Kneading

As I mess around with the idea of video blogging, I have unearthed a bit of my long lost childhood shyness. So here I am (most of me), in my comfort zone (the kitchen), involved in an activity I am also quite comfortable with, kneading bread dough. I think of this as the ultimate stress relief. In Indian tradition, an individual is not allowed in the kitchen when angry or ill tempered. This stems from the concept of food absorbing energy while being prepared by the cook, and is something I have payed close attention to.

In contrast, I have also found that an ill temper or should I say, "modern crazy mind", can also be righted by being in the kitchen. Working with food, like weeding the garden, gives the brain much needed space to lightly meander and unwind.

In my Health Coaching practice, I often hear the same question: "What can I make that is good for me and takes very little time to prepare?" This one always stumps me, because in essence, what's best for us is taking the time to prioritize preparation and cooking of the food that feeds us. And it would be unwise to think that we are not being fed in another sense during the process.

Bread is this way. I start off thinking, "15 minutes of kneading, humm." But 5 minutes in, I can feel myself decompress. It is during these moments when I realize, we have traded traditional food preparation for empty convenience food items so we can hurry up and sit in the waiting rooms of our doctor's office.

If we can make time to prepare meals thoughtfully, think of all the hours upon hours saved on not visiting our physicians, while we are at home, enjoying gorgeous food.