Welcome back!
In this action task we will be practicing mindful eating.
Sit comfortably with your meal ready in front of you and close down your eyes.
Find your three-part breath.
Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through your nose.
Set an intention for your meal,
Whether it's nourishing your body,
Simply enjoying your food,
Perhaps you're fueling for a run.
Whatever your intention is,
Set it now.
Breathe that in and breathe it back out.
With your eyes closed or you can open your eyes but keep the gaze soft.
Space between the eyebrows wide and open.
Turn your attention to the sense of smell.
Take an inhale through the nostrils and notice the different aromas from your meal.
Notice each subtle smell and aroma and scent.
Notice all the different smells from your meal as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
Opening the sense of smell.
Welcoming,
Filling it into your whole body.
One more breath here.
With your hands picking up your utensils or simply picking up your food,
Notice the textures and the weight and the feel.
Cool,
Warm.
Whatever you're feeling,
Just really notice it in your fingertips.
As you continue to breathe evenly,
Notice that sense of touch.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Bring your food to your mouth to take your first bite.
Eyes can be closed or soft gaze,
Eyes open,
Keeping the space between your eyebrows unfurrowed,
Open,
Relaxed.
Notice the first bite as your teeth sink into your food.
Notice what the textures are like inside the mouth.
Notice the taste as you chew or move the food called a bolus as you chew it.
Mindfully chew it at least 10 to 15 times.
Perhaps closing your eyes at this point,
Just feeling the food as it mashes in your mouth.
Your saliva is mixing in,
Already starting the process of digestion.
All the enzymes your mouth provides to moisten the food,
Get it into a digestible shape to go down your throat,
Through the esophagus,
Into your tummy.
Trusting that with each chew,
Each mindful movement in your mouth,
You are starting the digestion process.
Your gut is already thanking you.
Your gut doesn't have to work as hard because you are doing it now.
As you swallow when you're ready,
See if you can really feel the bolus or that ball of food roll down through the throat,
Through your esophagus,
Passing down into the stomach,
Right under the heart,
Right at that bottom connection of the ribcage area.
Pause after that first bite.
Notice any remnants left in your mouth.
Let's take the next bite.
Slowly,
Using your utensils or your hands,
Taking,
Sinking your teeth,
That next bite.
This time pull your awareness to what sounds you hear.
Inside the mouth,
Perhaps you can hear a crunch or the food rolling through the tongue,
Or simply just the swallowing sounds if you're having something soft.
Really notice the sound that you're creating as you enjoy this next bite.
Whether your eyes are opened or closed with your next bite,
Really notice what you're seeing.
Even if the eyes are closed,
You can see.
The visual optic nerve still fires when you put your mind to it.
So if the eyes are closed,
You can still visualize your food.
If your eyes are soft gaze open,
Really notice all the colors,
The shapes,
The textures of your meal.
All the while taking that next bite,
Chewing mindfully,
And noticing the visual side of this meal.
Continue to eat your meal and see if you can pull in all the senses.
How it feels as the meal,
As your next bite,
Enters your mouth.
The weight of the utensil in your hand,
The smell,
The aromatics,
What it sounds like as you chew,
Perhaps the clinking of your utensil on the plate,
The sound of the food as it rolls down your throat,
The feel of your food as it rolls down your throat.
Perhaps you can feel as it enters your stomach.
Notice all your five senses and trusting that as you enjoy your meal mindfully with intention,
Purpose,
Remember that intention you had set at the start of this practice,
That you are already starting the process of digestion,
Giving your gut a head start.
Continue your meal for as long as you can in this mindful manner and I'll see you in the next one.
