Cooking and Spirituality
How to see the ordinary practice of cooking as a magical into the realm of the spiritual.
Like my zen salt garden?
Anyone with a toe in the modern wellness space knows that there’s a million ways to have a spiritual “practice” in 2021. Full moon circle? I’ve got you. Meditation? Absolutely! Although these practices are wonderful, they don’t account for the magic that is possible in the acts of the everyday/
With the proper intention behind it, cooking can be a spiritual practice on the same level as a daily yoga fix. How can I make such a bold claim? Here’s the lowdown on the link between cooking and spirituality:
Cooking Can Help You Achieve Flow State
“Flow State” is a modern psychological term used to describe the feeling of being completely and utterly immersed in a task. Attuning ourselves to the present moment is an immensely important tool in our enjoyment of your day-to-day lives. Mindfulness practices or rituals are a commonly accepted way to achieve a flow state on a daily basis. Over time, practicing mindfulness may even have a positive effect on your epigenetics, leading to a reduction of inflammation in the body.
Cooking is an excellent mindfulness practice to get you into a flow state, as it requires your focus and the use of all of your senses to create the best meal possible. The more you flex your kitchen muscles, the easier it can be to achieve this level of absorption in your work. Therefore, the more you seek out the opportunity to chase flow through cooking, the more likely it is to find you!
The Personal Nature of Eating
Eating food is one of the most personal things you do every day. You literally ingest food, and them your body alchemizes it into nutrients and energy to nourish yourself. Since food is an inevitability in your life, doesn’t it make sense to examine your rituals around it?
A great parallel to cooking as a spiritual practice is breathwork. Breathing is something each and every one of us do to continue to live, but not all of us examine how specialized breathing patterns can be an instigator of healing. Like breathwork, turning cooking into a spiritual practice allows us the possibility to transform the mundane into something therapeutic.
Cooking is an Opportunity to Examine Your Values
Every time you eat you have an opportunity to examine your values. For example, a bag of chips may represent a value set involving flavor and convenience, whereas a vegan meal might represent values of environmental preservation and health.
Your values don’t have to be match up all of the time! They can move around a bit depending on your schedule or your priorities. For example, I try to eat at least 50% of my meals plant-based. This is for two reasons:
1) try to incorporate as many fruits and vegetables into my diet as I reasonably can
2) I have environmental and ethical concerns about the factory farming of animals.
However, I definitely still eat meat at this time. Most of the time my meat consumption falls into one of two categories:
1) I am working on a food styling set or for a private client, and I am concerned that the extra meat will otherwise get thrown away.
2) I value the craftsmanship that comes with charcuterie items such as pates or cured meats.
This isn’t to make anyone feel bad about their personal choices, but it is to help you examine where you stand in alignment with your own goals.
“Food is Love”
Even the most macho of chefs will profess that “food is love” at the drop of a hat. Is it corny? Very. Is it true? 100%.
Food is one of the highest expressions of care, both for yourself and for those around you who you feed. By throwing your feelings into your food and showing it proper attention, you can change your life.
Pouring your feelings and emotions into the food does make things taste better— people can feel the care and attention you put into the dishes you serve. You can have a lot of pride in what you’ve done in the kitchen that will spill over to other areas of your life, improving your overall well-being.
