Eat to live

Usually, when you go on a retreat… i.e. Kripalu type, you enjoy the experience, but you rave about the food. When you go a monastery you either are eating what the monks have gathered, or you are assisted to put food in a proper place. Spacing out meals is not on the schedule. After rising at 4am you look forward to your break fast… at 7:30-8. Some thin broth with green twigs, a side dish of veggies white rice and some sliced fruit is what is on the table. In addition, whatever the monks have gathered and can't or don't want to eat gets put out. On both days that consisted of rolls or rolls with some spread. You sit again from 9-11 and then comes the second or other meal that has some curry, another version of broth with veggies, rice, and some fruit… banana, watermelon, etc. The amazing thing, even though you are walking and sweeping and hardly sleeping. You are not hungry. I supplemented the time between with about 20 cups of coffee (with sugar and creamer). My fitbit told me I still got a whopping 4-5 hrs. of restless sleep. You can't turn over on a cement slab without waking up to cry about the pain in your shoulder.