Mindful Eating Exercise
“In this food I see clearly the presence of the entire universe supporting my existence.” Thich Nhat Hanh
When we look at the vegetables, we see the sunshine, rain, earth, and a lot of hard-loving work. Mindfully eating means eating with attention and awareness (attending and befriending food). Mindful eating is being present, moment by moment, for each sensation that happens during eating, such as smelling, seeing, chewing, tasting, and swallowing. When we try to practice mindfulness our minds easily wander off into the chattering mind. The same happens when we eat mindfully. It is important to remember not to judge yourself when you notice your mind drifting off. Instead, just keep returning to the awareness of smell, color, texture, taste, chew, bite or swallow.
You will need one small piece of food—chocolate, grapes, a slice of apple, orange section etc.
Take one bite of an apple slice and then close your eyes. Wait to begin chewing.
Notice all the body sensations, taste, texture, temperature, and sensation
that is going on in your mouth.Begin chewing now. Chew slowly, just noticing all the sensations of chewing.
It's normal that your mind will want to wander off. When your mind starts to wander off, do not judge yourself or focus on it, just come back to the body sensations of chewing.
In these moments you may find yourself wanting to swallow the apple. See if you can
stay present to that sensation without needing to change it, deny it, or even swallow. Just stay with the chewing and the awareness of body sensations.Now swallow the apple, and try to follow the body sensations of the apple moving toward the back of your tongue and into your throat.
Swallow the apple, following it until you can no longer feel any sensation of the food remaining.
Become aware of any body sensations or thoughts about wanting to eat another slice.
Eat another slice of the apple following the same steps.
Continue using the same mindfulness of eating until the apple is gone.
