A “feast” is more than a meal, not just in quantity, but in many more meaningful ways not to be overlooked. We feast in celebration of an occasion, an achievement, an event or just the company of one another. We feast with friends or family, or friends who are family.

On Saturday, I feasted with my yoga family.  Though we were lucky the hosts were phenomenal cooks, every guest brought at least a little contribution, and what we created together was a perfectly imperfect, quasi-themed, brilliant array of food.

While this particular gathering of yogis lent itself to a veggie-centric feast, for the sake of this topic, this is actually irrelevant. We all lined up, forks, napkins, plates in hand and bellies at the ready to enjoy.  We marveled at the colorful dishes our friends created, including upwards of seven different homemade guacs (no complaints there). We crafted our plates into mosaics of everything. We sat in giant circles of friends on mismatched blankets with mismatched plates on the grass in the sunny backyard and feasted together.

Did I have three square meals this day, morning, midday, and evening? No, more like a late non-mealtime lunner-esque feast and a couple random snacks.  Did the dietitian in me consciously attempt to account for all of my macronutrients as I created my messy plate? No, but after looking at that photo after the fact, I’m thinking I must’ve hit them all anyway (not that it matters). Did I eat more than I would have if it had just been my lunch or dinner? Uh, absolutely. Did I have dessert in the middle of the afternoon? Best believe I tried the goodies my friends spent all day making from scratch.

There’s something about this feast that fulfilled me in a way that even the most nutritionally “balanced” meal ever could. Times likes these remind me that food is meant to nourish not just the body but the soul. People have been celebrating with food since the beginning of time, and there is absolutely a reason for it! We don’t throw down potluck-style everyday, but when we do, we should be able to enjoy the food, the company and the time spent together. When I said goodbyes to everyone and walked back to my car, I left with not only a full belly, but a full heart…and a full container of leftovers I can’t wait to revive once I can button my pants again.

[featured title photo by the lovely host @nourishmentnow]