EATing - WITH ALL OF YOUR SENSES
CHOOSE - You can prepare for this exercise by choosing a special food to experience it with. Some people choose a raisin or a piece of chocolate. I usually choose a mandarin orange because I love them. Sometimes when I’m sitting in the sun in my own garden I choose a fresh strawberry straight from the plant! You can choose whatever would delight you. For the purpose of this exercise today I have chosen a mandarin orange.
TOUCH and LOOK - First take the orange and hold it in the palm of your hand. Bring your attention to it, look at it as if you’ve never seen it before, imagine that you’re from Mars and that you’ve never seen one of these things before in your life! Take the time to observe the mandarin carefully - really see it - gaze at it with care and full attention. Let your eyes explore every part of it, noticing its shape, colour and the marks and texture of the skin. Rotate and move the mandarin between your fingers, continuing to explore its shape and texture. Apply a small bit of pressure to notice whether it is soft or hard. You might close your eyes if that helps you to focus and enhance your sense of touch. Recognising that this is a mandarin orange, note any thoughts you might have about mandarin oranges - any memories about them or feelings of liking or disliking them. Begin to peel the orange slowly, keeping your attention on the fruit without the skin. Divide it into segments and again notice any sensations, thoughts, memories and emotions that may arise as you do this.
SOUND - Focus your attention to any sound when squeezing or peeling the orange!
SMELL - Hold one of the segments under your nose and inhale naturally. With each in-breath, notice any aroma or smell that arises. Notice if you can still smell the zest from the skin on your hands, the smell of the pulp and the juice of the segment. Be aware also of any effect in your mouth or stomach as you do this.
TASTE - Now bring a segment of the mandarin slowly up to your mouth, noticing how your hand and arm know exactly how and where to position it. Be aware if you are salivating as the mind and body anticipate eating. Place the segment gently into your mouth, and hold it between your teeth, without yet chewing. Hold it in your mouth for at least 10 seconds, exploring it with your tongue, feeling the sensations of having it there. Notice this pause and how it feels to take some time before eating just one mandarin segment! When you are ready, prepare to chew it. Take one or two bites into it and notice what happens. Take time to chew without swallowing, noticing the taste and texture of the orange in your mouth and how it may change over time.
SWALLOW SENSATION - When you feel ready to swallow the segment, bring awareness to the sensation so that even this is experienced consciously. Hold the chewed segment at the back of your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing. Notice if you have already swallowed automatically! Lastly, notice what is left of the raisin as you swallow and it travels down to your stomach. Notice how your body as a whole is feeling after completing this exercise.
CAPTURE - Now take a few moments to share with your family or write down your reflections on the following questions:
How was this experience the same or different from how you normally eat?
What, if anything, surprised you about the experience?
What did you notice with the mandarin (or whatever food you chose) in terms of sight, touch, sound, smell, and taste?
What thoughts or memories popped up while doing this exercise?
What is one tip for yourself that you are going to take from this experience to apply to your eating habits in the future?