“Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.” ~Buddha
There’s a few areas in my life that I would really like to focus on in regards to my practice.
And mindfulness of eating is one of them.
I must admit I am guilty of multi-tasking to the extreme. And nearly all of my meals are eaten in front of the computer whilst working.
So my goal at the moment is to practice mindful eating for at least one meal per week.
A mindful eating exercise
- Disconnect. The same as you would if you were going to meditate. Turn off your phone, the TV, step away from your computer (this is the challenge for me)
- Sit in a quiet area with minimal distractions
- Start by really noticing your meal. The colours, texture, the smells, the presentation.
- Take one mouthful. Then put your fork down.
- What are your sensory experiences? What can you taste? What is the temperature of your meal? What are the textures – crunchy, chewy, soft.
- Chew carefully and thoughtfully.
- Take your time before taking the next mouthful.
- Then repeat the whole process again.
- The real key is putting down your fork between mouthfuls.