A DELICIOUS EXPERIENCE IN MINDFULNESS
Thich Nhat Hanh, the well-known Zen Buddhist monk, tells a story about the Buddha being asked what he and his students practice. His reply was, “We sit, we eat, and we sleep.” The inquistitor, perplexed, replied, “but we all do that.” The Buddha, in his perfect wisdom and grace asserted, “Yes but when we sit we know we are sitting. When we sleep, we know we are sleeping, and when we eat, we know we are eating.”
JOIN HEATHER-RAE BANG OF V(EYE)BES AND MASTER CHEF ALUMNI OLIVIA CROUPPEN AS THEY LEAD YOU THROUGH A CULINARY EXPERIENCE THAT DEEPENS YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO PERSONAL JOY
We encourage mindfulness practices as a way of slowing the mind, re-sensitizing the senses that have been ravaged by Instagram, news headlines, video games, violence, drugs, and heavily processed food. Gaining heightened awareness of the world within and around us is inherently calming, centering, up-lifting, and can be accomplished in numerous ways.
Utilizing every sense in our body, we will focus on mindful cooking and eating as a way of re-learning how we can gain greater joy and satisfaction from indulging the little things – the texture of each dish, the fragrant ingredients, the sound of soothing celestial frequencies playing in the room, even the sound made from conversation held amongst friends.
RELEASE STRESS AND GAIN MENTAL EQUILIBRIUM MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION HELP US RECOGNIZE STRESSFUL OR NEGATIVE THOUGHTS AND REDIRECT ATTENTION TO AWARENESS OF THE PRESENT MOMENT.
How many nights a week do you eat dinner while watching TV? Do you nibble while checking your email or social media? Do you eat in the car or on the go often? How about while going through a mental checklist of all the things you need to do?
If so, how does the food taste? Do you take time to notice its flavor profile, texture, or energetic qualities? Do you ever take the time to stop and appreciate it?
Is food a way you nourish your mind and body, or does it come with feelings of discomfort, dis-ease, lack of control or restriction?
If you’ve ever struggled with using food as a way do punish or reward yourself, to check out or numb your feelings or stress, or if you’ve never really even thought about it, we invite you to get back into your body and look at your relationship to the way in which you feed yourself.
Eating is an act of self-care, and food is powerful medicine. By looking at our relationship what we eat and how, we can tap into our bodies’ unique intuition and ability to tell us what we need to add into our life, and essentially what we maybe need to be letting go.
The best way to start doing this is not by deciding in your egoic mind what is “good“ & “bad” for you. It does not come from eating more “clean” foods or doing a “cleanse”. It comes from creating space & time for yourself to drop in and be present while eating, instead of using it as an escape.
Join Heather-Rae Bang & holistic chef Olivia Crouppen for an evening of self-discovery through mindful eating. We will be coming together in community to honor our body and spirit. We will make time to marvel in the wonder of our bodies ability to take the pleasure of taste and turn it into the fuel for being our most present, authentic and satisfied self.
By the end of this meditative workshop, you’ll be able to escape the effects of chronic stress and some digestive issues due to eating too fast with simple but powerful tools that anyone can do! You’ll gain a sense of mental equilibrium, gain heart coherence, and connect with your breath to create calmness and mindfulness.
YOUR HEALING HOSTS
“Using mindfulness to look deeply at what you eat can make it much easier to make such changes, because you realize the benefits they can bring to the planet and yourself-lower weight, lower risk of colon cancer and heart disease, more energy for doing the things you enjoy” .
– Vietnamese Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh
WHAT TO EXPECT
We have to be clear here – on its own, this mindful eating meditation is not a diet-plan or us trying to talk you into throwing away everything in your kitchen cupboards. This meditation experience can be used as a framework to help guide more mindful choices when it comes to food that might lead to satisfaction in your body, mind and soul. It will help awaken your every sense – touch, smell, hearing, sight, and most importantly – taste.
Not only will you enjoy tasty treats from Olivia’s kitchen, you will learn simple steps to eat more mindfully. You will also connect your mind to your body/breath during this sensory meditation through gentle stretches and breathwork techniques, and will find yourself quickly surrendering into deep restorative relaxation during our crystal singing bowl soundbath, where true healing can occur.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
Eating with mindfulness means we will avoid ingesting all the stress, anxiety and unrest of a distracted mind. And aside from the benefit of really enjoying our food, the calmness and presence we cultivate from eating mindfully will help us to enjoy life more as well. With increased awareness we will be more present with others, and we will ride the ‘waves’ of life with greater ease as opposed to drowning in them. Ultimately, mindfulness is an invaluable tool for those who practice meditation, as mindfulness is an essential tool for improving our concentration, which leads to greater insights.
WHERE IS IT?
The Mystic Rebel Healing Collective
453 S. Spring Street, Suite 641
Los Angeles, CA 90013
PARKING
For those of you who don’t live in DTLA we absolutely know how nerve wracking it can be to navigate. There is metered street parking on Spring Street and other streets nearby (and sometimes FREE on Sundays). There are also some lots and garages in the area. The best solution we have found so far is an app called Spot Hero. You can type in our address, find lots in the area with the best rate, pay with your credit card in the app and swipe the bar code when you arrive. We don’t have any kind of deal with these guys, we just like the ease of it.
We are in the Spring Arts Building located above The Last Book Store. Let the doorman know you are there for class and take the elevator up to the 6th floor. Turn right off the elevators and we are the first door on your left. We look forward to seeing you!
HELPFUL TIPS
We recommend you wear comfortable, stretchy clothing to this event. You may also want to bring/wear socks and a wrap, sweater or sweatshirt in case you get chilly.
Soundbaths are a great way to charge crystals, so feel free to bring any to set up around your resting area
If you’d like to journal or keep photos of loved ones nearby, you may also bring them with you.
Be respectful. This is a meditation. Please do not talk to or touch your neighbors during the soundbath.
This event may fill up quickly. There is limited space and we suggest getting your tickets early before they sell out.
Please be mindful of any food or plant allergies or respiratory issues you may have as sometimes we burn Sage and/or Palo Santo and diffuse essential oils and we will be serving plant-based snacks. We trust that you will be honest with us if you have any concerns. If you have questions, please email us.
Tickets are non-refundable for this event.
Doors open at 6:45pm and door will be locked at 7:10pm. As to not disturb the other participants, we will not allow for latecomers. Please allow ample time for parking and coming up to the 6th floor of the Spring Arts Building.