I don't like yoga. The first time I tried it, over twenty years ago, I tagged along with a friend to her regular class. I'd been working very long hours (for a company now known as Bastards Incorporated in my household) and simply nodded off in a corner, snoring softly. (How embarrassing.) About five years ago I tried another yoga class, but struggled to relate to the activity and the teacher. Oh, and every time I did the downward facing dog pose I wanted to vomit. When the teacher moved on and another arrived, I continued with the classes, in the hope I'd somehow 'get it'. Nope! Still found the activity absurd, and still wanted to vomit. It was a relief to finally admit yoga wasn't for me.
Why am I waffling about yoga? Because there are other ways to achieve inner peace and a sense of flow. For me, cooking does the trick. Not the quick throw-a-meal-together type of cooking I do on busy week nights, but the sort that requires lots of chopping and stirring. If I've had a stressful week, a couple of hours slaving over a hot stove is usually enough to both blow the cobwebs away and fill the freezer with nutritious ready-made meals. Win win!
Some of my favourite meditative meals include:
Hearty vegetable soup
Boeuf bourguignon
Kumara soup
Shakshuka
Vege soup with brown rice
Pumpkin risotto
Dal makhani
Asparagus, mushroom and blue cheese risotto
Give it a try! I've also found that other household tasks (like washing dishes, ironing, and gardening) can be therapeutic. That may just be 'cos I'm a bit weird, though ...
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