Mindful Eating

The Mindful Eating Retreat at New Life Portugal guides you to a joyful relationship with food, since this relationship can reflect our attitudes towards ourselves and our environment, and how we approach life in general. Practicing Mindful Eating can help us become more aware of our habits, thoughts, emotions, and motivations related to food. It can also have a positive impact on how we behave in other areas of our lives.

Mindful Eating is not focused on restricting food intake or losing weight. It is a process of exploration that involves listening deeply to our inner wisdom and developing an awareness of our food consumption. Rather than imposing strict rules, Mindful Eating developes awareness about food consumption through respecting and listening deeply to our inner wisdom.

In summary, the practices of this retreat involves identifying and trusting internal cues for healthy eating, understanding the nine hungers that influence your eating patterns, discovering your true needs beyond food, and becoming aware of thoughts and feelings about food. Through this process, you will be guided by the retreat instructor Teresa Ranieri to eliminate unhealthy patterns, make healthier choices without deprivation, distinguish physical hunger from mental patterns, develop compassion for your body, and nourish both your body and heart.

Retreat Schedule

Day 1 (Friday, April 14, 2023)

• 2 PM Check-In
• 5 PM Orientation tour and community guidelines
• 7:30 PM Welcome and Introduction to the theory and practice of mindful eating
• 9:30 PM Rest and Noble silence until 8:30 AM next morning

Day 2 (Saturday, April 15, 2023)

• 7-7:30 AM Meditation in Contemplative Hall
• 7:30-8:30 AM Breakfast in noble silence
• 8:30-9 AM Morning meeting with community
• 9:30 AM-12:30 PM  Identify the nine hungers: Discover the difference between fullness, satiety and satisfaction mouth hunger
• 12:30-1:30 PM Lunch
• 2-5 PM Emotion and body awareness: Identifying our true needs and how unmet needs can induce unskillful behaviors, including compulsive eating.
• 6-7:15 PM Dinner
• 7:30-8.30 PM Body Scan with gratitude
• 9:30 PM Rest and noble silence until 8:30 AM next morning

Day 3  (Sunday, April 16, 2023)

• 7:30-8:30 AM Breakfast in noble silence
• 9:30 AM-12 PM Understanding the cycle of craving. Looking at our body with loving eyes. Harvesting and closing the practice.
• 12-13:30 PM Lunch

Please note, that there is also a 4-night option (13th to 17th April) available and the language of this retreat is English.