Hello.
Thank you for joining me for Mindful Eating,
The slow version.
So for the purposes of today's exercise,
I will be using adjectives and descriptors of a raisin.
But feel free to choose whatever form of food you would like.
Hopefully something relatively small that can fit in the palm of your hand.
It's also comfortably bite-sized without overwhelming your mouth.
We want to be able to take our time with this single bite.
So grab your food,
We'll set the stage,
Find a quiet spot,
And settle in.
So start by sitting wherever you are,
Perhaps close the eyes for the moment,
And just check in with your posture.
Make any adjustments you need to get comfortable,
And take a few slow,
Deep breaths,
Feeling into the body from the inside out.
Know that for these next few minutes,
All we have to do is just be here.
Good.
You can open your eyes,
And we'll start by just observing.
So with sight,
Holding your food in the palm of your hand,
Just to notice what's visible,
All the colors and textures.
For a raisin,
Seeing its wrinkles and dimples,
All the shades of dark purple,
Perhaps dotted with tiny white grains of sugar.
Touching your food,
What is the weight of this object in the palm of your hand?
Is it cool,
Neutral,
Sticky?
Placing your palm to your nose,
Does your food give off any discernible fragrance?
Does this create more anticipation,
Or less,
In your body?
Checking in with your body for a moment,
Has your mouth already started salivating?
Is there maybe a twist of hunger in your stomach?
Do you notice a tightening in your chest,
As you anticipate disgust?
Before we actually place the food in our mouths,
Notice when you make the intention.
Watch for the moment when your intention translates into actually moving your hand.
Go ahead and gently place the raisin in your mouth,
But don't chew,
Not just yet.
Just take your time sensing from inside the mouth.
You might close your eyes here,
Bring your full awareness to the experience again of temperature,
Texture,
Weight,
And now flavor.
Notice where precisely on your tongue you taste salty,
Sweet,
Bitter,
Sour.
Watch as the tongue is moving on its own already,
Shifting the weight of this food around inside your mouth,
And observe again the urge to bite and chew.
Now with full awareness,
Start chewing,
Noticing the change of sensation and flavor in the mouth,
All the work the jaw,
The tongue are doing.
Without any need for conscious intention,
Actually,
We can do this so mindlessly.
And before you swallow again,
Notice that instinct,
That urge,
Where is the tipping point when your mouth is signaling,
This is enough.
Notice again before swallowing and with intention,
Feel the delicate coordination of movements as you swallow.
What are you feeling now?
Do you have the urge to reach for another,
Scanning through the body from the inside out,
Feeling from the mouth,
Down the throat,
Into the stomach,
Where is this urge arising from?
How do you know you want another bite,
Or perhaps you don't,
Maybe by now actually what your mouth is telling you it wants is something to rinse away this flavor,
But rather than reaching for another bite right now,
You can open your eyes and perhaps just reflect on how this experience was for you,
Whether moments of pleasure,
Of aversion,
When your mind got carried away by thoughts and you had to return your attention back to the sensations.
Whatever your experience has been,
Just take a moment to offer some self-appreciation.
You showed up and tried something different,
Something that we know with practice can really help us change our relationship to food and to our bodies.
So before you move on,
You might take a moment here to pause and offer yourself these loving kindness phrases.
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I be healthy and strong,
May I live with ease.
