Food, Glorious Food

Our wonderful instructor Julie, shares with us an insightful blog all about mindful eating, have a read and see what you think.

Mention the word “Mindfulness” and what pops into your thinking – meditation, sitting, a lone activity or with group, retreats, silence, quietness, maybe even Buddhism.

Has food popped up into your thinking – yes, no? Could you be mindful when eating.? Bring mindfulness into everyday life. And what better part of everyday life is there but Food.

So, think about your relationship with food. A daily task. Is it a task – buy, prepare, cook, eat, digest, wash up. Start again. How do you eat – relish every moment or eat on auto pilot – at your desk, whilst checking emails, whilst watching T.V. On the hop, not a moment to spare – a quick bite. Maybe at the dinner table, chatting with friends and family – oh I must have eaten that, how have we got to pudding just now? It mut have been OK?

There is a time and place for a quick bite”. But all the time? What might happen if you ate mindfully once in a while?

Take a piece of food that is handy just now. Finger food is really good for this, and chocolate not so good – but you can grab some chocolate if you really want to!

Look at your food - really look at it. Notice its contours, colours, shape. Do you notice anything new? Have you ever looked at a sandwich before, really looked?

Touch this food – maybe close your eyes – how does it feel? Soft, smooth, rough, prickly, squidgy? What does a strawberry really feel like?

Now smell this food. – are you familiar with the smell of it? What is happening in your body right now – inside your mouth, saliva, your eyes, are they enlarged? Be ever so curious about what is happening right now.

And, just for the cheek of it – move this food closer to your ear – does it have a sound? Have you ever listened to a crisp? I’d be curiou to learn about what you discover here, too!

And now, pop your food of choice into your mouth and taste it. What’s happening now? What do you notice? Do you like the taste of this food you’ve eaten before – or maybe you notice you don’t actually like it? Have you gone straight to chewing, or just savoured the food in your mouth for a short while? How is your body responding to being fed?

And swallow – what is that experience like?

Focusing on the task of eating, being mindful with food – what have you noticed? Was it pleasant or unpleasant? What might this mean for you, eating in this way?

Mindfulness in everyday life – being with food. Just notice. Be curious. Maybe try this out for just one meal each day. Being in the present moment with food and moving away from being in auto pilot when eating. Maybe when you eat, your thoughts wander to the future and the past. How is it to eat in the present moment. How is that for you?

Written by Julie Phillips - to find our more about Julie, visit our instructors area.