This short mindfulness of eating practice can be done with any small food object.
You might choose a berry,
A raisin,
A chocolate chip,
Or a nut.
If you don't yet have a small food item to eat and experience this practice with,
Feel free to pause the meditation now and get one.
Once you have your food object,
I would like you to consider bringing beginner's mind to experiencing this object,
As if it was the first time you've ever seen one of these things.
We're going to begin by bringing our sense of sight to this object.
You might place it on the table in front of you or in the palm of your hand.
What do you see?
You might consider naming color,
Texture,
Shape,
Bringing your attention to areas of light and dark.
What else do you notice when you look at this object?
Now bring your sense of touch.
If the object was on the table,
Pick it up.
And if it was in the palm of your hand,
Grasp it with your fingertips.
What does it feel like?
Soft or hard?
Rough or smooth?
What do you notice as you hold it in your hands?
Now bring the object slowly up to your nose and see what you can smell.
There may be a strong odor or not much to smell.
Now we are going to bring our sense of hearing to this object.
So we might need to get a little bit creative.
You might hold it up close to your ear and tap on it with one finger.
And just gently label the quality of sound that's there.
It might be dull or sharp,
Quiet or loud.
Or you can drop the object gently on the table.
And again label what it is that you hear.
Now I'd like you to hold the object again in your hand and just imagine putting it in your mouth.
What are you noticing now?
You might notice that you're salivating or that you might be getting a sense already of what it might taste like.
And now slowly bring the object up just to touch your lips.
Notice how it feels against your lips.
Then if you'd like put it into your mouth without yet chewing it.
Or again your sense of touch this time through the sense receptors in your mouth.
Now slowly take one bite.
What do you notice?
Can you describe the taste or the texture now?
And now I'll invite you to chew again slowly,
Slowly,
One bite at a time.
As you're chewing what do you notice happening with the muscles in your mouth,
In your jaw?
And as you swallow can you sense or feel the expert motions and movements of the muscles in your throat bringing this object down toward your digestive tract?
Chewing to chew slowly,
Slowly until the object is gone.
