Beyond the Rules: My Journey to Intuitive and Spiritual Eating

 …..as the mind quiets, the body’s innate wisdom speaks louder…..

For over a decade, my relationship with food was governed by a self-imposed prison of the mind. I was obsessed with the "what" and the "when." I lived by a clock and a checklist, believing that if I could just control the intake of matter into my body, I could control my life. But through my Sadhana (spiritual practice) in recent years, I’ve undergone a profound shift in consciousness. I have come to realize that while food is the building block of our physical vessel, the rules we apply to it are often just the mind’s attempt to avoid the fluidity of life itself.

Food is not just calories; it is a guest. It is an energy that flows in, transforms, and flows out, providing fuel for the physical body and deep nourishment for our emotional and causal bodies.

The question "what should we eat?" is common, but the answer is a journey that moves through stages, years of a lifetime, that must be respected and followed, to reach the final understanding of eating.

1. Honoring the Craving_ taste Everyhting

In my early years of "austerities" (acts of self-discipline), I was a master of suppression. When my mind flagged something as "unhealthy" or "sugary," I would use my willpower to block the desire. I thought this was a spiritual victory. It wasn't.

I eventually learned that a craving is not an enemy to be defeated; it is a "need that needs attention." If you ignore it, the energy doesn't dissipate; it settles into the subtle layers of the body, waiting to "pop up" later—louder, heavier, and more distorted.

Now, I teach my students to eat exactly what the soul is asking for, even 'unhealthy' store-bought sweets, but with one condition: total, radical mindfulness. By the time you eat that food with full presence, the craving usually starts the process of dissolution. It has been 'seen.' This is a law of the universe: whatever is acknowledged with love has reached its purpose and can finally depart. Whatever comes will eventually leave.

I call this "the consumption of whatever is there." When you feed a craving with awareness, you aren't just eating; you are performing an act of shadow-work, transforming a hidden pain into a beacon of light.

If you feed it mindfully, it finally finds peace and leaves.

If you judge yourself while eating, you will destroy your wellbeing. There is no need for judgements especially around food.

A note for women!

This mindfulness is especially vital for women. Our bodies are not static; we are lunar, we have our cycles shifting through subtle internal seasons every month. These shifts bring about deep discomfort and specific cravings that the logical mind often judges.

I have learned that during these days, we must move from a state of "doing" to a state of "allowing." Don’t suppress the body’s calls; caress them. When we fight our biology, we create tension that blocks the flow of Prana (universal life force energy that flows through everything in existence). When we meet our monthly discomfort with extra gentleness, we turn our "temple" into a place of sanctuary rather than a battlefield.

2. The Death of Unseen Emotions_ not needing Everything anymore

There is a stage in this journey that I call the death of unseen emotions. After years of eating with awareness, you reach a point where the "eye-cravings" and "taste-cravings" naturally fall away. You don’t want to eat everything anymore and this isn't a result of force or willpower; it is the result of fluidity with wellbeing, a deeper maturity inside your body.

We often overeat or crave intensely because we are, quite simply said, too small to hold the space of our own feelings. Food becomes a buffer against trauma we aren't yet ready to process. This is a beautiful mechanism of the soul—it protects us until we have the spiritual strength to look at our shadows.

And remember, there is a time for ALL, and ALL is in perfect timing. So, don’t fight your understanding nor your conditions.

3. The Energetics of Space: Where We Eat

I am a creator of food. I find deep peace and love in cooking all my food: from my own pesto, sweet chili sauce, my jams, to baking my own gluten-free bread and vegan desserts. And I know the healing power of an own well-cooked food, and yet there is another truth to be understood: the environment where you eat your food can be more disturbing than the meal itself.

I can have my own cooked and perfect lentil pot, but if I eat it in a “disturbed” environment, if I am not in the right place, with the right mindset, my body responds immediately with pain, bloating and cramps. It is as if the body is physically rejecting the energy of the room. Once that harmony is broken, it requires two or three days of my full, loving attention to "repair" the damage and help my system find its natural rhythm again.

When you eat, find a place where you feel comfortable, your body should be relaxed and you should feel safe. If you are home, you have your favorite place where you prefer to eat (maybe at the table, maybe sitting on the ground), so, find "Home" wherever you are and learn to master your environment:

• Trust Your Instinct: No matter where you are, pick the seat that feels energetically right for you. If the chair or table doesn’t fit, the body stays closed.
• Restaurant Intuition: Avoid letting the waiter dictate your energy. Search for a table and chair that resonates with you personally.
• The Corporate Battlefield: For those of us who eat in offices, the challenge is greatest. The energy of an office is "task-oriented," which is the opposite of "digestive-oriented." If you must eat there, do not eat over your laptop. Do not discuss business matters with your colleagues while eating. Trust me, everything can wait. If you cannot find a silent corner to be alone or in pleasant mindful company, it is often better to skip the meal, sustain yourself on dates and nuts, and wait for a long, beautiful dinner where you can truly "arrive."

Remember, to eat well, you must find "Home" wherever you are.

4. How we eat

Don’t be in hurry: Time is a very important factor. When we eat, we need time to complete the process. Chew your food well before swallowing it. And avoid being with your thoughts in a different place. Be present.

Music: if you eat alone, listen to some wonderful peaceful music and light a candle.

The meal conversations: be extra careful at the kind of conversations you have with people or with yourself especially while eating. Make them be light, full of joy; avoid negative thoughts. The most important sign is if your body and mind feel relaxed.

Timing: Eat during the day while it is light outside and try to avoid eating after sunset.

Take a slow walk: it’s wonderful and so beneficial to walk after a meal.

The 2-Hour Rule: Give your body two hours after eating before you take a bath or go for a swim.

5. Simplicity and the law of seasons

I’ve observed that the more complex a meal is, the slower the digestion becomes. I now focus on simple meals, combining augmenting and extractive foods, avoiding too many things on my plate; trying to eat what is in season in the places where I live and buying more organic food, reducing frozen foods and fried food.

Here are my simple examples for augmenting and extractive foods.

Augmenting foods: Buckwheat, Quinoa, Rice / Avocado, Carrots, Zucchini / Ghee, Paneer, Yogurt 

Extractive foods: Peas, Lentils, Tofu / Nuts (all of them) / Asparagus, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage.

6. Give THANKS to your food

Behind every meal we eat, a long process of creation has taken place. Even if you are eating just an apple, remember that a tree had to be planted by human hands; then, sun and water were needed for that tree to grow, and other hands to pick its fruit.

By giving "thanks" to our food, we acknowledge the sun, the soil, and the hands that prepared the meal. It can take just one second, and nobody else needs to know. Silently say "thank you" over your food or speak a mantra (sacred sound, word, or phrase used as a tool to focus the mind). Try to avoid making it a long spiritual ritual as you don’t need to attract attention (unless you are alone).

Final Thoughts

If you feel inspired or want to change something in your relationship with food, start today and start slowly. Find a way that fits your body, your character, and your style. Choose just a few of the points above rather than trying them all at once. Practice daily and notice how they feel.

If you like what you feel, continue. If you don’t like how you feel inside while practicing these steps, stop and honor that ending. Remember, dear One: judgment will never lead you to a place of peace and ease. Give yourself the gift of moving slowly in your desired direction, with baby steps and perseverance. Trust that your own body knows the way.

Being spiritual does not mean bypassing your human emotions or your human cravings. It means staying with them, understanding where they come from, and sometimes walking their path until you have consumed them totally. Only then can ONE be truly free.

…..May you be inspired to live in harmony with yourself…..

Much love to all of you out there walking the same path,

Piara Ajeet Kaur

alias Laura