Hi,
It's Theo.
Welcome back for a mindful eating practice.
For this practice,
You'll need to have a morsel of food,
Like a raisin or a grape available.
Generally,
We eat without bringing much awareness and gratitude to the food before us.
We often eat on the run,
Plugged into our music,
While texting,
Or in front of the TV,
Barely noticing what we are eating.
With this mindfulness practice,
We slow down and bring attention to the moment-to-moment experience of eating.
We deliberately savor the taste of each bite and cherish the opportunity to sit with family and friends or alone.
With mindful eating,
We pause to appreciate the chain of events that take place in order to bring food to our plates.
We slow down enough to reflect on the gratitude we feel for having food in the first place,
While also recognizing that many people around the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition.
Let's get started.
Sit in a comfortable position and hold the food in the palm of your hand.
Look closely at what you're about to eat and imagine this is the first time you've ever seen something like this.
Notice its shape,
Colour,
And texture as it rests in your palm.
Take your time in exploring every aspect with curiosity.
Slowly bring the food close to your nose and take a deep breath.
Notice the scent,
If any,
And observe any thoughts or sensations that may arise from this experience.
Now bring the food close to your mouth.
Notice the anticipation you may feel before eating it.
Gently place the food on your tongue without chewing it.
Notice how it feels and how your body reacts as the food rests in your mouth.
Slowly take your first bite and notice the sensations while chewing.
Savor the taste.
Pay attention to how the food goes down your throat.
Can you trace its path from mouth to belly?
With your last bite of food,
Notice how long the flavour lingers in your mouth.
Notice how you feel as the flavour vanishes.
Reflect on the fact that the food you are eating involves many elements that went into making and getting it into your hands.
The earth,
The sun,
And the rain.
The farmer,
The distributor,
And the vendor.
Finally,
Direct your attention back to the flow of your breath,
Letting it come and go naturally.
When you are ready,
Slowly bring your attention back to your surroundings and notice how you feel.
Whether mindful eating felt awkward or was a welcome experience,
See whether you can make this practice a consistent one.
You can even challenge yourself to slow down your pace and practice more present moment awareness with other daily routines like washing the dishes or perhaps brushing your teeth.
The core ingredient with all mindfulness practices is to set an intention to pay attention without judgment.
Take care and continue to practice.
