Food Addiction Recovery – #50

Those with food addiction can benefit from meditation, as can many other folks as well. Yoga and meditation are ancient practices that might be of help to you in getting your life in balance—both food-wise and in other areas. I myself practice Buddhist meditation and Buddhist principles, which has had a positive impact on being a food addict. Now mind you I said Buddhist meditation, I did not become a religious Buddhist – not that there is anything wrong with that of course. My first lessons were through an Internet site at www.wildmind.org . I can recommend them as a good non-religious type information source about Buddhist meditation. I took all their courses.

Food Addiction – You Don’t Have To Be A Buddhist

After doing the Wildmind work, I purchased “Insight Meditation” which is a 12-month Buddhist style meditation program that is delivered by a manual, CDs and a meditation instructor who reviews your exercises from each of the 12 lessons sending you feedback by email or regular mail. This is an incredible bargain at $199.  You can learn more details about the course and buy it if you have a mind. I heartily recommend it as another “non-religious” approach to learning Buddhist Meditation. If you are a “thinker type” like me, you could read Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor that is a national bestseller. The book description begins as follows: “Those with an interest in Buddhism will welcome this new book by Stephen Batchelor, former monk and author of Alone With Others and The Awakening of the West. But those who are just discovering this increasingly popular practice will have much to gain as well – for Buddhism Without Beliefs serves as a solid, straightforward introduction that demystifies Buddhism and explains simply and plainly how its practice can enrich our lives. Avoiding jargon and theory, Batchelor concentrates on the concrete, making Buddhism accessible and compelling and showing how anyone can embark on this path – regardless of their religious background.” Now Stephen takes a secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism so not to worry I am not trying to convert you or something so learn more about Stephen Batchelor’s work if you have a mind.

Food Addiction and Holistic Medicine

Of course, you could look into the “mindfulness” approaches that are now very much a part of modern medicine that came from the Buddhist tradition. The Dalai Lama has fostered this type of “non-religious” use of Buddhist meditation work as well by attending and hosting conferences for scientists. The first and foremost authority to bring this type of work to medicine and psychology was a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School named Jon Kabat-Zinn Ph.D. You can learn more about him with his books, tapes, etc. as well that are priced very, very reasonably to say the least.  Well there you go.  The last of my 50 approaches to food addiction recovery.  Trust they make a difference for you.