Welcome to this savoring practice through food.
Savoring is the awareness of a pleasant moment,
Allowing yourself to be drawn in,
Lingering with it for a while,
And then letting it go.
This definition is important because many of us don't even allow ourselves to be drawn in,
Let alone recognize pleasant moments.
We often miss them altogether as we move through our lives on autopilot.
You'll need a snack or some food for this practice,
And once you have it,
You can go ahead and sit down.
Before we begin,
Let's just take a moment to reflect and honor on our history and relationship with food and eating,
Which we inherited from our families,
Our communities,
And our culture.
And now,
With the food in front of you,
Just taking a moment to explore it through the sense of sight.
So looking at the food,
Just noticing how it appears to you.
Is there anything visually appealing or pleasurable?
And if so,
You can go ahead and allow yourself to enjoy that aspect of your food.
And how about the sense of smell or touch,
How the food perhaps feels to you?
And you might even take a moment to reflect on the many hands that were involved in bringing this food to your mouth.
The farmer,
The trucker,
The grocer,
And yourself,
If you bought it.
If you harvested it and prepared it.
And now,
Getting ready to pick up your snack or your food slowly,
Perhaps noticing maybe anticipation or salivation as you bring it to your mouth,
Noticing when it crosses your lips,
And then taking a bite.
Perhaps appreciating those first splashes of flavor,
And then noticing how the flavors and the textures change as you chew.
And then see if you can swallow with awareness of the sensations of swallowing.
You might even be able to track the food as it makes its descent from your mouth down your throat into your stomach.
You might even take a moment to become aware that your body has taken in the food energy and nourishment of one bite of food.
And then continuing to eat in this way,
Giving yourself permission to notice and particularly to enjoy the act of eating one sensation after the other.
And if you notice your mind wandering or falling into a pattern of eating on autopilot,
This is a moment to gently return to the sensations of eating and connecting with your food through the senses.
You might even take a moment to notice the felt difference between being present or lingering with and savoring your food,
Versus the felt experience of being lost in thought and doing so without judgment.
I'll offer some silence now to practice eating in this way at your own pace.
And then when you're finished eating,
You can just take a few moments to pause and tune into the body and to notice what it feels like to have eaten in this way.
Thank you.
