+ Yay! It’s the last post of the month which means a new monthly habit and a recap of last month’s! These monthly experiments help me build healthy habits, break unhealthy ones or just learn more about myself so I can figure out what’s essential for my best life!

For the month of May, we (Greg’s joining!) are going to get back into a practice we love called Mindful Eating. It helps us become more conscious of how, what, and when we eat. We’ll start with breakfast daily and then add a meal each month. Breakfast is an easier place to start because it will be a part of our established morning routine and we can hold each other accountable. It will also be a challenge for me because I wake up super hungry ;)

So, Mindful Eating May will be:
+ Taking a moment before serving to think about how hungry/desirous we are.
+ Pausing before starting to eat to be grateful for the people and animals involved.
+ Savoring each bite through the scents and flavors of the food. Taking it slow with pauses and breathing in between.
+ Considering how full we are and trying to stop eating at 80%.
+ I tend to wait too long to eat so if that happens, I’ll set aside a little serving to eat mindlessly and then resume the habit ;)

If you would like to learn more about Mindful Eating, we used a few great resources when we first started this practice. A few books inspired us including Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and any Michael Pollan book but especially Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation. We also love Carley Hauck’s services. She teaches Mindful Eating exercises for individuals as well as larger groups here in the Bay Area!

Reflections on our April Habit: Stretching (Asana April!):
To be honest, Asana April was the least exciting monthly habit I’ve tried. It was fine and kind of made me feel good but I didn’t notice any transformations, physically or mentally. I think this was a good experience… to remember that not every experiment will change my life ;) (That said, it was nice to have this routine while traveling and before ten-hour flights!)

I was successful at sticking to the habit of stretching/posing for 5 minutes a day, although I found that I was shortening my meditations because of it. Boo. I also discussed my plan with my pilates instructor (body savior!) and she didn’t think it was a great idea for my body type, especially first thing in the morning. Morning stretching is not for me. Good to know! Knowing what isn’t for you is just as important as knowing what is!

Do any of you have a daily stretching practice? What about any failed experiments?