Nutrition, Yoga and Your Relationship with Food: Guest Post by Bettina

Have you ever wondered how yoga is so powerful when it comes to improving your relationship with food and as such why I love to use yogic tools in my health coaching? Well, here is why:

• Yoga brings awareness to the table: it helps you to connect to your body so that you can assess when you are full or not, when a meal is satisfying or lacking.
• Yoga brings mindfulness to meals: it engages all your sense in the meal so nourishing you more than just on a physical level if you take your time, chew slowly and avoid distractions.
• Yoga brings relaxation to mealtimes: it activates the parasympathetic nervous system so ensuring optimal digestion and better nutrient intake.
• Yoga brings attention to your thoughts and emotions around food: it allows you to be more compassionate, loving and curious towards what you eat, how you eat it and the judgements you have towards yourself around food and your body.
• Yoga brings peace of mind to the plate: it allows you to pause and listen to your mind and body.
• Yoga brings focus to the process of eating: it can help you detect when limiting beliefs are raising that may be triggered by mealtimes.
• Yoga brings conscious breath to meals: it delivers smell and the oxygen taken up by your body contributes towards burning calories.

Sounds like magic, right? Trust me, it isn’t. It’s more a re-connecting with your body, nourishing your whole mindbody, loving yourself deeply rather than pushing and punishing yourself with the newest diet fad, the perfect exercise regime or a rigid mindset. So, how about you take a deep breath, right about now, followed by a long exhale... and start listening inwards. What can you do today to really nourish yourself as a whole, even if it goes against all the rules you are currently imposing on yourself when it comes to food and exercise?

I would love to hear what you think, so leave a comment below.

Bettina is a Health Coach and Yoga Teacher and the author behind the A Vibrant Life Blog. She empowers busy women to live their life from a place of truth and authenticity by helping them find a balanced nutrition and exercise regime that leaves them energized and nourished and by guiding them to overcome negative mindsets and limiting beliefs about themselves and their bodies.

Bettina’s ‘anti-diet’ approach, her in depth knowledge on the research behind common nutrition advice, her incorporation of yogic techniques into her coaching and her balanced approach to a healthy lifestyle that leaves restrictive eating and punishing exercise regimes behind helps people to incorporate small, healthy habits into their daily life effortlessly, connect them with their own bodies so that they can find out what food and movement habits work best for them and leaves them energized, nourished and happy.

Bettina has received her Health Coaching credentials by the Institute of Integrate Nutrition (USA) and her 500 h Yoga Teacher Training qualification by the Devon School of Yoga (UK). She also holds a PhD in Biology and brings in her research knowledge to break down confusing nutrition advice and research for her clients, so that they can live life vibrantly.  You can learn more about Bettina  and contact her at her website A Vibrant Life.