Written by John Immel, Asheville, NCMost people don't feel anything at all after a meal. Or, they have only a vague idea of how food makes them feel after they swallow it. So, they eat on autopilot.

But what if you were aware of how your body reacts to food? You would be able to select foods that make you feel good. One of Ayurveda's greatest gifts is body awareness. It's simple to learn.

Ayurveda focuses on your body's experience and reactions to foods rather than biochemical reactions, which is Western medicine's approach. Ayurveda shows you how your body naturally relates to food, disease, and the environment.

Think about the last time your family went out for Mexican food and you ate too many jalapenos. You may have felt "hot under the collar." What you were feeling was the medicinal effect of the jalapeno. An Ayurveda practitioner knows how to use this effect to help someone heal. Every food you eat has an effect on your body, your emotions, and your thoughts. By developing the art of noticing these feelings, you are able to intuitively discern the effect foods have on you without memorizing charts. As a result, you are able to personalize Ayurveda.

What to Notice

"Felt sensing" is the art of feeling what is happening in your body. At first it is difficult to feel what is happening; you may have a vague sense of how a food affects you, or whether or not you like it. Even if you are able to feel what is going on, translating those feelings into words may be a challenge. The feeling may be difficult to describe.

Fortunately, Ayurveda has a technique to build this awareness and to help you figure out the impact of food on your body. Start by noticing where you have physical sensations. If you don't feel anything, check your head, heart, gut, and skin. Then, notice the type of sensation.

Feelings, Sensations & Pain Types Once you become aware of these physical sensations, notice your reaction to them. Are you averse to the feeling, or do you crave it? Try to connect physical sensations in your body to emotions you are having. Does it make you feel afraid or confident? Does it make you feel happy, embarrassed, angry, or depressed? Your skill in translating emotions into felt senses is key to discovering the subtle imbalances happening in your body and learning how to maintain balance.

Finally, feelings may be hard to talk about, hard to describe. Use biocharacteristics (gunas) to help you fully articulate & grasp the feeling, and therefore the effects of the food you've eaten. This is simpler than it sounds - just try it! Is the feeling heavy or light, hot or cold, oily or dry? For example, chilis create a hot experience while cucumbers create a cool one. Bread feels heavy while salads are light and refreshing. Butter is oily and smooth while popcorn is dry and rough. Black pepper is sharp while the experience of cheese is dull.

Once you figure out which biocharacteristics are involved, you'll find the impact of food is easier to perceive. It will be much simpler to understand what you're feeling and talk about it. And, it will be much simpler to restore balance. Once you have translated your experiences into these biocharacteristics, Ayurveda also shows you the biocharacteristics and foods that can help you feel better. Translating feelings into biocharacteristics is the fundamental skill Ayurveda practitioners use to heal their clients. Now, you can use it too, and can easily pinpoint how each food impacts your dosha (constitution).

To figure out a new ingredient, eat it every day for a week, in various cooking preparations. Systematically go through the guidelines of analysis laid out above. Take note of your physical and emotional experiences throughout the day and as you eat the ingredient. An easy way to improve your awareness is by comparing your experience to other foods. By consistently developing this level of awareness, you will gradually gain an intuitive understanding of the ingredient. Over time, the art of felt sensing will become automatic. This level of connection with your body's experience of food will empower you to make healthy eating choices with ease.

When to Notice

1. Before Eating - The effect of food on your body begins before you eat. Figure out how you are feeling and take a moment to examine what you are craving even before you choose what to eat. Then, you can compare how your experience changes as you eat. Your body's physiological response begins when you think about, see, or smell the food.
2. In Your Mouth - Next, the contact of the food in your mouth, with your tongue, lips, mouth, throat, and even the smell of the food, give you immediate knowledge about the medicinal effects. As you chew and taste your food, your body immediately identifies and prepares for what you are about to ingest. You'll notice sensations throughout your body, even in this stage.
3. During Digestion - Food impacts your body at each stage of digestion. Take note of what is experienced at each step so you can understand the complete impact and pharmacology of the food. As you digest your food, you'll start to notice how it feels in your stomach and small intestine. You'll notice the places food gets stuck, the presence of inflammation, or gas and bloating.
4. In Metabolism - As you absorb and assimilate what you've eaten into your body, you'll notice how the food affects your entire metabolism. You'll notice how it changes you emotionally, and you'll even feel the effect on certain organs and muscles. You'll especially notice how it affects your heart, liver, and kidneys because these organs manage the blood, which is the ultimate byproduct of digestion.
5. Elimination - Finally, as you eliminate the refuse and indigestible components of the food, you'll notice how the food makes you feel as it passes over the sensitive tissues of the rectum. Does it have any lasting effect after you've eliminated it?

Checking Your Facts

After you've completed these steps, it's time to check your facts. Look at references like the Joyful Belly website or other Ayurvedic texts to see if there's something you've missed. Ultimately, trust your body over the textbooks. Only you know your relationship to cilantro or apples.

The art of felt sensing is easy to learn, but it takes practice. Repetition and mindfulness are essential to developing this skill. Each time you practice it, you'll have little "aha!" moments that are not only exciting, but insightful and meaningful. Through this method, you'll be learning how to take care of your unique body. Journal your discoveries as you go.

Your relationship to food is not a static thing, but an ever-changing dynamic requiring moment to moment awareness. For example, sometimes the impact of food changes seasonally. I've found that beans taste astringent and unappetizing in the fall when they would likely aggravate Vata, but sweet and delicious in the spring when they will likely pacify Kapha. Let Ayurveda guide you in developing that level of awareness until it becomes second nature. When it comes to well-being, there is no better investment of time and attention than getting to know the subtleties of your body.

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