Eating can be a deeply troubling experience to some of us. Have you noticed?
The urge to reach for food, or eat when not hungry, or think about food obsessively, or create plans to starve oneself or diet are all so difficult. A battle is underway. We are not peaceful eaters.
Eating for emotional and psychic reasons seems normal. Eating industrial foods seems normal. Food is everywhere in many of our cultures in the world. Food can be comforting, distracting, temporarily satisfying, and even feel like a drug.
It is possible to experience peace with food, eating, your body...your mind. You can stop acting on your cravings. When we eat adequately and we stop eating the foods that catch us into our over-eating patterns and when we pause the cycle of think-feel-eat….the urge or need to eat off-balance dies away.
Really.
Warning: this retreat is not about nutrition although you will address your actual way of eating on the very first day and give yourself a peaceful menu. This retreat then focuses on understanding and finding empowerment with emotions, impulses, cravings, fear, powerlessness and self-criticism. It’s a retreat about noticing, and awareness, and watching thoughts that scream at you to eat (or diet), rather than following them like they’re in charge and commanding you to comply.
Even if you’re an expert in diet and exercise….people who come to Eating Peace can learn how to work with the act of eating so they never have to over or under-eat again.
Eating concerns can dissolve for us all. There is a way any of us can find peace and balance, whether we've experienced binge-eating, anorexic restriction, bulimia, gaining and losing 10 to 100 pounds over and over again.
With a clear and peaceful balanced way with the actual food, with deep intimacy and connection with yourself through self-inquiry and dissolving stressful thought, there is no need to eat, or to think and feel, in an unbalanced way. The war you've been waging with eating, your weight and certain foods (and feelings) can end.
In the Eating Peace Retreat, you can experience a deeper approach to understanding your own behaviors, actions, cravings, and dynamic with food.
In this immersion together, I offer exercises and stories that shifted my way of thinking about food and eating. You might experience slowing down enough to truly enjoy your food and relax in your body.
Here are a few of the experiences you’ll encounter in the Eating Peace Retreat with Grace:
Experience the kindness of peaceful eating
Understand how cravings, feelings and emotions can be of service rather than torturous
working with grace
“Grace is a yummy gumdrop. On this retreat, I think I’ve trusted food for the first time.” ~ Choi
“I honestly can’t think of anything that wasn’t helpful in this experience. I love that we dove right in the first night going deep vs letting it build. Every exercise, question, writing, sharing, small journals for eating were perfectly timed. Grace simply is a master of modeling respect and love for others. I am a fan for life.” ~ Tracy
“I never thought of myself as restricting food since I’ve never been anorexic, but now I see some food being “bad” is restricting. Now I can see food as fuel for my body and not good or bad. This was a perfect blend of The Work of Byron Katie and new exercises. Grace was present, compassionate, and kept us focused. I loved how she demonstrated The Work and was willing to answer any questions.” ~ Wendy
“I can feel a deep, beautiful connection to people/women who I barely know. Life is truly beautiful without my story. I love Grace. Her bubbly personality, and giggle is warm and infectious. I cannot wait for Breitenbush (I already signed up).” ~ Kim
“The underlying current of negative thoughts about myself surrounding food, weight and diet became clearer to me–particularly through the writing and meal exercises. Grace is phenomenal. She makes the retreat a 10/10; no matter what made me uncomfortable her energy and presence made it a safe environment. Her guidance and sharing of her experience were invaluable.” ~ Participant January 2020 Retreat
“I learned that I don’t need to eat the amount I am eating, and I can slow down. Grace was excellent. She knows how to manage and use opportunities for learning. It was wonderful.” Participant January 2020 Retreat
“Grace was awesome. Wise, insightful and available. I was very comfortable with the setting, the people, and how Grace handled everybody’s anxiety, questions and emotions.” ~ Participant Eating Peace Experience
“I can eat mindfully. The meditation meals were very helpful. Grace was wonderful. She really knows the Work of Byron Katie and how to apply it to disordered eating. It was wonderful to meet such a wonderful group and hear their stories.” ~ Katie
DAILY PROGRAM SAMPLE SCHEDULE FOR ONLINE 7 DAY RETREAT
Because of this online version of eating peace retreat, people are welcome to join from all over the world in different time zones. All sessions will be recorded, and you may watch a recently recorded session within a few hours from the live session. You are encouraged to keep up with the retreat by taking your needed sleep break, then watching the session you missed upon waking and following along, for example. It is ideal if you find time to attend at least one session a day live with the group and Grace.
Session One ONLINE:
Break: (meal prep)
Meal Together + After-Meal short session ONLINE:
Partner Pairing (optional) between days ONLINE. You will be matched with someone in your same time zone and you can partner pair to A) eat with them for the meal and/or B) trade facilitation in The Work.
Sample schedule for someone in Central European Time Zone
For example, if you live in Europe, you will attend our first live session from 5:30pm-8:00pm your local time. You could depart at the BREAK/Meal Prep for your evening. The next day, the first or second meal of your day (breakfast or lunch), you will watch our recording together of the Mindful Meal and Inquiry if you missed it live. You will also connect with your paired partner (who will be assigned to you) to do The Work for one hour some time before the next live session begins once again at 5:30pm your time. You could also attend the live meal at 8:30pm your time--this will work easily for some people. The meal/inquiry session will end at 10:30pm your time and you will have participated in every event, live.
Sample schedule for someone in Eastern USA Time Zone:
Session Recordings Available approximately 3 hours after live session.
"Grace is lovely. Willing, receptive, welcoming to it all. She lives The Work. The eating process, as difficult as it was, was immensely helpful. I loved eating together and seeing how others related to food and to life." ~ Laurie
"The underlying current of negative thoughts about myself surrounding food, weight and diet became clearer to me--particularly through the writing and meal exercises. Grace is phenomenal. She makes the retreat a 10/10; no matter what made me uncomfortable her energy and presence made it a safe environment. Her guidance and sharing of her experience were invaluable." ~ Participant
"I know that speaking shame is the way to help it have less power, but to experience this around food and body was profound. It all worked for me, the content was just what I needed. Grace is amazing, She was able to meet each person just as they are." ~ Emily
IN SEATTLE, USA: Many want to travel from afar to our retreat location in Seattle area, and we love when you stay onsite. Write to grace@workwithgrace.com for lodging options (first come, first serve) and to learn all you'll need to know about traveling to Seattle via plane, bus, train or uber (or wherever our retreat is being hosted).
For retreats held that are not in Seattle location, please note who is Retreat Manager for lodging and/or enrollment arrangements.
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