Cooking with clarity.
Cooking or preparing a meal is an opportunity to form a loving connection with your food.
As you prepare a meal,
You can cultivate mindfulness of your body and mind as well as the food you will be eating.
Whether you're making a quick meal or preparing a feast,
Use this exercise to ground yourself in the present moment.
Craig Clairborn from the New York Times Cookbook says,
Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy,
And cooking done with care is an act of love.
Start your practice before you start grabbing supplies out of the refrigerator or cabinet.
Form an image in your mind of the meal you will be preparing.
Envision both the completed meal and the individual ingredients.
Notice your intentions in preparing this meal.
As you begin gathering the things you will need,
Tune into the body.
Feel the body moving across the kitchen and reaching for each item.
To help cultivate mindfulness,
Make an effort to move more slowly than you normally do.
Press pause while you finish gathering the ingredients you will need to prepare your meal.
As you chop,
Stir,
And prepare,
Focus on one thing at a time.
When turning on the stove,
Don't just turn the stove on.
Feel the experience with your complete awareness.
Whatever you are doing,
Bring your attention wholly to the task in front of you.
Use your senses.
Notice if you are hearing,
Feeling in the body,
Tasting,
Smelling,
Or seeing.
When you see water boiling,
Investigate the sight,
The feeling of the heat,
The sound.
As you chop vegetables,
Listen to the noise of the knife,
Feel the utensil in your hand,
And notice if you can smell anything.
Using all five senses helps you remain present and interested.
Continue to turn your five senses and your attention to the preparation of your food.
Pause this and resume playing when your meal is complete.
When the meal is complete,
Pause to appreciate the experience.
Recognize the effort you have put in.
Bring gratitude to the energy that went into bringing the food to your kitchen in the first place.
If you are feeding others,
Reflect that you are providing sustenance to those loved ones.
Allow yourself to feel grateful.
