Sleeping Better Day 7 - Mindfulness Eating

In the Sleeping Better series, I've been sharing information and practices that helped me deal with my insomnia and I hope they can help you too. Today, I invite you to observe the effect of eating and drinking on your sleep and I present the technique of mindfulness eating for you to practice with me if you want.

Transcript

Hi, I'm Paola and I'm honored to have you here with me on this journey to live lighter and sleep better. On the previous days, We have already talked about some things you can do right before bed to help you sleep. Today, We're going to observe and think about things you can do or stop doing well before bedtime to help you sleep. I invite you to pay attention to what you eat or drink and observe what effect that food or drink has on your sleep. One of the things I have found that has a big effect on my sleep is caffeine. All foods and drinks that contain caffeine affect my sleep deeply. And it's not just coffee that has caffeine, Chocolate has caffeine, Soft drinks have caffeine, Some tea has caffeine. I started by limiting the caffeine intake close to bedtime and I have already noticed a difference. Then I expanded to no caffeine in the afternoon and I realized that it helped even more. Nowadays, I follow the practice of the least caffeine possible and if I decide to ingest it, I only do it early in the morning. I invite you to do the same and see if that works for you. Since we're talking about drinks and food, Today I'm going to invite you to a practice that was very important for me, Not specifically for sleeping but for my well-being in general. It is the mindfulness eating practice. For this practice, You can use a food that you can hold with your fingertips such as a raisin which is the food traditionally used in this practice or it could be anything else like a nut, A popcorn, A piece of chocolate, It is up to you. You can also do this practice using just your imagination and visualize the food at your fingertips. If you want to practice with a real piece of food, Stop the audio and go get it. When you come back, We'll start. So let's go. Sit in a comfortable position and if you're doing with real food, I recommend not lying down for safety reasons in order to avoid choking. If you're using only your imagination, Choose any position you prefer. If this is comfortable for you, Close your eyes, Holding the food at your fingertips and start breathing deeply. Inhale slowly and exhale perhaps even more slowly. Take maybe 2 or 3 deep slow breaths before you start. When you're ready, If you have closed your eyes, Open them again and carefully observe the food that is at your fingertips. Pay attention to details. Observe the color, The shape, The texture. Bring the food very close to your face and observe it in details. Now that the food is close to your face, Bring the food close to your ear. Observe the food in your fingertips and see if it makes any sound. Then bring it close to your mouth. Breathe in deeply. Observe and savor the smell of that food. How does this food smell? Can you notice? Does it have a strong smell or a light smell? What does this smell evoke in your internal state? Does this smell bring any memories? Spend time enjoying the smell of this food. When you're done, Place the food on your lips. Observe the texture of the food on your lips and see if you can still smell it while the food is on your lips. When you're ready, Put the food in your mouth on the tip of your tongue without biting it. Observe the taste you perceive when this food is on the tip of your tongue. Little by little, Move the food to the other parts of your tongue, Like the right side, Sturdy for a while, And then move it to the left side. See if there are differences in the perception of taste depending on the position in which the food is. We have different senses of sweet, Sour, Salty, For example, Located in different parts of your tongue. Explore and play with it a little. Carefully bring the food to the bottom of your tongue without placing it too close to your throat to avoid swallowing it by reflex. And then slowly start chewing it, Still moving it around. Chew it on the right side, Then chew it on the left side, And chew it with your front teeth, Paying attention if there are any differences. Appreciate this food for a while. When you're ready, You may want to swallow it. After you have ingested the food, Notice the taste left in your mouth. Enjoy this for a few moments and take a few deep breaths. If you want, Close your eyes and be grateful for the food you just ate. Perhaps reflect a little about the route that that food took until reaching you. And if you want, Thank everything and everyone who participated in this route. Do this for as long as it's necessary and comfortable for you. And when you're ready, Bring your attention back to your surroundings. If your eyes are closed, Slowly open your eyes and have a good digestion. Namaste.