Baking For Meditation
Life is a little bit overwhelming at the moment. Anxieties, conscious or unconscious are present in our every waking moment and especially right now as this lockdown persists.
I find little techniques to stay grounded, stay present and slow down, can really help turn your day around. Baking is an activity, a labour of love and part of my job… which is lucky as it is incidentally a massive stress reliever! (AND we have a sourdough starter available now HERE
Baking is tactile.
It is slow and requires a patience and focus which makes it a lovingly mindful activity. It is essentially a meditation.
Baking for mindfulness is a process known as grounding, whereby you see the activity you are participating unfurl and become totally present in the moment. Using each and every one of your senses. Smell the scent of flour, feel the dough between your fingers, hear the sound the rhythm makes, taste the final product.
Another aspect of baking which runs contrary to our everyday way of living, is allowing room for mistakes. Let yourself bake the soggy cake, or the burnt biscuit. Don’t worry. Forgive yourself, move forward and try again. Acknowledge the fun of the process rather than the product. The journey is as important, if not more, than the destination
Baking is creative, and therapeutic. A study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that when young adults took part in a creative activity such as baking, they felt happier and more creative over the following days. It gives people an option to unwind and focus on exactly what they are doing in that moment.
Even the compounds which create the smell of baking bread, are proven to create a soothing aroma and induce happiness.
I found joy in baking, when I learnt the age-old art of sourdough baking from master bakers Iggy’s Bread of the World in Bronte. Since then, I haven’t looked back.
So, I urge you to give it a go. If you are afforded the luxury of some extra time at home at present, try and slow down, and lean into this change of pace. It’s not often this hectic life affords us time to be in the moment! Try and bake some goods which can be consumed with joy. Be patient and enjoy the process.
“Baking bread forces us to slow down and connect with our own physicality; it might not always feel easy to find the time but like any respite or downtime, it will recharge our batteries, something we all need.”
Our fabulous baker Kane has been busting his socks off making 100s of loaves of sourdough each week for our new Kitchen by Mike at home boxes, moulding, kneading, pressing, shaping, all by hand.
If you want to get involved with our new KBM take home boxes, get your orders in quick! The boxes don’t wait around. They contain 5 hearty meals and a fresh loaf of delicious, and very mindfully, baked bread. Delivered straight to your door.
Hang in there Sydney
Mike xx
