When you’re practicing intuitive eating or thinking about starting, it’s normal to have a lot of questions…

Can this actually work?

Or will I just be floating in space, mouth open, eating pizza and ice cream with my jeans unbuttoned

How will I know if it’s working? How can I measure my results if I’m not weighing myself or counting macros?

Does this even work for YOU, LULA?! Is that even your NAME?

LOL. I get it.

Food can bring up some shit. It can be triggering.

Intuitive eating – especially my style and approach – is the opposite of most messaging we receive around food and our bodies.

Thankfully, there are many ways to tell if it’s working… and whether or not it will work for you comes down to masculine-feminine energy dynamics.

If you’re new to energy dynamics, I’m not talking about men and women, or any specific sex or gender.

Masculine energy is simply the organized, let’s get it done, let’s make that money while counting our macros, there’s a hack for that, no time for laying in the field with your mango, princess, I-love-Dave-Asprey-and-Tim-Ferriss energy.

Feminine energy is let’s lay in the field and eat grapes naked, the messy journey is beautiful, it will get done in perfect timing, money is always flowing to me in mysterious ways, the-Great-Goddess-has-my-back energy.

Everything in life requires a balance of these two energies. It’s not one or the other. Neither is better. We need both.

For example, if you’re sitting down to write a financial spreadsheet, that’s masculine.

But you can bring in feminine energy by breathing deeply, consciously relaxing your body, and even playing some beautiful music that helps you focus.

Bringing in the feminine here will make you more successful and the task more enjoyable. If you’re scrunched up, tense, and hyped up on coffee, you’re more likely to make a mistake.

Resting in your feminine as you work through the spreadsheet will decrease your mistakes and improve your pleasure.

Traveling can be a very feminine experience.

You’re in a new place, the weather is balmy, you’re wearing a bikini all the time, and you’re going with the flow.

Bringing in some grounding practices, like breathwork and meditation, can make you feel safe in your body and help decrease the chances of missing a flight or having your purse snatched.

When we’re grounded, we can flow.

This applies to intuitive eating.

It’s all about the balance of masculine and feminine energy.

Today I’m sharing markers you can use to see if intuitive eating is working for you, and a few ways you can balance masculine and feminine energy in your approach to food.

To see if it’s working, check in with yourself on the following categories.

1. Mood.

Do you feel happy? Do you find yourself smiling and laughing quite a bit? Dancing around to your favorite music? Filled with joy for no apparent reason?

This is our natural state when we’re in balance. If your mood is off, it’s always connected to your relationship with food and your body.

2. Sleep.

Do you fall asleep and stay asleep pretty easily? Do you wake up feeling refreshed?

Or do you find it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep, and wake up feeling like you need to go back to bed?

When we’re healthy, sleep comes easy and we wake up ready for the day. Sleep issues are common but they don’t have to be your norm.

3. Energy.

Do you feel peppy throughout the day? Do your workouts energize you or leave you feeling exhausted? Do you hit a wall at a certain time every day?

Are you doing the things you want to be doing, or do you just feel too tired?

High energy is your birthright. You get to feel good in your body.

4. Digestion.

How’s your digestion? Are you having a solid bathroom experience at least once a day?

People often brush off digestive issues, saying things like “Oh I haven’t had a solid poop in a month.”

This is a problem, and it’s something that can be addressed. Your poop is a reflection of your life.

5. Motivation.

Do you feel motivated to do the things you want to do?

Even if your lifestyle is pretty low key, do you feel a basic sense of motivation to feed yourself, keep your living space clean, and connect with your loved ones?

Are you actively pursuing your dreams, or is your motivation just not there?

It’s absolutely normal for motivation to ebb and flow, and to have deep phases of rest and action, but if you’ve been feeling chronic low-motivation for a while, you can shift it.

If you’re feeling great in most of these areas, you know your current approach to food and your body is working – whether you’re practicing intuitive eating or not. Awesome.

If you’re feeling off in one or many of these areas, you know something needs to shift.

Your balance between masculine and feminine energy needs to shift.

This is how I balance masculine and feminine energy in my approach to intuitive eating.

1. Masculine grounding.

Get clear on your power foods – the foods that generally work best for you.

If you’re feeling off in your body in any of the categories above, make sure you’re emphasizing these foods.

If you’re unsure of your power foods, you can do a gentle reset where you remove common allergens for 2 weeks and then reintroduce them one by one, 3 days apart.

When we’re eating foods we have a slight sensitivity to, digestion can get messed up and intuition can become fuzzy.

By removing them briefly you can gain perspective and fine tune your intuition so you know which foods are truly working for you.

Another great practice is expanding your food repertoire – eating a wider variety of foods and noticing how each one makes you feel.

When we eat the same things all the time, on autopilot, it’s hard to know what’s actually working.

Write down 5-10 power foods that deeply support your body.

2. Feminine flow.

Listen to your intuition on a daily basis and allow yourself to eat different foods and different amounts.

It’s completely normal to be hungrier some days, and less hungry others.

Allow yourself full freedom with food.

We are not static creatures. Our needs change throughout the month. Knowing you can return to your power foods if you’re feeling confused, allow yourself to flow with food.

Stay connected to how you feel. Chew, pause, and breathe throughout meals so you can hear your intuition.

3. Clearing space to hear your intuition.

Clear energetic and physical space before eating. A few days ago I woke up and was immediately craving banana bread and coffee. That was my first instinct.

Hmmmm I said, that could be lovely and it’s absolutely an option, but I’m sensing there’s a deeper, even more delicious desire here. So I had hot water with lemon and did my 30 minutes of kundalini breathwork and vedic meditation.

By the time I was done, I was craving something entirely different – eggs, black beans and zucchini, plantains, a little avocado toast.

And it was SO good, so varied, so satisfying, and exactly what I needed to feed my desires and fuel my day of writing with soft focus.

We’re always picking up different energies and we do a TON of emotional and physical processing when we sleep.

Many people wake up with morning anxiety, feeling like there’s a bunch of static inside and they can’t hear their intuition.

By taking an extra pause and clearing your physical, energetic, and emotional space through breathwork, movement, or meditation before eating, you can hear your intuition more clearly and give your body what she really wants, rather than going off your first impulse.

There is a difference between impulse and intuition, and we can differentiate between the two by clearing space in our bodies.

Do you feel mostly ruled by the masculine, or guided by the feminine?

How does your personal masculine-feminine energy dynamic play out in your relationship with food and your body?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

I was incredibly feminine as a little girl, like most of us are, and then I became increasingly masculine when I entered the public school system at age 10.

Balancing my masculine and feminine energy was key to mastering intuitive eating and healing my relationship with food and my body.

If you’re sensing an imbalance within yourself, I hope today’s transmission helped you.

With love,
Lula

Photo: Jessica Torres