We invite you to join us for a 30-day online program
SOLVING THE FOOD KOAN
June 1-30, 2022
with Linda Anderson Krech
EMBRACING THE OPPORTUNITY
Food is one of our most basic common denominators. We’ve all made decisions about food each day of our lives. We all answer the same questions: what should I eat, when should I eat, how much should I eat. These questions are woven into the fabric of our lives.
One way or another, either impulsively or deliberately, we answer these questions every day, and all through the day . . . whether we’re alone or with others, upset or relaxed, tired or energized.
Along with pleasure, comfort and satisfaction, food provides fertile ground for our personal growth, given its pervasive presence in our lives. Let’s embrace the opportunity and see what we can learn about eating well and about living well.
LEARNING FROM REAL LIFE
We’ll use the principles of Morita Therapy to align our eating with our purpose, whether that purpose is to lose weight, prevent heart disease, cope with diabetes, or simply to become more mindful while eating. Working with our own food choices provides a close-up and intimate way of testing the usefulness of these principles.
And we’ll use our food opportunities to become more skillful at working with Moritist principles that deal with attention, acceptance, purpose, coexisting with feelings, taking constructive action, and practicing self-reflection. The skills we practice will be transferable to the rest of our lives as well.
Throughout the month we’ll be tweaking and challenging the how, what, where, when and why of eating. This is an experiential program, as all of our programs are, so each day you would have a chance to do something a little different in terms of your relationship with food. In the process we’ll also take time to celebrate and savor food, through food art, poems, recipes and more.
The scope of the program is broad – from the personal and immediate experience we have with food, to the impact that our food choices have on the world around us.
Koans are riddles or puzzles that cannot be solved logically or directly. They are solved by wrestling in creative ways, by taking pieces apart and putting them back together, by looking for open windows and back doors that may shed some new light, and illuminate the path forward.
Please join us for the Solving the Food Koan program. Through our efforts, we will challenge longstanding habits, learn important truths, strengthen valuable skills, and celebrate our love of food in the process.
WORKING WITH THE PROGRAM
EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR EATING HABITS, using the principles of Japanese Psychology, one bite at a time. Each day of the program will provide an experiential practice for you to work with, related to food. And each practice will offer a new opportunity to experiment, explore, and expand your relationship with food.
STUDY STIMULATING MATERIALS that will inspire and empower you to make purposeful food choices that support your health and wellbeing. You will have access to thought-provoking resources through the course website that will support your efforts during the month and beyond.
CONNECT THROUGH OUR DAILY DISCUSSION FORUM with other program participants from around the world, as we share successes, struggles, recipes, songs, and our love of food with each other. This network provides diverse voices, experiences and perspectives, as well as a strong sense of camaraderie as we make our way through the month together.
CONNECT THROUGH A WEEKLY ZOOM CALL with a special guest who will be joining us.
Our special guests will include:
Dr. Stephanie Beling is a well-known functional medicine and nutritional expert, with over 50 years of experience in the medical field. Stephanie is the past Medical Director of Canyon Ranch Spa, and the author of Power Foods. She completed her Certification in Japanese Psychology in 2018.
Joanne Reid Rodrigues is a registered nutritional therapist and internationally acclaimed speaker, writer and trainer from the U.K. Joanne has been teaching her weight management program for 30+ years. Author of The Life Transformation Diet, Joanne is a long-standing friend of ToDo.
Joy Imboden Overstreet is the author of The Cherry Pie Paradox, based on her revolutionary workshop, Thin Within. Joy is a brilliant writer and creative thinker, whose articles and essays have been widely published, including in the NY Times and San Francisco Chronicle.
WHO WILL PARTICIPATE?
Our programs attract a broad range of people from all across the world. Some participants are specifically seeking experience and knowledge about Japanese Psychology, and others are primarily drawn to the themes of our programs. Either way, all participants benefit from the blending of Japanese psychological principles and practices, as they relate to the topic at hand, in this case . . . food.
Participants may be trying to lose weight, become healthier, or just be more deliberate about their food choices. They may want to rethink their diet, cut down on sugar, or start eating more whole foods. Though we each have our own food path, this program will offer relevant and empowering material for everyone.
WHO WILL LEAD THE PROGRAM?
LINDA ANDERSON KRECH, MSW, has been Program Director of the ToDo Institute since 1998. She is the author of Little Dreams Come True: A Practical Guide to Spiritual Parenting, and a frequent contributor to Thirty Thousand Days: A Journal for Purposeful Living. Linda has woven the principles of Japanese Psychology into this innovative approach to working skillfully and mindfully with food.
“Stephanie Beling, M.D., will also be sharing her knowledge as a functional medicine and nutritional expert. Stephanie is the author of Power Foods and former Medical Director of Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires.
Other Online Learning Opportunities
The ToDo Institute is a non-profit educational center located in the foothills of the Green Mountains in central Vermont. We serve as a meeting place between east and west, where methods of Japanese Psychology blend with western culture to provide powerful tools for enhancing our lives. The applications of our work bridge the gap between the spiritual, the psychological, and the practical.
We provide a credit-based educational process that leads to Certification in Japanese Psychology. Those seeking credit for the Food Program need to submit a journal that documents their efforts with each of the daily exercises, along with a 1-2 page essay describing their overall experience with the program.
WHAT IS THE TODO INSTITUTE ALL ABOUT?
www.thirtythousanddays.org
PO Box 50 / Monkton VT 05469
802-453-4440 / 800-950-6034
todo@todoinstitute.org
