Finding Time for Mindfulness Series: Mindful Eating
Finding Time for Mindfulness: Eating Mindfully.
We live in an age of distraction. People’s phones are in their hands from the moment they wake up to the moment they put on some app to help them fall asleep. Podcasts, music, twitter, facebook, instagram, youtube, emails, message boards, news, fake news, headlines, sports, gossip, there is an endless stream of information and data available to us, and it can be difficult to manage––difficult to focus.
It is important to remember our intentions throughout the day. A helpful way to do this is to find moments for mindfulness in the routine part of our days. Most people who get into mindfulness find that paying attention to your breath throughout the day can help emotional processing, alleviate anxiety, and remind yourself of your principles and values. Breathing is one of the best ways of cultivating mindfulness, because it’s something we do effortlessly throughout our day, and something we need to survive. So keeping track of your breath will help you on your mindful path.
Another thing that should be a part of everyone’s days is eating. If you’re taking part in the average American diet, you are eating roughly three meals a day and two snacks in between. With that many opportunities, it can be an excellent opportunity to cultivate mindfulness.
This meditation exercise is borrowed and slightly altered from Teasdale’s 2014 Mindful Way Workbook:
Take your time, giving at least 10 minutes to this meditation. Please allow for long pauses between instructions.
Observe and explore your food with your wholehearted attention, as if you had never seen this type of food before. Feel it with your hands if you won’t get too messy. Notice how the light hits your food. What do you notice?
If any thoughts come to mind such as “This is strange”, “what is the point of this?”, or “What am I doing?”, take note of your thoughts without judgment, and then bring your attention back to your food.
Inhale and breathe in your food. Notice the aroma that might or might not be present. What feelings does it bring up?
Put some food in your mouth. Does your tongue come out to meet your food? Where does it land in your mouth? Which side of your mouth do you chew with? Perhaps move it around your mouth, and notice if that affects you.
Bite down on your food. Chew slowly. Try to get at least 20 chews. Is it difficult? Any sensations coming up? Take your time.
Try and detect the intention to swallow as it comes up, so that you may experience that before actually swallowing it.
Notice the food as it moves past your mouth and into the body. Feel the after effects of having the raisin in your mouth. What does it feel like in your body?
If you’re doing this exercise. Take time to notice what this experience was like. What sensations or feelings were you aware of? How much does this differ from your normal experience with food?
Reference:
Teasdale, J. D., G, M., & Segal, Z. V. (2014). The mindful way workbook : an 8-week program to free yourself from depression and emotional distress. The Guilford Press.