Dharma of Diet

When it comes to food, diet, nutrition, and feeling at home in our bodies, most people struggle to establish a positive relationship. At best, we may call a truce predicated on the right ratio of calories to cardio. At worst, we don’t know what to eat, feel confused about nutrition, and can no longer tell whether we are hungry or full. Walking into the market or going out to eat with friends can feel threatening.

We think that if we finally find the right “diet” something magical will happen: We will feel lovable and happy and discover lasting well being. To this end, we restrict calories or food groups, mete out treats and punishments, get down on ourselves for any infractions, and basically hope that the next diet will finally fix us.

What ever happened to feeling alive in our bodies? To taking pleasure in taste? To feeling genuinely nourished?

Susan Piver will host this four week evening e-Course with the founder of Eat to Love, nutritionist and certified Intuitive Eating counselor (and good pal), Jenna Hollenstein. Together, we will spend four weeks examining our relationship to food and body image to reduce the fear and confusion we have about this most basic function: eating.

Jenna is a fantastic guide who is incredibly well educated in the latest research about nutrition and diet, but takes a super sensible and realistic view about how we feed ourselves and the meaning we attribute to what and how we eat. In our initial conversations about this program, I came up with the phrase “magical eating” to describe how many of us approach food–that if we can just get it right, we will look and feel perfect. What we may ignore in the quest for the “right” diet is the beauty of food as nourishment and joy.

Please note: THIS IS NOT A DIET OR NUTRITION PLAN. Although Jenna has distinct ideas about how to eat for health, we will not be telling you to cut out gluten or eliminate sugar. I mean, you can if you want, but this program is about first exploring your relationship to food, nutrition, and your body. Through establishing a relationship of self-compassion and trust, it is much easier to make the right changes for the right reasons with confidence and ease.

In meditation, we make friends with our minds by noticing what we think and feel. In “The Dharma of Diet,” our intention is to help you make friends with food by noticing how you relate to it. Through mindfulness meditation and other awareness exercises, Jenna and Susan will support you to recover the delight of eating.
 
Free for Open Heart Project Sangha members. Click here to join the Sangha and participate in this and other programs for free)
 
All sessions will be recorded and a link made available within 24 hours of the live class. Materials will be accessible for 120 days from registration.
 
Register
 
Questions? Please email Michele

Curriculum

Week One: Relax 

Introduction to mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness meditation instruction
What meditation can teach us about eating
Recovering familiarity with hunger and fullness
Q&A

Week Two: See Where You Are 

Working with emotions mindfully
Getting to know various forms of hunger, especially heart hunger
Cultivating loving kindness toward yourself
Q&A

Week Three: Be Where You Are

Establishing confidence: 5 steps to take
Meeting the threat of deprivation with loving kindness
Eating for satisfaction by developing an unhurried, sense-based relationship to food.
Q&A

Week Four: Eat to Love

Meditation in motion: bringing the mind of meditation into your life
Embracing our humanness
Body acceptance and respect
Where to go for further support
Q&A

FAQS

I have an eating disorder—can this program help me?

This course might not be appropriate for some people with an eating disorder who need to go through a period of recovery before they are able to reconnect with the body’s signals of hunger, fullness, and satisfaction. And because it is a group course, we are not able to address each individual’s specific needs, which is essential in eating disorder recovery. If you are being treated for an eating disorder or any other psychological condition (or should be), you must check with your healthcare provider(s) before enrolling in this program. If you aren’t sure if this course is appropriate for you, contact Jenna directly at jenna@eat2love.com and we can discuss.

I can’t make some (or all) of the classes because I am in a different time zone/have to work/will be too tired (and so on). Can I still benefit from the class?

Yes. All sessions will be recorded and a link sent out to all participants within 24 hours of the class. You will have a chance to send in questions you’d like Susan or Jenna to cover in the next class.

I may not be able to keep up with the class due to work, travel, or family reasons. If I miss a week will the material be accessible for a while?

Yes. The material will be posted for 120 days from your registration date so you will be able to visit, and revisit, the material as often as you like.

I am interested in meditation, but I am NOT interested in religion. Will the class require me to learn any doctrine or accept particular beliefs?

Absolutely not. Doctrine and beliefs are an obstacle to meditation. You can benefit from the practice if you are Christian, Hindu, Pagan, atheist, and so on and on. There is no conflict.

I want to take this class but the timing is not good for me. Will Susan and Jenna be offering it again?

They may, although at this time there is no plan to do so.

I’ve never taken an online class. Do I need any special equipment or software?

No. The class will be held using the Zoom meeting platform. You will receive a link, and instructions, for each class the day before the class.  There will be an opportunity to ask questions during each class via a chat window.  All you need is your computer and an internet connection and you may need to download an app prior to joining your first session.  This only takes about 60 seconds but please complete this step prior to the class start time.

Meet The Instructors

Jenna Hollenstein is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and a Certified Dietitian Nutritionist (CDN) in New York State with a Bachelors degree in Nutrition from Penn State, a Masters degree in Nutrition from Tufts University. She is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and the author of Understanding Dietary Supplements, a handy guide to the evaluation and use of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and botanicals for both consumers and clinicians, and more recently the memoir Drinking to Distraction.

Buddhist meditation teacher Susan Piver is the New York Times best selling author of nine books. She is founder of the Open Heart Project, an international online mindfulness community with close to 15000 members worldwide. Her new book, “Start Here Now,” was just published.