But that’s ok. “The
reality is that mindful eating is hard and
takes deliberate practice and awareness. But
don’t make ‘perfect’ the enemy of ‘good’.”
Two minutes can soon become 10,
Tahoces says, and then a whole meal. Be led

by your own intuition and thinking. Some

people find they settle on one ‘mindful

meal’ a day, others prefer a week’s retreat.

Some, like Kade, do three meals a day and

see months turn into years. He admits his

experiment wasn’t without its challenges

despite previous experience practising

mindfulness in other areas of his life.

Negative voices in his mind threatened to