It’s been very interesting to travel down an unexpected road, one that I had no idea awaited for me, and to just put one foot in front of the other and walk it.
It’s painful no doubt, but as I walked this path I have had the chance to LIVE so much of what I intuitively *knew* about how digestion, the solar plexus and our emotions are all tied in together.
The first day that I awoke to find a farewell letter from my husband on my kitchen table… my solar plexus got a sucker punch I never saw coming.
The immediate response was diarrhea…. as a way to process and release the huge emotional blow I had just been dealt.
The rest of that day and for many days to come, the next phase was that of nausea… as my body was in transition and in a period of stillness… a surreal feeling… coming to terms with the emotions that my solar plexus needed to process.
All that mattered during the first initial weeks was tending to my two children and being sure that they felt unconditional love at all times, that they were hydrated, that they were comforted, that they smiled and laughed each day, that they knew they were going to be absolutely okay, that they felt supported by their mother, their friends and their family, that they were fed, that they got fresh air and physical activity each day…. that they had a loving and stable parent by their side.
As these rhythms fell into place and we were finding our way towards hope and joy and healing and a new normal emerged, the nausea began to dissipate as well.
The process was naturally unfolding… and the body was self-correcting back to a state of Well Being.
On some level, it’s been really interesting for me to witness my digestion and correlate it to processing and healing from an emotional surprise.
It’s been empowering.
It’s shown me yet again what I *knew* to be true… that the body KNOWS WHAT IT NEEDS TO DO TO HEAL.
It’s something I’ve always seen, witnessed, believed in and advocated for… but something that I got to experience in a whole new way over the past two months.
I have a whole new level of confidence our body’s ability to heal then I ever thought possible.
I am still doing this right now… choosing foods that intuitively feel right to eat in order to nurture my body.
The very first thing I consumed was tea that a beautiful friend left for me to discover, warm and inviting, steeping in a mug right outside my door.
That felt right and I drank it gratefully.
Each food I approach now with the same openness… does it feel right, does it nurture me, will it support me?
It took me several weeks after that initial shock to have regular bowel movements — the re-awakening and normalizing of my bowels echoes the reawakening and normalizing of what my “new life” has become.
It’s amazing to witness the body recover, fully on it’s own, by just following it’s lead to your new normal.
Trying not to judge what your body is feeling and doing, but instead supporting it as it heals.
I share my story because it is a very very crystal clear example from my own life of how our emotions and our digestion are linked.
Today I’d like to re-post a blog I wrote about chakras and eating styles, because although your story is different from mine and your situation is different and you approach food will be in your own unique way,
we all have an intertwining between our emotions, our eating, and our energy.
May this post be helpful to you as you strive to understand your own eating habits and what your food selections are saying about your own energetic needs.
xoxox, Laura
Chakras and Food:
You Are (How You Feel About) What You Eat!
1. Base Chakra: FOOD IS SECURITY
For folks who have energy work going on in the base chakra (all the way down at the very base of your spine) food represents safety and security.
When food issues go awry, deep fears of safety and panic may arise. There may be worries about food scarcity and needing to know when and what your next meal will be. If you over eat it may be an attempt to feel secure and reassured that all is well. You may crave comfort foods such as casseroles and home cooking and baked goods.
If you have lots of energy work going on in this chakra, it is perfectly reasonable to feed your body foods that comfort it while this energy is being released.
One way to provide comfort and a deep contentment to base chakra eaters is to include lots and lots and lots of fiber, so that you feel full, satiated, safe and grounded for longer.
2. Sacral Chakra: FOOD IS PLEASURE
For peeps who are doing sacral chakra work (just below the belly button on your lower abdomen) food isn’t just about the nutrition, food is about the entire experience… the smell, the feel, the texture, the flavor, the delight in chewing it.
Food is sensual.
You may find you are eating because you want the feel of food in your mouth, not because you are hungry. You may also find a love/hate relationship with food… often my sacral chakra patients have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or lactose intolerance or celiac disease and need to find a balance between the foods they love and the foods their body hates.
One great idea for sacral chakra eaters is to enjoy drinking (coffees, teas, water, fresh squeezed juices…) or chewing gum throughout the day to experience that sensual pleasure of having sensations in the mouth without necessarily reaching for food.
3. Solar Plexus Chakra: FOOD IS POWER
For folks who are moving energy in the solar plexus area (just above the navel) food is an issue of control or power.
These peeps are the ones most likely to try to strictly control what they eat and submit to horrible restrictive diets that they absolutely hate!!!!
None of the three lower chakra types enjoy dieting — these peeps crave food and sustenance and just don’t feel optimal on diets — but for solar plexus work, diets are the most offensive because restricting food intake feels like a loss of power or a loss of control… two things a solar plexus eater hates!
One great idea for solar plexus eaters is to drop the diets and instead focus on choosing easily digestible foods like soups and pureed foods that are easy on your solar plexus organs (liver, pancreas, stomach) so focusing on choosing digestible foods that are easy on the body, instead of restricting quantity, tends to be kinder than dieting and allows your body to balance weight better.
4. Heart Chakra: FOOD IS LOVE
Heart chakra workers enjoy food that releases endorphins and provides a rush, similar to falling in love.
Any of my long-term readers who know how often I blog about eating chocolate will recognize… yep, I’m a heart chakra eater.
Romantic foods like oysters, red wine, chocolate… it’s not so much that heart chakra peeps care about food, they care about the way the food makes them feel. (By the way, for other heart chakra chocolate lovers out there — they just released yet another medical study that gives a huge thumbs up to chocolate… this latest one shows that people who consume chocolate have lower Body Mass Indexes (BMI) on average then non-chocoholics!)
Dieting feels atrocious for heart chakra eaters and restricting food is equivalent to being dumped by a lover.
One great idea for heart chakra eaters is to focus on enjoying the people you are eating with more than the food — if possible, avoid eating alone (this leads to over-eating) and instead really focus on making eye contact with the people you are enjoying a meal with, the conversation, have a lovely glass of wine and a small piece of chocolate cake instead of three plates full of food you do not love.
5. Throat Chakra: FOOD IS JOY
Throat chakra people just love love love to enjoy a wide variety of foods and this is one of their wonderful strengths with eating.
My son is a throat chakra guy and he is amazing at trying foods most children wouldn’t even think of… exotic foods, spicy foods, unusual vegetables that kids traditionally hate. He is open to trying it all and gets so excited as he watches me prepare an interesting meal from scratch.
Because they are so open to food, dieting feels like a huge loss and may even bring deep sorrow.
My favorite recommendation for throat chakra eaters is to focus on trying new and unusual foods to satisfy their cravings, instead of over-eating a large quantity of boring foods.
Another great way to look at food for throat chakra peeps is to focus on a Joy Diet! Throat chakra eaters can feel guilty because food brings them joy — but I say this is a strength! Food brings joy! So choose your food selection based on how much joy it brings you and do not waste your time (or calories) on food that does not bring joy.
I blog more about this here.
6. Third Eye Chakra: FOOD IS ENERGY
People with lots of activity in their third eye have a very specific food need — lots of fat and lots of protein.
They may tend to dislike fruits and dislike veggies, and in today’s veggie loving society this can make them feel like they are making bad food choices.
The thing is, these people have so much depth and intuition in their third eye (middle of the forehead) that each bite needs to be calorie dense and their body knows this.
Instead of feeling pressured to eat more fruits and veggies, third eye peeps need to know that they are honoring their bodies by feeding their brain lots of healthy fats (organic whole fat dairy/butter/yogurt or coconut, avocado, fish oil…) and protein (organic meats, organic eggs, organic nuts and nut butters.)
My daughter is a third eye kinda gal, and I can honestly say that she never eats any fruits… veggies she can tolerate in small amounts. But mostly, she craves protein and dairy and she is the healthiest person I know. Never sick. Glowing skin. Gorgeous hair. Beautiful radiant soul.
People who are third eye eaters need to feel good about their intuitive food choices… I blog a bit more about that here.
7. Crown Chakra: FOOD IS OPTIONAL
If you have a lot of energy going through the crown chakra, I bet this sounds familiar: forgetting to eat, not making the time to eat, feeling dizzy because you skipped lunch, reaching for a quick snack and then getting right back to work, forgetting to hydrate.
Crown chakra peeps find it easy to ignore their bodies needs or lose track of time.
While they are usually not so bothered by going on a diet, the danger here is that they often don’t take the time to eat healthily so that when they do eat, they are ravenous and do not make smart food choices.
The best things crown chakra eaters can do is to schedule in their eating so that they eat at regular intervals, stay hydrated, and make great food choices… instead of not eating all day long and then binging in a drive through on the way home.
Another great tip for my crown chakra peeps is to carry water with them at all times, so that even if they are not taking the time to properly eat, they stay well hydrated.
Hit share to let all your friends know… there are specific reasons why some diets do not work for some people.
Lots of it depends on the way your body is processing energy at this time in your life… what chakra is flowing the most.
I hope this insight helps give you an idea of how to work with your own unique energy flow!