I'm Stephanie Nash and this is a short,
Simple approach to eating with the goal of making the experience of eating more satisfying and less driven.
So first,
And this may involve pausing this recording after I describe what will be helpful to have set up.
I invite you to have either a portion of food in front of you or if this is a meal,
Have everything on your plate that you would like to eat.
And maybe even just as part of this exercise put,
Oh say 85% as much as you normally would,
If you were giving yourself what you would consider a full portion.
And sitting at a table is ideal,
But not necessary.
Just make sure that you are in a position where you can sit upright comfortably,
Not curled up on a couch or with a rounded back on the floor.
And last,
Have some water nearby to drink.
And so if that is not already set up,
You can pause here and do that now.
Good.
Okay so first,
Sitting in a comfortable position with your food in front of you,
Close your eyes and notice what you feel in the body.
Most people have a feeling of anticipation and even impatience the moment food is in front of them regardless of whether or not they are hungry.
That is wired into us as animals.
And if there's any smell from the food,
That will also stimulate that.
So if any anticipation or impatience is present,
Notice it and notice how it manifests as a body sensation.
Is it in one place?
Maybe the front part of the body?
Over the whole body?
Maybe you're feeling something else altogether.
Just notice.
Where in the body do you feel what?
Now take a deep breath in and a big sigh out.
Feel that release.
Did that affect any sensations of anticipation or impatience in the body if you had those?
Feel free to take another big sigh out or just rest your awareness in what you're feeling now with a gentle curiosity about what's happening right now in your body and mind.
Notice if you're hungry.
What are the sensations of hunger that you notice if they're present?
And notice if you have any physical discomfort or any other physical or emotional sensation in the body that draws your awareness.
Just notice.
Then feel the tangible touch sensations of sitting here right now.
The pressure of your body on the chair,
Your feet on the floor,
Your hands and arms,
Whatever they're touching.
Feel your tongue in your mouth.
What does the empty mouth feel like before anything goes in?
Then open your eyes and look to and lift the water.
Feel the arm reaching and the weight of the water as you lift it and bring it to your mouth.
Feel the contact of the container on your lips and closing your eyes.
Take a swallow of water,
Feeling the liquid fill your mouth and feel the movement of the tongue as you swallow.
Feel that swallow.
Is there maybe a second or even third swallow that happens after that first one?
Just notice.
Then take another swallow,
Feeling it go in the mouth and see if you can track the water going down your esophagus.
If the water is cooler,
You might be able to track it quite tangibly.
But see if you can just feel the journey of the water going down into your body.
And if you'd like to take more swallows and track them going down,
Which I highly recommend,
You can pause here and do that now.
And take your time.
Now visualize the path that water took.
You felt it and maybe naturally visualized it,
But if not,
Just take a moment to visualize and maybe still feel that path.
That is the path your food will take.
Now open your eyes and look at the food in front of you.
The volume,
The shapes,
Colors,
There may be a tangible aroma,
And really see that whole volume of shapes and colors of food in front of you.
And then say hello.
Welcome it.
It is about to become you.
So welcome it into the world of you and maybe wish it a good journey as it gets transformed into nutrients and energy for your body.
This is also the moment,
If it feels right for you,
To give appreciation to the care that went into preparing this food from the moment it was harvested until it came to sit in front of you.
Maybe wish well to all the people who had a part in that with gratitude.
And also appreciate the energy,
The life energy of this food,
This food that will become you.
Then prepare a bite,
Whether you lift it with your fingers or prepare it on a fork or spoon.
And before you put it in your mouth,
Look at it.
Then close your eyes and smell it.
Notice the sensations that you experience when you smell it.
And it may smell totally differently than it tastes.
And then,
When you're ready,
Put it into your mouth and feel it as you slowly begin moving the tongue to move it around in your mouth and chew.
Now I'm going to draw your attention to certain sensory experiences.
And if you've already chewed and swallowed,
Before I've finished pointing out possible things you might experience,
Take another bite and join back in.
So,
What is the texture?
Notice is it moist,
Crunchy,
Chewy,
Liquidy,
Flaky,
Crumbly?
Is it hot or cold?
Notice the taste.
Is it sweet,
Salty,
Sour,
Bitter?
Is there a combination of tastes?
How does your tongue sense the taste?
Is there a subtle sensation that spreads into your cheeks and maybe beyond in response to the taste and flavor?
Does the taste change during the chewing process?
Notice how if you chew more slowly,
The taste lasts longer.
Notice the transformation from solid to liquid that happens in the mouth during chewing.
What feels good about chewing?
Intrinsically,
Is there something pleasant about chewing food?
Just notice.
And if you swallowed,
Did you follow the food down the path that the water went or did you find yourself thinking about preparing the next bite?
Just notice.
And if you didn't notice it,
Maybe next time you will.
And is the taste in your mouth after you swallow different from the taste of the food when it was in your mouth?
These are all interesting things to check out with any bite of food.
Now continue eating at your own pace.
This has been a short,
Simple,
Mindful setup to eating a small portion of food or an entire meal.
And as you continue,
Notice taste,
Aroma,
Texture,
And the physical sensations of chewing,
Swallowing,
And any other physical or emotional sensations that may arise.
I hope this exploration into this sensory experience of eating proves to be helpful to make the process of eating food more satisfying and less driven.
Have a lovely meal.
