Cooking as a form of meditation?

My friend Caitlin Cady recently invited me to participate in a little interview series called “The Good Sit” as part of the launch of her book: Heavily Meditated: Your Down to Earth Guide to Learning Meditation and Getting High on Life. It explains why I cook, and why I’m cooking so much during this period of isolation, so I thought I’d share it on here.

When do you get sit done?

I have a confession. I don’t sit – I stand and lie down! And it’s usually in the evening. (In fact I nearly pulled out of this because I don’t “sit”!)

How often do you sit?

I do my own form of “sitting” daily – cooking, yoga (preferably yin class with a deep savasana) or a guided meditation at Little Company.

How long do you sit?

Anywhere from 20-25 mins at Little Company to a slow 2- 4 hour session in the kitchen.

What kind of meditation is your jam?

It varies…

I learnt Vedic with the amazing Jac from The Broad Place, who inspired me to make meditation my own and made sure we finished our course sans the guilt when we didn’t sit. A valuable life lesson! While I don’t have a regular Vedic or seated practice, it’s a tool that I know is always there, and a few times a year I tap into it when I need it. At those times, it’s like being greeted with a familiar warm hug.

When work picked up late last year, I turned to guided meditations in the light room at @littlecompany and am hooked – I go 2-3 times a week. For me, the act of booking it into my schedule, walking away from the office, stepping into a calming sanctuary and being guided into a beautiful meditation is bliss!

I also make sure I book a couple of Yin sessions in each week — in studio or more recently, online.

But my jam? Hands down, it’s cooking and I get in that zone nearly every night! Most recently I’ve been inspired by Elizabeth Hewson’s Saturday Night Pasta Night form of meditation (she’s inspired a movement and even has a book coming out soon!) and love nothing more than spending 1-2 hours on a Saturday night making handmade pasta and a delicious sauce.

Where do you sit?

I stand in the kitchen, lie on my mat or for my bursts of Vedic I have a comfy little spot at home that gets the morning sun and the afternoon breeze.

Maybe it’s because I sit all day for work?

What’s your meditation manifesto?

For headspace and clarity

Hot tips?

Invest in your head! Make space for your own form of meditation, be open to it changing and evolving and stay curious about what you need.
If you choose to meditate in classes, like yoga or guided meditation, add this as an essential part of your monthly budget and allocate money to that. Some people go to the gym to work out their bodies, I go to yoga and meditation to work out my mind!

Hardships?

I burnt out of corporate life in Sydney 5.5 years ago – I had zero headspace and was doing all the things to make sure my adrenals never got the chance to rest or digest. It was on the yoga mat where I first saw the light, found a teeny tiny bit of headspace and I’ve been on the hunt for more freedom and headspace ever since.

Highlights?

My mess has become my message. Burnout is the reason I am living the slower life in Byron Bay with plenty of headspace to help amazingly talented founders find calm and clarity in their businesses.

My Meditation miracle is…

Meditation showed me how good headspace feels.