The following session is intended to give you a sample of the type of materials you will find in a typical day of this programme. Note that whilst the format of the 'day' is the same as in the actual programme, the format of the web is not. In the actual programme, you will have access to other lessons and resources. Notice also that the exercises are provided as pop-ups, so yu will need to click on the small yellow boxes to read them. To sign up for the full programme click here
DAY FOUR: SOWING SEEDS
Yesterday we looked at your history with food over a period of time. What incidents stood out in your mind, what patterns did you see in family life as you grew up? What has life around food been like since?
Today we are going to continue this enquiry and look at specific ideas which we picked up about food in the past. The things which we do influence the way that our minds work. Each activity which we undertake creates a trace in our minds which will lead us to tend towards repeating that activity in the future. We don't always act on this. Sometimes we rebel against the tendencies which we have. But those tendencies are still there. They will tend to pull us back towards familiar ways of behaving.
For today's exercise, then, we are going to look at 'messages' which we received from people. 'Messages' are things which people said or implied through their behaviour. Of course the message we pick up from someone may or may not be what they intended. They may be unaware of their own attitudes, but also we may interpret the same behaviour in different ways depending on our own state of mind. It is quite complicated. For example, if I bustle around being very busy, I may give you the message that I a) don't want to talk to you, or b) life is hard and we have to work all the time or b) I am put upon and exploited.
Let us move on to the exercise so that you can explore your own family messages.
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When you have finished the exercise, conclude with this meditation:
Our families are an important influence on our lives. We spend a lot of time with them, and their ways of thinking and doing things tend to rub off on us. This is a very positive thing in many ways. We learn a lot from our families. How else would you have learned to talk, to walk, to look after yourself, or discovered many of the things you know about the world. At the same time, families are human, and our relatives are just as prone to anxieties and funny ideas as we are. Sometimes these affect the way we learn to see the world. This isn't blameworthy, it's just human.
Always remember, you are someone else's relative.
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