Bringing Mindfulness to the Table
Wow - there are so many ways to eat these days, types of diets, styles of food, fancy pants and then classical simplicity. I have friends who are gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, keto, paleo, vegan, raw, fodmap and more. Are we overwhelmed by choice?
What is best for us?
And this is where #mindfulness comes in.
Last night in class we did the ‘eating the raisin’ meditation.
Eating the raisin s l o w l y and m i n d f u l l y, observing its texture, colour, smell and taste; chewing and feeling the raisin within the mouth and over the tongue; even observing the impulse to swallow as well as thoughts about raisins, and about food in general, can highlight many points of connection for us.
Are we hungry?
Do we pause and smell our food before eating? Can we feel the saliva of anticipation coming into our mouths? Do we chew well? After all this is where good digestion begins.
Is this food good for me? How do I feel after I’ve eaten. Why am I eating? Where did it come from? Who grew it? Is it fresh? Local? And this is where good choices begin.
We eat three times a day, but often we are on autopilot, or distracted with work, conversation, reading, TV. How many of our meals are we actually present for? You know we all love that first sip of the coffee, but what happens after that. Is it only me who gets to the end, and wonders where it went?
#Mindfuleating can bring many insights. I invite you to see what happens if you just drink your cup of tea - from beginning to end - staying mindfully present and not doing anything else. Or to create a space around your meals to not be doing anything else except enjoying the colours, the tastes and textures and to feel the food nourishing you.
I leave you with a beautiful thought from Thich That Hanh.
I saw an umbilical cord
Linking me to the sun
To the river
To the forest
To the farmer
In this food
I see clearly
The presence of the entire universe
Supporting my existence
#mountainmindfulness #mindfuleating
A whole new term of mindfulness beginning July 19. Click here for all the details.
mountainmindfulness.com.au/book-online