nourish your whole self workbook - whole...

© Deanna Minich www.foodandspirit.comFood & Spirit NOURISH YOUR WHOLE SELF WORKBOOK 01/16

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NOURISH YOUR WHOLE SELF WORKBOOK

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COPYRIGHT © 2013 BY DEANNA M. MINICH, PH.D.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or redistributed in any manner without permission in writing.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMERThis workbook is intended as an informational guide and is not meant to treat, diagnose, or prescribe. For any medical condition, physical symptoms or disease state, always consult with a qualified physician or appropriate health care professional. The author does not accept any responsibility for your health or how you choose to use the information contained in this workbook.


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GETTING STARTEDTHE SCIENCE & SPIRITUALITY OF FOODS & EATING


“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got.”

– Mark Twain

THE JOURNEY…

What you need for our journey of nourishment together:

n An intention, aim, objective

n A dedicated journal

n This NOURISH YOUR WHOLE SELF Workbook

What is your intention for this journey to nourish your whole self? You can use words or images to create within this space below…


NOURISH YOUR WHOLE SELF WORKBOOK™

What has been your approach to foods and eating throughout your life? What does this approach say about you?

What has been your experience with dieting?

How has eating defined you through your life? Note your defining food moments on your representative “life” line below. What did you learn from these experiences? After completing the events of your life, write out your life story according to your relationship with food on the next page. Share with a friend or with a family member. See what symbolism comes forth in the interpretation.



REDEFINING NUTRITION

Your life story according to your eating…




There is a defining difference between nourishment and nutrition. We can be nourished by food as much as we can be nourished by events, emotions, thoughts, actions, people, and things.

What nourishes you?




THE ROOTEATING AND ITS CONNECTION TO SAFETY, TRUST & SURVIVAL

THE TERRAIN

Symbolic Aspects Body

Instinct

Tribe

Traditions

Groundedness

Safety

Survival

Protection

Earth element

Boundaries

Square

Instinct

Body Aspects

Physical body

DNA

Immune system

Skin

Adrenal glands

Skeleton

Prostate gland (men)

Joints

Legs & feet

Muscles

Rectum

Red blood cels

Taibone

Food Aspects Protein

Root vegetables

Immune-enhancers

Adaptogens

Red foods

pH

Non-GMO

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© Deanna Minich Food & Spirit NOURISH YOUR WHOLE SELF WORKBOOK 01/16

“I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.”

– Joseph Campbell

INSTINCT, TRUST & SAFETY

What is your “power animal”? In other words, what animal gets you in the present moment and connects you to deeper aspects of yourself? What do you know about this animal? What does it symbolize to you? How can you bring it into your daily living?

Do you trust your body when it comes to eating? How do you receive the messages? When do you feel it’s unsafe to listen to your body? Practice checking in with your body on food choices – in the kitchen, restaurant, and grocery store.


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TRIBE, GROUNDEDNESS & EATING

What belief patterns about food and eating did you inherit from your family? Are these belief patterns still valid for you? If not, list the new belief patterns. List the eating traditions and beliefs you wish to keep.

Give your low body and feet some extra special attention this week. Notice whether you are continually crossing your legs or wearing shoes that aren’t comfortable. Write a small paragraph from the perspective of your feet and how they feel.

Treat yourself to eating on the ground, barefoot – write about whether and how this activity changes your eating experience.


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Feel out what protein sources are “right” for you and how eating them at different times impacts your sense of “presence”.


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THE FLOWEATING AND ITS CONNECTION TO EMOTIONS, CREATIVITY, & EXPRESSION

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“One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.”

- Nietzsche

THE FLOW

Symbolic Aspects Water element

Relationships

Emotions

Expression

Play

Pleasure

Creativity

Circle

Body Aspects

Sacrum

Low Belly

Bladder

Hips

Kidneys

Colon

Ovaries

Urinary tract

Uterus

Water in body Tissues/organs that have to deal with growth/creation (e.g., reproductive organs, cell grouth & proliferation)

Food Aspects Water

Fats

Nuts

Seeds

Tropical fruits

Probiotics

Salt

Fish

EMOTIONS

How would you describe your emotions? If they were a person, what would they look and be like?

How do your emotions determine your eating? Dedicate this week to celebrating your emotions. Try the emotion log in the Appendix to help you track what you feel. Look for patterns with your eating.


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Identifying emotions is essential for solving where they need to flow. See if these questions help in teasing out specific emotions.


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If you are feeling SAD, ask yourself whether you can define your sadness as any of the following:

If you are feeling MAD, ask yourself whether you can define your anger as any of the following:

If you are feeling FEARFUL, ask yourself whether you can define your fear as any of the following:

If you are feeling HAPPY, ask yourself whether you can define your happiness as any of the following:

Do you feel guilty? c Y c NDo you feel ashamed? c Y c NDo you feel depressed? c Y c NDo you feel lonely? c Y c NDo you feel bored? c Y c NDo you feel tired? c Y c NDo you feel full of regret? c Y c NDo you feel apathetic? c Y c NDo you feel isolated? c Y c N

Do you feel hurt? c Y c NDo you feel rage? c Y c NDo you feel hateful? c Y c NDo you feel critical? c Y c NDo you feel distant and cold? c Y c NDo you feel cynical? c Y c NDo you feel frustrated? c Y c NDo you feel jealous? c Y c NDo you feel competitive? c Y c NDo you feel irritated? c Y c NDo you feel suspicious and non-trusting? c Y c NDo you feel overwhelmed? c Y c N

Do you feel confused? c Y c NDo you feel helpless? c Y c NDo you feel rejected? c Y c NDo you feel insecure? c Y c NDo you feel anxious? c Y c NDo you feel discouraged? c Y c NDo you feel inadequate? c Y c NDo you feel embarrassed? c Y c NDo you feel pessimistic? c Y c N

Do you feel excited? c Y c NDo you feel energetic? c Y c NDo you feel cheerful? c Y c NDo you feel creative? c Y c NDo you feel abundant? c Y c NDo you feel joyful? c Y c NDo you feel playful? c Y c NDo you feel content? c Y c NDo you feel thankful? c Y c N

What is your favorite food to eat when you are eating emotionally? Reflect on the food; see it as a symbol or a metaphor for what you are really experiencing.



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CREATIVITY & FLOW

How does your creativity come through? Where do you have flow in your life and where do you sense blocks?

Set aside 2 hours that you can be creative this week. Write about the experience.

Combine food and creativity in any way you choose. Write about your creation.

What foods are you eating and liquids are you drinking to establish flow from within?



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THE FIREEATING AND ITS CONNECTION TO POWER, ENERGY, & SUSTENANCE

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“I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all the time.”

– Anna Freud

THE FIRE

Symbolic Aspects Fire element

Empowerment

Self-esteem

Ego

Transformation

Balance/stress

Energy

Triangle

Body Aspects

Solar plexus

Middle back

Gallbladder

liver

Pancreas

Small intestine

Stomach

Digestive system

Body temperature/heat

Food Aspects Carbohydrates

Legumes

Whole grains Spices to rev up transformation and decrease inflammation Digestive support (enzymes, HCI)

POWER, CONFIDENCE & ACCEPTANCE

Do you radiate self-confidence? Why or why not?

What does the word “power” mean to you? Do you feel a sensation in your solar plexus region when you think of it? How about the other spectrum of power – “control”? What do you feel with that word?


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An all or nothing approach to eating takes us away from learning from our mistakes and moving on and puts us into a mode of finding the worst in ourselves. As Julia Cameron says, “How does perfectionism steal your fire?”

Journal on: “If I didn’t have to do it perfectly, I’d try…”

List your “should have” statements that keep appearing or keep coming to mind.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.


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How is the gift of transformation present in your life? How do you embrace it?

Caroline Myss talks about how we all have "100 coins of energy” – how do you spend your energetic currency? How much of your inner reserves do you spend on the past, present, and future?


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Try monitoring your energy levels in the morning, afternoon, and night using a simple scale of 1-5 with 5 being “high energy” and 1 being “low energy”. What do you observe about your energy levels?


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ENERGY & EATING

What foods are costing you energy? What foods are giving you energy?

Examine the sweetness in your life. Does it need adjustment? How can you live life in a sweeter way? Do you eat sweet foods to compensate?


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Prepare a meal for yourself to eat. What does it say about who you are?

THE LOVEEATING AND ITS CONNECTION TO LOVE, COMPASSION, & SHARING

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“What is essential is invisible to the eye; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly.”

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

THE LOVE

Symbolic Aspects Air element

Expressing love

Giving and receiving

love

Self-love

Gratitude

Compassion

Emotional Wisdom

Forgiveness

Optimism

Diamond

Body Aspects

Heart

Lungs

Upper back/middle

chest

Armpits/arms/hands

Blood vessels

Breasts & lymph

Shoulders

Food Aspects Vegetables

Leafy green vegetables

Green-colored foods

(chlorophyll)

Sprouts/live foods

Cruciferous vegetables

Phytonutrients

(phytosterols,

phytoestrogens)

Sharing food

Donating or making

food for others

LOVE, GRATITUDE & COHERENCE

Draw your heart with crayons. Place names of those you find to be supportive inside the heart. Outside the heart, place names of those you must be self-protective around.

Forgiveness heals the person forgiving as well as the one receiving the apology. Where is forgiveness asked for in your life? Who or what needs forgiving?


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Practice coherence by practicing belly breaths in combination with feeling compassion or love for at least 5 minutes per day. Journal on the feelings you have from this activity. How long do the effects last after the exercise?

Hum, sing, chant, or tone for one minute a day. Write down your response to this exercise. Note any changes in your chest area.


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List 10 things you are grateful for:


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1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

GRACE-FULL EATING

Create a prayer of gratitude to say before your meals.

Have green vegetables at least once daily. Note whether you have any resistance or whether you welcome this action. How do you feel when you eat them?

How does food represent “love” in your life?


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THE TRUTHEATING AND ITS CONNECTION TO VOICE, COMMUNICATION, & TRUTH

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“Self-expression must pass into communication for its fulfillment.”

- Pearl S. Buck

THE TRUTH

Symbolic Aspects Speaking one’s

truth

Verbal expression

Senses

Communication

Alchemy

Choice

Archetypes

Harmony

Star

Body Aspects

Throat

Cervical spine

Cheeks

Chin

Ears

Larynx

Lips

Mouth

Neck

Nose

Pharynx

Thyroid and

parathyroid glands

Tongue

Food Aspects Sea-plants

Fruits

Moistening fluids

Soups

Sauces

Juices

Thyroid support

Mindful Eating

Choosing variety

CHOICE, COMMUNICATION & AUTHENTICITY

“Managing the power of choice, with all its creative and spiritual implications, is the essence of the human experience.” – Caroline Myss

How conscientious are you of your choices?

What archetypes are present in your life? Where and how are they present?


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How mindful and authentic are you in your daily living – speech, action, thought? Where do you have space to grow these qualities?

Is your eating in balance with talking, chewing, breathing, and swallowing?


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HARMONY

Is your eating full of variety? What food can you try this week that you’ve never tried before?

How do you honor and harmonize your body’s eating rhythm and the rhythm of the external environment?

Try to use all 5 senses when it comes to eating and living. How does doing so change your ability to choose?

Hearing

Seeing

Touch

Tasting

Smelling


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THE INSIGHTEATING AND ITS CONNECTION TO INTUITION, INSIGHT, & THOUGHT

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“Look within the silence and behold our indigo soul-light, hear the quiet wisdom that illumines our inner sight, together let us dream of the peaceful world we would perceive, with our imagination we will create what we believe.”

- Mara Berendt Friedman

THE INSIGHT

Symbolic Aspects Mind

Intellect

Imagination

Visualization

Intention

Dreams

Intuition

Thought

Concentration

Focus

Spiral

Body Aspects

Brain &

neurotransmitters

Eyebrows & eyes

Forehead

Pituitary gland

Food Aspects Spices

Caffeine

Mood-altering foods

Purple-blue foods

Foods that impact

cognition and brain

function

THINKING, INTUITION & INSIGHT

What type of thinker are you? Absolutist, Catastrophic, Pessimistic, Linear, Expansive, Optimistic, Realistic?What challenges and benefits does your perception of life provide you?

How do you define “intuition”? How do you listen to your intuition? How do you know it’s your intuition you are hearing?


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Do you meditate or have you used guided imagery? What is your experience? If you haven’t tried either before, see if you can experiment with either of them this week. If you are familiar with these techniques, see if you can try a variation on one or both of them. Journal on your experience…


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Do you dream and remember your dreams? Do you listen to your dreams? What symbols are coming through? Draw some of them here if you’d like!

Which of the “4 Addictions” (Source: Angeles Arrien, PhD, The Fourfold Way) resonates most with you? How can you access more of the “unclaimed resource”?

Unclaimed Resource LoveSurrenderWisdom Vision, Looking at the Whole

Addiction IntensityPerfectionNeed to know Being fixated on what’s not working rather than what is working


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What symbolic messages are coming through your body? How? Why do you think they are there? What is their inherent wisdom?

FOOD, THOUGHTS & MOOD

What thoughts about food and eating plague you? Write them out and meditate or reflect on each one. What are they trying to say?

How dependent are you on stimulating foods like chocolate, caffeine, coffee, and sugar? Why do you think you are drawn to these substances?


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Do foods change your moods? Do moods change your food choices?

How colorful is your eating – do you get blue-purple foods regularly?


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THE SPIRITEATING AND ITS CONNECTION TO PURITY, CLARIFICATION, & SPIRITUALITY

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“The true way to be humble is not to stoop until you are smaller than yourself, but to stand at your real height against some higher nature that will show you what the real smallness of your greatness is.”

- Phillips Brooks

THE SPIRIT

Symbolic Aspects Belief

Surrender

Interconnection

Divinity

Groundedness

God

Spirituality

Sun

Body Aspects

Central nervous system

Top of head

Soul (non-body)

Electromagnetic fields

Life force/chi/prana

Food Aspects Detoxification &

cleansing

Pure Foods (organic, etc.)

Nervous system support

Vitamin D

Enlightened eating

CONNECTION & COMMUNION

Is eating a spiritual experience for you? If yes, in what ways? If not, how can this physical event become spiritual?

How important is purification in your daily life? How do you bring “purity” into your everyday life?


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What daily miracles do you experience?

Based on how you eat, how do you relate to divinity/God?

Develop a prayer or a gift of grace for every meal.


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n Be yourself.

n Allow yourself to go with the flow of life and your inner passions.

n Balance your internal and external worlds.

n Give and receive love as much as possible.

n Speak your truth.

n Listen to your divine wisdom within.

n Connect with vital life force of divinity/God.


LIFELONG ASSIGNMENTS™

“And when you crush an apple with your teeth, say to it in your heart, “Your seeds shall live in my body, And the buds of your tomorrow shall blossom in my heart, And your fragrance shall be my breath, And together we shall rejoice through all the seasons.”

-Kahlil Gibran

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