Georgie Collinson didn't grow up in a religious household but believes there is something beneficial to saying grace before a meal.
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The anxiety mindset coach and nutritionist says pausing before every meal can do wonders for digestion and overall health - both mental and physical.
It's all part of mindful eating - a topic that she will cover as part of Adytum's one-day body positivity, mindfulness and self-love retreat, Embodied.
Mindful eating is the concept of not wolfing down your food and avoiding looking at screens or being distracted by your meals.
"It's making sure you're chewing your food properly, making sure that you are present and aware, while you're consuming food," Collinson says.
"It's not about getting it perfect, it's not about being 100 per cent there, because it's like meditation - you can't constantly be focused, that's not how our minds work.
"When we're more connected to our body we're less in our heads and less taken away by all the stresses of life."
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She says the tool is useful for those with anxiety or under a lot of stress. During those times the body goes into fight or flight mode and the blood flow moves away from the digestive system to our limbs in preparation to run away or fight something.
"When we're in that calm and relaxed state, and we are not anxious, we have the blood flow around our abdomen, and around our digestive system," Collinson says.
"So we're digesting our food properly when we're not anxious, we're not in that stressed fight or flight mode.
"What's cool about that is that the more we can switch on our digestion and focus on our digestion and bring our mind to our digestion, the more we chew our food, the more we're salivating. All of that is a sign that your digestive system is on, your digestive systems working."
Collinson is one of four experts - along with ceramic artist Fran Romano, clinical psychologist Alisha Polsen and yoga and pilates instructor Sarah Moloney - who will help Embodied attendees improve their relationship with themselves and their body.
Themes explored during the retreat include theoretical sessions on self-compassion, the body and pleasure, as well as body-positive, therapeutic clay sculpting.
"For too long we have been fed subliminal messages that how we look is a big part of our value and self-worth. People, therefore, spend a lot of time trying to 'fix' themselves, but we firmly believe that there is nothing to fix," Adytum's spa manager Renee Stinson says.
"It's time we rewrite the body narrative and truly strengthen people's relationship with the self, for good. Via our teachers, we're condensing years' worth of experience and theory into five modules.
"Self-acceptance is not contingent on how you look, and this is a message that we're focusing, not just for the day. It underpins our entire Adytum brand and the way we are exploring beauty and wellness in theoretical and physical forms."
Embodied is on May 16. For more information go to adytum.com.au or find Adytum.ltd on Facebook.
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