When is eating something pleasurable an act of self compassion versus an act of war toward yourself? What is that distinction? This is a theme that comes up a LOT in our community. It’s such a powerful inquiry that we’ve decided to devote the next two months of workshops and practices to it. Watch the video above for a taste of what we'll be up to.
Conscious Eaters work to define their own middle path with food that is something between rigid food rules and constantly overindulging in response to craving. We strive for a balance that involves listening to the body’s hunger and fullness cues, orienting toward cravings and discomfort with curiosity, and practicing self-compassion when we miss the mark.
In our experience, struggles around compulsive overeating, craving, and weight can serve as an opportunity for deep self-understanding and spiritual growth. When we are courageous enough to infuse our food issues with presence, curiosity, and equanimity, they become a profound gateway for awakening to the wholeness, beauty, and richness of life.
By coming together to do this work as a community, we are continually inspired by each other, nourished by connection, validated in our struggles, excited to share our insights, reminded of our intentions, and pulled to keep showing up.
We teach mindfulness practices that give you tools for emotional mastery and self-awareness, allowing you to turn less and less towards food to avoid emotional difficulty. Mindfulness empowers us to cut through the noise of the external world and discover what is actually true for us. With practice, we develop powerful tools to navigate life’s challenges more skillfully from a calm center.
For most of us, our relationship with eating and our bodies is deeply entangled with disempowering and shame-ridden messages from society. We work on building awareness of our unconscious thoughts and beliefs, and how they make us feel, react, and behave. We practice connecting with our direct experience rather than our mind's story about it, letting go of beliefs that don't serve us, dropping the "shoulds" and "shouldn'ts," and discovering what is actually true.
We’re oriented toward the long-term goal of living in alignment with your fullest, most meaningful life, rather than quick fixes or a diet mentality. We help our members gain clarity about their own personal vision and habits for deep, integrative, holistic health. Some areas that members are working on include:
You’ll get access to our Conscious Eating practices as downloadable audio recordings as well as through live guidance in our daily practice sessions. You’ll find yourself turning less and less towards food or other areas of the “numbrella” to avoid emotional difficulty and tools to navigate challenges more skillfully.
Annette offers group coaching for an hour on Zoom every other Tuesday at 5:30 PST. On this call we discuss practical implementation of the week’s mindfulness practice, and Annette offers personalized suggestions for integrating mindfulness techniques into life.
Feel the warmth and connection of real community with 15 minutes a day, every morning at 7:00 AM PST. Enjoy the scientifically-proven benefits of mindfulness, get a new loving lens to see your day through, and foster new habits of wellbeing.
Each month we take a deeper dive into a theme or topic through weekend workshops and discussions. These sessions are usually on Saturday mornings around 7:30 AM PST. Past themes have included Mindfulness & Technology, Parts Work, Body Positivity, Movement Meditation, Mindfulness & Intimacy, Mindful Eating, Cravings, Healthy Habits, and Self-Compassion.
You’ll be inspired and lifted up by others who are implementing mindfulness tools in creative ways, cooking healthy and delicious food, and who understand where you’re at and where you’ve been. Join our lightly structured community connection calls on Sundays at 9 AM, or attend our Thursday night member-led support calls for extra connection during the week.
A mastermind group is a group of 3 or 4 people with a shared interest who meet once a week. The purpose of the group is for members to get input and advice from each other about any struggles and to share successes. These groups often create a close, long lasting bond. It's also how Katie and Annette met each other!
Every month we choose a book to read together connected to the work we are currently doing and the interests of the community. We hold our book discussions on zoom on the last Saturday of the month. This extra-curricular is optional yet delightful! Examples of past picks have been Untamed, Maisie Dobbs, Man’s Search for Meaning, Atomic Habits, Gratitude, Eat to Love, and more!
Throughout the week we offer multiple opportunities for meaningful, live connection. Our members log on with intention and feel inspired and supported, not distracted and drained. We use a platform (NOT facebook!) that is well designed for human engagement and connection.
“I’m amazed at the amount of self-discovery that seems to be unfolding after just one week in this community. This community is the best gift I could give myself for the coming year.”
”The workshops, Annette’s daily meditation practice, the food inspiration, and weekly challenges are just part of the positive impact this program is having on my relationship with food. The kind encouragement helps me to stop berating myself and just keep coming back to the present acceptance and willingness to keep at it. The profound and comprehensive core program feels like we are all in this endless pool of wisdom together sharing our successes and redefining our failures as part of a wisdom path.”
”I joined this community a little over a month ago, and what a change a month makes! The combination of community, shared gratitude, mindfulness, joy around nourishment (and farmer’s markets!) strikes a wonderful, resonant chord. I am more aware of the world around me … sights, sounds, tastes, smells; and with that awareness, comes peace. My body is moving more freely, my clothes are fitting more comfortably, and my mind feels at rest. Here, I am home”
“Here you will never encounter any of the subversive messages to lose more weight or be thinner. You will find true freedom here, and the joy and safety to share with people who are truly accepting.“
”Tonight for the first time I wrote down what I will cook for my family and eat for myself completely painlessly… joyfully really. I think the attitude in this community of trusting myself rather than monitoring my motives has started to sink in to my being.“
“I love the underpinnings of this group, that we have cultivating community, daily mindfulness practices, and leanings towards nourishing healthy food. All foundations for a thriving life.”
Annette is a certified mindfulness coach with Unified Mindfulness. She brings a warm, non-judgemental, open presence to support you in the self exploration that is your mindfulness practice, especially as it relates to the inner dramas of eating and food. She will help you develop self-compassion and clarity about your values, as well as helping you act in alignment with them. She is also a huge mindfulness nerd and lover of the mundane.
Katie is a food blogger and cookbook author known for her love of vibrant, satisfying & healthy recipes. In the Conscious Eating Community, Katie manages most of the behind-the-scenes aspects of running the community, hosts the weekly community connection calls, welcomes and orients new members, and bares her soul frequently as an active participant. She loves that her role is always changing to meet the needs of our community members.
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Refund Policy: Refunds for annual memberships will not be available after the first two months. Within first the two months of an annual membership, refunds will be pro-rated based on monthly rate rather than discounted annual rate. Request a refund here.