This week is starting out with crock-pot navy bean soup. My post-holiday sugar hangover is yearning for something simple. Clear-cut instructions for nourishing my body, stabilizing my blood sugar and reassuring my soul that I’m doing something good for myself.

Not that I’m judging myself as being “bad.” On the contrary. My holiday sweets-fest was anything but. 

The white and dark chocolate-covered pretzels dotted with colorful sprinkles that I binged on over vacation were the perfect mix of salty and sweet. The homemade cookie assortment baked lovingly by my brother, sent with care from the west coast to the east, was savored nightly (and okay, daily) with ice-cold glasses of milk. And the gift of pumpkin spice bread that tasted like Christmas was devoured right after it landed on my doorstep (btw, I did have some help!).

For everything there is a season and for me, the holiday season is for eating. The span from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day pulls me like a magnet toward the aromatic and gustatory delights of my childhood with new ones thrown in to keep the party going. It’s a six-week marathon of sugarplum fairies dancing on my taste buds.

But today is the first Monday in January. It’s time to turn in my dance card and go back to a more sustainable way of eating in order to be a fully functioning and healthy human being.  

This navy bean soup recipe lays out the instructions for doing just that. It’s simple as pie without the sugary filling: chop up some veggies, throw in a handful of spices, pour in a bag of navy beans and add liquid. Eight hours later, just the time I’d be reaching for something quick to satisfy my stomach rumblings (and ease my sugar withdrawal) dinner will be done and I’ll take my seat at the table with a steaming bowl of healthy goodness.

Now, at this point you may be wondering, why am I going off about navy bean soup and what does soup have to do with meditation?

Well, just like this simple recipe helped me find my way back from my holiday sugar marathon, the instructions for meditation practice are always there for us to come back to.  Even when we feel we’re too busy to sit. Even when we’ve been away for so long that it feels impossible to return. These simple steps are always within reach:

• Take a comfortable seat

• Become aware of your breath

• When you notice your thoughts have taken you away label them “thinking”

• And return to your breath.

• Repeat for 5, 10, 20, 30 minutes or whichever amount of time works for you.

Meditation, like a bowl of nourishing soup, will return you to what Buddhists call bodhichitta, your own natural goodness.

Now, even though I’ve made an intention to shift my eating habits, I’ve been through this plenty of times to know that my plan won’t come without setbacks. The recent batch of chocolate-covered pretzels that I made for New Year’s Eve, well, there are still plenty left. There’s a good chance I’ll slip. But because I know I have recipes for both navy bean soup and meditation to rely on, I always have the chance to begin again.