The First Burp - An Intuitive Eating Practice

One of my favorite things about living an Ayurvedic lifestyle is showing this wisdom to my children while they are young. These practices are a window to your inner world, connecting you to your intuition and knowing how to listen and trust your body.

One of our favorite practices recently has been what we call the “First Burp.” And it’s a big hit with my 4yo son, as you can imagine! 🤣

So what is the First Burp?!

When we are having a meal and practice mindfully eating by,

✨ eating slowly

✨ chewing each bite fully, and

✨ sipping (warm) water between bites,

Our body will tell us it is full with a burp!

Sounds like magic, right?!

Here’s how it works. Our stomach is about the size of our hands cupped together like a bowl. We are generally full when we replace the empty space with 1/3 food, 1/3 water and leave 1/3 air. As we fill it with our yummy meal, the stomach will let out a burp telling us it is full! The key is to be slow and mindful enough to notice when it happens though. It is something my son has become quite good at now. He delights in his first burp, happily announcing that he’s all done! (Proud mama moment 😉)

For most of us who haven’t been practicing this since we were young, it might take a little extra discipline to stop eating at this point. It may be quite a bit less food than you are used to. But it’s so worth trying because when we leave just the right amount of food, liquid and air, it optimizes our digestion. Too much food will bog down our whole system in an attempt to digest all that food. Ever feel tired after a meal? It’s most likely because you over ate and it slows down your Agni, like throwing sand on a fire. Our digestive enzymes become diluted, food ends up moving into the intestines without fully breaking down and we don’t get all the goodness out of it that we need.

So start with some mindful eating practices at your next meal and see if/when you notice your first burp! How do you feel? Stopping eating for a few minutes and see if you are truly full. Chances are you won’t feel the need to go back for more.

If you try, please share how it goes for you, I’d love to hear your experience!