The Raisin Exercise So take a raisin and just hold it in the palm of your hand and just observe the raisin.
Take a really good look at it as if you've never seen anything like this before.
So coming to see the raisin with a beginner's mind,
Not an expert mind where you know what it is.
So just being curious and then turning over the raisin in your hand,
Just moving it around and then pick it up and hold it between your thumb and forefinger and just feel the raisin.
Again turning it around and looking at all the deep wrinkles,
The surface of the raisin.
Noticing how the light catches the raisin.
Maybe noticing what thoughts are going through your mind as you explore this raisin.
And then just very gently bringing the raisin up to your nose and just smelling the raisin.
Again just noticing perhaps what thoughts are going through the mind.
Maybe it evokes some memories for you.
And just acknowledging this.
And then maybe even taking the raisin to the side of your head and just rolling it around by your ear,
Noticing any sounds of your finger rolling around this raisin.
And then bringing the raisin to your lips.
Maybe just rubbing the raisin along the bottom lip.
Noticing what's happening.
Noticing if you have any impulses and again thoughts.
Noticing if you can feel the sensation of the raisin on your lip.
And then gently placing the raisin on your tongue and not chewing the raisin but just rolling the raisin around in your mouth.
Notice how it feels.
Notice how you can sense the undulation of the raisin,
The shape and the form of it in your mouth and how the tongue naturally turns the raisin over in your mouth.
Spending a few moments now exploring this.
And then taking a bite of the raisin,
Starting to chew the raisin.
Notice the pressure of the bite.
And then taking a bite of the raisin,
Starting to chew the raisin.
Notice the pressure of the bite.
Notice where you're biting it in your mouth.
Now the jaw clamps down upon the raisin.
Maybe the desire to chew and swallow the raisin but just notice what is happening in the mouth the moment that you bite into this raisin.
The taste.
Maybe the saliva in the mouth.
Notice if you have the urge to swallow.
And then as you do start to swallow the raisin,
Just noticing the sense of the raisin as it disappears down the back of the throat.
And feeling it going down the gullet.
And just observing this for a moment or two.
And then as you've swallowed the raisin,
You may notice that the tongue starts to chase around the teeth,
Cleaning up.
And then maybe once you've finished swallowing,
Just making a note in your journal about your experience of this exercise.
The raisin,
The senses that you experienced,
The thoughts,
And the feelings,
And the body sensations.
Making a note of all of these things.
Paying attention in the present moment,
Moment by moment.
As this raisin exercise comes to a close.
