Meditation Shots: Taste

Welcome to another meditation shot.

Little short meditation.

This one based on taste.

I have used the meditation which follows with children in a classroom setting.

It works a treat.

Of course it works well with adults too.

In this meditation you will need a small piece of fruit.

Raisins work very well.

Or if you can control yourself,

A small piece of chocolate.

I've done it with 12 year old scotch too.

But that's a whole other story.

Find yourself a comfortable position.

Take some time to really settle in.

You're going to enjoy this time.

It belongs to you.

It's a gift you are giving to yourself.

Place the item on the floor or on the table in front of you.

Take some time to observe it from there.

What colours can you see?

What shapes and textures does it have?

What kind of shadow does it cast?

Now pick it up and place it in the palm of your hand.

Explore its textures by moving it around with the fingers of your other hand.

What colours do you see?

What shapes are evident on its surface?

How does it feel?

Hard or soft?

Rigid or pliable?

Rough or smooth?

Dry or damp?

Warm or cool?

Bring the object in your palm close to your nose.

Smell it.

Does its smell evoke any special memories for you?

Does it remind you of summer or winter or Christmas or a treasured loved one?

Smell is one of the most deeply evocative senses.

It allows us to commune very deeply with memories.

Spend some more time in this reverie.

Now gently,

With great reverence,

Place this item gently in your mouth.

Resist the urge to bite or chew.

Just be.

This is rather like receiving a sacrament.

You are accepting something which is a fruit of the earth,

The result of the labour of others into your body.

This is an intense vulnerability.

Contemplate that.

What can you taste?

Concentrate on that.

Gently move the object around your mouth with your tongue.

What layers and subtleties of taste can you discover?

When the richness of flavour is in your mouth,

Bite into the object.

Sense the explosion of flavour that follows.

What do you taste?

What does that taste evoke?

Mindfully and with great concentration,

Continue to chew until you are ready to swallow.

Can you turn your thoughts towards gratitude for all that you have experienced?

How do you feel?

Allow yourself time to gently return to your environment.

Later you may like to try this exercise with a single M&M,

Seeing how long you can hold it in your mouth without chewing.

It takes great restraint.

Try it also with that first sip of coffee in the morning.