Sophie's Challenges

Magda wrote: ↑Wed Nov 01, 2023 1:51 pm In the next challenge, if I choose to do it, you will see how different Miko and I are.
(The difference is at doing, wanna bet ? )

Jodie wrote: ↑Sat Nov 04, 2023 2:13 am In looking at not thinking, but DOING, the Food Challenge seems to be so helpful...I'm surprised at how much I am referring to it as 'guidance'. I think it might be the only thing where I've experienced 'doing', because you either do it or you don't, you don't try. And you eat & drink every day, so it comes up every day.

So as I'm looking at what there is to do, which includes being kind and respectful to my husband and people in general, and calm and deliberate in my actions, the food challenge is the perfect reference. The same way I slow down and become mindful of what goes into my mouth, I can slow down and be mindful of what comes out of it. And in the same way that the chewing comes up every time it's time to eat, being kind and respectful comes up every time I go to say something, like explain something, tell a story, whatever it is. I'm finding I can refer back to what it feels like to do it and use that to do it again in this area. And in the same way that it's a calm and deliberate action to slow down and chew, even if I'm starving or feeling hurried, I find that I can refer to that in this area as well. From that place I can be more deliberate about my words.

It's so interesting to me that as I'm thinking about how to go about 'doing', that's what I have to refer to and it seems to fit perfectly.

Jodie wrote: ↑Mon Nov 06, 2023 2:52 am I'm noticing that I've become more 'choosy' about the food I eat...if it's not spectacularly delicious or healthy or if I'm not really hungry or whatever the criteria is, it's not worth it to go through the chewing and experiencing process. It seems to weed out the 'popping something in your mouth just because it's there' thing. I'm finding that I can use that same experience of choosing with my words...if they're not useful, or truthful, or they're for pretense, or whatever it is, it's not worth it, and I can weed them out in the same way.

I don't do either 100% of the time, but the experience of the choosing with food is what I can refer to in choosing my words...it seems to work the same way. The Food Challenge is genius...it's like kindergarten for learning what doing feels like for people like me who haven't done it, so we can see how else it might work. Thank you, Sophie.

Magda wrote: ↑Mon Nov 06, 2023 8:49 am 1. I’ve noticed what Jodie have – I choose my food more consciously, because it makes no sense giving time and attention to chewing just to eat anything, especially something which is nor healthy nor tasty.
2. My taste improved. I’ve become particularly sensitive to sweet.
3. I don’t have cravings so often and if they appear it is never junk food.
4. I feel slightly better. I can see the improvement of my health, but it goes up very slowly and in waves. I can’t see a relation yet (or I can’t see it clearly) between different kind of food or way of eating and the waves of deterioration of my condition.
5. This is point 5, but I find it the most important. I often wait for eating this way instead of just eating, which was always a pleasure for me. I start to prolong the pleasure of being present to other activities, like taking shower and puting oils on my body. It sounds obvious like everyday zen, but now I really feel the depths of it. I feel so close to myself that it seems totally Infinite. It is so interesting and catchy that totally erase the horizontal desires and pleasures and fears and worries. This night I woke up and I felt as if I was submerging into a present moment, deep, very deep, very very deep and it was also wide and big at the same time. I felt like being drawn into the present moment, but not as a passive object, but by my choice. I can’t explain in words why I call it a present moment, but I just knew it while it was happening. So, to sum it up, I am learnig how it is to be present. I can also see that my mind needs such things like challenges to commit and await results. The sleeping mode is also helpful in order to dismantle programmes and conquer resistance.

Jodie wrote: ↑Thu Nov 09, 2023 5:32 pm I needed to refer to the Food Challenge again today, as I started to rush through something that I considered trivial even though it needed to be done. I had to laugh at myself because it really is like I'm in kindergarten.

I feel the 'hurry', and my brain goes to the chewing and the experience of consciously slowing it down and becoming present to it, then I can apply that same thing to the task at hand in the same way and pull the attention into the thing I'm doing, and slowing down and doing it well. It's so basic, I feel stupid that I had to learn how to chew first before I could even focus on a task I didn't want to do, and yet I guess I had no idea how to do it before the Food Challenge made me just do it and see what it's like. I know I've said it before but it's genius.