Is it Eating or Feeding??

Posted by LeeAnn on August 10th, 2009 at 09:16am

My favorite time on a farm is feeding time. I particularly love the morning feeding. I love the greetings, the sounds of impatience as the horses wait to be fed. As soon as every one has breakfast, the noise drops to munching and the occasional shuffling of feet as contentment sets in.

My dogs too love to remind me that they want to stick to the routine of their feeding and snack time. I swear animals have a very finely tuned time clock that lets you know if you are even the tiniest bit off schedule.

There is a difference between eating and feeding. As of late I have been asking myself if I am feeding myself or eating. It is not about the verb or the action of eating, instead the difference lies in a subtle nuance of self-care. Eating can be an unconscious act of stuffing anxiety with food. It can also be a day long graze like the easy-keeper mare who must wear a grazing muzzle because she would eat herself into an unhealthy size. And rather than confine her to a dirt paddock, she is allowed the cool, green pasture dotted with sprinklers with an eating control gadget to protect her from herself.

I wonder if they have human grazing muzzles. Note to self – Google human grazing muzzles.

Ok, so all kidding aside. Consciously feeding; purposefully feeding the body is an act of nurturance. It is mindfully considering what the body needs rather than what my mind wants. It is partnering with my body and truly thinking about its care and maintenance. It is separating the emotions around eating and meeting the needs of my one and only body of this life time. It is an act of respect for the miraculous vehicle that houses my heart, mind and soul.

I find that when I “feed” my body based on its needs, I have a much deeper connection with it. I find that I am in relationship to its needs, wants and wisdom. By attending to my body, responding to it and listening, I become awake to its subtle language. I begin to notice if certain foods give me energy or make me tired. I become aware of cravings and begin to investigate what is behind the presenting symptom.

It is interesting for me to note that I have spent far more time researching what to feed my animals than I have in learning about my own body’s needs. Food is the primary building block for good health. As a professional trainer, I read labels and made choices for the animal’s long term health and vitality. It is time for me to apply to myself what I did for those in my care.

So, do you eat or feed yourself?

Do you feed yourself with awareness and choice or do you allow outside pressures to dictate your own self care? Do you eat because we are supposed to eat or do you take the time to plan and feed yourself? I think feeding is an act of self nurturance, what are your thoughts?

Let me know what you think and what you have noticed?

Happy Trails!
The Divine Cowgirl

Tags: empowerment, inner journey, self nurturance

Under Relationship+ With our bodies