Healthcare

Biography

Bronwen de Klerk is a yoga and mindful eating teacher. She battled with eating disorders in her earlier years and found peace with food and eating through spiritual practice. She has since  studied and qualified in yoga, shiatsu, mindfulness-based eating awareness training, clinical nutrition, Pilates and exercise science. She is a member of the International Yoga Alliance (RYT), Shiatsu Society UK (MRSS) and REPs (Level 3). She teaches yoga and mindful eating privately and in groups, online and live. She runs yoga teacher training for the Meridian Yoga School. She gives talks and runs retreats internationally through her business Surf Yoga Happiness LTD.

 

Abstract

Whilst advancement in nutrition sciences has helped many people to overcome illness and disease, we have more people battling with obesity than ever before on this planet. How can it be that we have more knowledge than ever about food and what it does for us, but more problems with overeating and obesity? We can blame it on sugar, refined carbohydrates, trans fats, fried foods and many other unhealthy food options we now have available, but what it really comes down to is that we’ve lost touch with ourselves and our bodies. We’ve forgotten how to tune in and truly listen to what our bodies need.

 

What doesn’t help is that we’re living in a world of distraction. We all know exactly what our bodies need, nutritionally and energetically. The only problem is that we spend most of our lives distracted so that we don’t actually tune-in and listen to this guiding voice. From a young age we are becoming distracted by television, social media, gaming and devices. Marketing messages are constantly telling us that we are not good enough, but if we ‘buy this’, ‘eat this’ or ‘do that’ we will be good enough. We are always striving to be somewhere or something we are not. We are no longer present.

 

This is one of core teachings of yoga and mindfulness – awareness of the present moment. Through the various practices of yoga and mindfulness we learn how to become present in our bodies. We also learn how to accept where we are and who we are. Through acceptance and presence we can become more aware of what our bodies need – when we are hungry, when we are full and what we need to nourish ourselves in terms of food and movement.