Hey,
It's Priya with the intention table.
So I've had so many people reach out to me and ask me,
How do you begin to even take a mindful bite?
You know,
They've come to some of my eating meditation practices and in that we have these 45 minute meditations.
And realistically,
These people who are attending say,
You know,
I'm at my desk and I'm eating in the car and I'm on the go and I don't have 45 minutes to be extremely present with my food.
And so the answer that I always give them is like,
You know,
In that case,
Then take your first bite mindfully.
And it's just a very simple practice where you engage your senses with your first bite.
And so if you have food present and you're able to take this practice with me,
Go for it.
I'll give you a few minutes to grab something from your pantry or from the kitchen or wherever you are.
And then whenever you have your food,
Go for it.
Go ahead and bring your food directly out in front of you on your plate and let your eyes begin to connect to what you see.
Notice what's in front of you.
Notice the colors,
The textures,
The shape,
The size,
And let your eyes really sink into what you see.
At this moment in time,
Maybe drawing in a sense of gratitude and acknowledging that what you have in front of you,
The pieces of food or the piece of food was brought to you by so many hands.
If it's something from nature,
Then recognizing that somebody grew it.
If it's from a package,
Recognizing that somebody packaged it.
If it's something that was homemade,
Recognizing that someone made it.
And drawing in your heart a sense of gratitude.
So here you've used your eyes and you've used your heart.
And in your own time,
Whether you're using a spoon or your hands,
Begin to send your food towards your nose so you can pick it up with your fingers,
Maybe sending it to your nose and take a smell.
Most people skip this step.
The food goes straight into their mouth or the spoon goes straight into their mouth and they're really missing this powerful opportunity to smell.
So take a scent in and an exhale.
Notice the scent and then check in with your body.
Check in with signals of your body.
Is there salvation in the back of your throat?
Is there tightness in your face?
And just explore.
And then from there,
You might begin to send your bite towards your mouth and let it enter into your mouth.
If you have a spoon,
Put your spoon down before reaching for your next bite.
Let your spoon completely connect to your plate.
Let your hands drop down if you used your hands.
And take your bite and explore the flavors,
The textures.
Notice the temperature.
Notice the taste.
Check in with your ears.
Can you hear the sound that your food makes in your mouth?
And then before you move on to your next bite,
Take a look at your food one more time and then continue taking pieces of this practice with you throughout your meal or maybe it's just your first.
But bringing awareness to what you are eating is the primary beginnings of digestion.
Digestion of your food begins when your eyes and your nose make connection.
So acknowledge yourself at this moment in time for taking a mindful bite and exploring what pieces of this that you can take into your daily life.
