Mindful eating with chocolate Let's get ready for the exercise.
You can put the chocolate at the table in front of you,
But before you focus on it,
Focus on yourself a little bit.
Close your eyes and observe your breath for a few moments.
Don't try to change it.
Feel your feet touching your floor and feel your seat underneath you.
Feel your hands touching your knees or the table.
Now slowly take a deep breath in and out.
And continue breathing normally.
Notice if you're hungry.
Where do you feel hunger?
Now open your eyes and look at the chocolate in front of you.
Where do you feel hunger now?
With which sense do you want to explore the chocolate?
Try to keep quiet during the exercise and focus all of your attention on the chocolate.
Approach the exercise with an open mind and gentle curiosity.
Pick up your wrapped chocolate,
But don't unwrap it yet.
Place it on the palm of your hand and notice the colors and shapes of the package.
Feel the weight of it in your hand.
Pretend like you have never seen a wrapped chocolate bar before and examine it closely.
Touch the packaging with your fingers and feel the texture.
Pay attention to any sound the wrapper makes.
Examine the wrapper noticing all of the colors.
Look at the different sides of the chocolate wrapper and notice any place that the light reflects off the package and any shadows too.
If your mind starts to wander and think about other things,
That's okay.
Notice the thoughts and bring your attention back to the chocolate.
Now begin to slowly open the wrapper.
Listen to the sounds of the wrapper tearing.
Notice the movement of your hand and fingers and arm muscles as you open the chocolate.
Raise the chocolate to your nose and smell it.
Slowly breathe in several times and focus on the different smells.
Does smelling the chocolate trigger anything else in your body?
Is your mouth watering?
Are you having any thoughts?
If so,
Notice them and bring your attention back to smelling the chocolate.
Now slowly take a small bite of the chocolate but don't chew it or swallow it.
Notice the feeling and taste of the chocolate in your mouth.
How does it feel as it melts?
Notice the taste and sensations of chocolate on your tongue.
Move the chocolate around in your mouth.
Try to notice the moment when it melts completely and then try to notice the moment when you feel like you want to swallow.
Then slowly swallow the chocolate and focus on the sensations.
Notice any lingering tastes or sensations.
How was this different from your normal way of eating chocolate?
What did you notice during the exercise?
And do you have any thoughts about how these principles might apply to eating in general?
