Meditation is difficult to define succinctly, but I guess mindfulness is one of the primary factors. There are many ways to put it: being present, paying attention, tuning in. It is possible to meditate while sitting, lying down, or walking. It is also possible, and desirable, to meditate while you are eating. Does this sound weird to you???
I have practiced this type of eating meditation in several different classes, going as far back as my college days. Yup, way back in the early 80's! I had a particularly hippyish instructor in the Dance Dept. at University of Maryland who had us take an entire class to eat an orange. I later had a yoga instructor who did a very similar exercise with a raisin!
Mindful eating can be taken to such an extreme for the purpose of discovery, but if you are trying to eat a full meal, and you don't have 3 hours, you might want to simply slow down a bit.
Start by centering yourself, taking a few deep breaths, perhaps closing your eyes for a minute. You may not want to do this at McDonald's. Try it at home first. Then open your eyes and simply look at your food. If you have taken the time to prepare yourself a decent meal, you should have something fairly interesting to look at. Take in the colors, the textures, the simple beauty of the foods you are about to consume.
Then really smell your food. See if you can smell each separate ingredient! If you have included some heavenly spices or herbs, this should be an interesting exercise. And your sense of smell is intimately linked with your sense of taste. Smelling your food will help to stimulate your appetite as well as your digestive juices. You should begin to salivate in preparation for your meal. This will assist in your digestive process.
If there are any parts to your meal that you plan to eat with your fingers, pick up your food in your hands and feel it. If you are eating soup, skip this step. Take in all the information available about the way your food feels. Notice the bumpy skin of the orange or the smoothness of the apple.
Then take a bite. Feel the food on your tongue. Chew slowly and pay attention to the all the sensations. Really taste your food. It will probably hit you that most of the time, you don't even taste what you are eating. You might order a delicious meal in an expensive restaurant, and then miss half of it because you are not paying attention. No matter what you choose to eat, you will feel much more satisfied with your meal if you slow down and notice it. Even if you choose to eat something very unhealthy, really taste it. You may decide that you prefer something better!
Put your fork or your food down on your plate between bites. Take your time. Notice how your stomach feels as it begins to fill up. When you eat more slowly, you give your body time to respond to the cues that you are becoming full. You will almost definitely end up eating less this way. If you hate to waste food, as I do, simply wrap up your leftovers and refrigerate them for another time.
If you are sharing a meal with family or friends, this way of eating will also give you more time to notice each other, to pay attention to the people you love. We often allow ourselves to be pulled into the frenzy of busy-ness that constitutes many of our waking hours. Mealtimes can get completely lost in the shuffle of classes, sports, meetings, clubs, and commitments. Maybe it is impossible for you to eat this way every evening, but perhaps you could set aside at least a few meals per week?
If you experiment with eating mindfully, I'd be very interested in hearing about your experience. Share your findings with us!
I have practiced this type of eating meditation in several different classes, going as far back as my college days. Yup, way back in the early 80's! I had a particularly hippyish instructor in the Dance Dept. at University of Maryland who had us take an entire class to eat an orange. I later had a yoga instructor who did a very similar exercise with a raisin!
Mindful eating can be taken to such an extreme for the purpose of discovery, but if you are trying to eat a full meal, and you don't have 3 hours, you might want to simply slow down a bit.
Start by centering yourself, taking a few deep breaths, perhaps closing your eyes for a minute. You may not want to do this at McDonald's. Try it at home first. Then open your eyes and simply look at your food. If you have taken the time to prepare yourself a decent meal, you should have something fairly interesting to look at. Take in the colors, the textures, the simple beauty of the foods you are about to consume.
Then really smell your food. See if you can smell each separate ingredient! If you have included some heavenly spices or herbs, this should be an interesting exercise. And your sense of smell is intimately linked with your sense of taste. Smelling your food will help to stimulate your appetite as well as your digestive juices. You should begin to salivate in preparation for your meal. This will assist in your digestive process.
If there are any parts to your meal that you plan to eat with your fingers, pick up your food in your hands and feel it. If you are eating soup, skip this step. Take in all the information available about the way your food feels. Notice the bumpy skin of the orange or the smoothness of the apple.
Then take a bite. Feel the food on your tongue. Chew slowly and pay attention to the all the sensations. Really taste your food. It will probably hit you that most of the time, you don't even taste what you are eating. You might order a delicious meal in an expensive restaurant, and then miss half of it because you are not paying attention. No matter what you choose to eat, you will feel much more satisfied with your meal if you slow down and notice it. Even if you choose to eat something very unhealthy, really taste it. You may decide that you prefer something better!
Put your fork or your food down on your plate between bites. Take your time. Notice how your stomach feels as it begins to fill up. When you eat more slowly, you give your body time to respond to the cues that you are becoming full. You will almost definitely end up eating less this way. If you hate to waste food, as I do, simply wrap up your leftovers and refrigerate them for another time.
If you are sharing a meal with family or friends, this way of eating will also give you more time to notice each other, to pay attention to the people you love. We often allow ourselves to be pulled into the frenzy of busy-ness that constitutes many of our waking hours. Mealtimes can get completely lost in the shuffle of classes, sports, meetings, clubs, and commitments. Maybe it is impossible for you to eat this way every evening, but perhaps you could set aside at least a few meals per week?
If you experiment with eating mindfully, I'd be very interested in hearing about your experience. Share your findings with us!
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