Mindfulness of Eating : Chocolate

Mindfulness is the practice of cultivating a clear and non-judgmental awareness of what is going on in the moment .. and moment after moment. 

When we are engaged completely in what we are doing .. with no judgement or commentary .. a whole new world opens up to us and we shift quite naturally to an internal sense of calmness and balance.

Eating Chocolate is one Mindfulness practice that always elicits a giggle and a look of disbelief  in class .. how can eating chocolate be a meditation?

Mindfulness & Eating

This week in our meditation class we were exploring Mindfulness.

cultivating a clear, stable and non judgemental awareness of the present moment

First, we did some movement meditation .. mindfulness of body .. building awareness of our body when still and when moving and the spaces in between.  

 

Then I spoke about eating meditation (which I have written about before here).

 

The beautiful and (often) enlightening experience of being fully engaged, totally mesmerized and sucked into the vortex of eating.

 

Especially when it is chocolate.  But the practice can be even more enlightening when it is food perhaps we do not ‘like’ .. brussel sprouts or brown rice (this is the practice of non-judgement).

Then today I read Sarah Wilson’s blog – and she was talking about the same thing - also pointing out a recent study by the University of Minnesota and Harvard University that found by ritualising our eating ..

 

we enhance our food experience

 

My plate of assorted chocolates was partly hidden under my chair during class – but I could see that everyone looked and instantly became more engaged in the class. Then when I suggested that we are going to select and meditate on our eating of chocolate .. lots more engagement.

 

We then spent about 20minutes just eating ONE SINGLE PIECE OF CHOCOLATE. 

Savouring

Observing each moment. Being mindful.

 

Unfortunately most of us race through the ‘food court of life’ .. and miss the good stuff.  

 

The study found that “participants who engaged in ritualized behavior, compared with those who did not, evaluated chocolate as more flavorful, valuable, and deserving of behavioral savoring.” And that “a delay between a ritual and the opportunity to consume heightens enjoyment”.

Do you have a food or eating ritual?