Here are the instructions for Mindfully Eating Raisins.
In this exercise you will need three raisins,
And you will need a paper and pen to write down your experiences.
You will explore the raisins through all of your senses,
Through the sense of sight,
Touch,
Smell,
Hearing,
And taste.
Start by placing all three raisins in the palm of your hand.
Start to get a sense of the raisins,
Your thoughts about the raisins,
And your thoughts about this exercise.
As best you can,
Let everything go except your direct experience of the raisins.
Using the sense of sight,
Notice what they look like.
Take your time and explore the raisin in detail,
As if you have never seen a raisin before.
Don't be afraid to move it around in your hand.
You might notice their irregular shape and size,
Their wrinkles,
And how they shine in the light.
How are they alike?
How are they different?
Take a few moments to examine the raisins with the sense of sight and write down what you notice.
Next move to the sense of touch.
What do they feel like in the palm of your hand?
Pick one up and notice what it feels like.
What do those wrinkles feel like when you put the raisin in between your fingers?
Notice the texture.
Are they squishy or sticky?
Notice through touch what there is to be discovered and write it down.
Now we'll move to the sense of smell.
Pick up one of the raisins or bring the entire hand with all three raisins to your nose.
What do you notice about the smell?
You might not have ever smelled a raisin before.
Sometimes people report an earthy smell or that it smells like licorice or wine.
See if one raisin smells more pungent than another.
Write down what you notice.
Next we'll move to the sense of hearing.
It might sound a little strange,
But have you ever tried to hear a raisin?
Try to be as open-minded as possible about your experience.
Little children love doing things that are unfamiliar and different.
Yet as we grow older,
Notice how we tend to be too old to do something like this.
Move the raisin back and forth between your fingers and see what you discover.
Write down what you notice.
Finally,
We will move to the sense of taste.
Ah,
The sense you've been waiting for.
But before you put one in your mouth,
Take a moment to decide which one you want to taste first.
Is it the big one?
The little one?
Notice what kind of preferences arise as you look at the raisins.
Mindfully choose the first raisin you want to taste and place it between your fingers.
Notice how easy it is for your fingers to reach your mouth.
You could even close your eyes and that raisin would find your mouth.
But wait,
Don't chew just yet.
Simply place the raisin on your tongue and notice what the raisin feels like before you start to chew it.
Move it around with your tongue.
Be aware of the increase in saliva oozing into the mouth in preparation for digestion.
Notice the desire to chew.
Notice any other thoughts you might be having about this exercise and just let them go.
Come back to the direct sensation of the raisin in the mouth.
And when you're ready,
Begin to chew.
Notice what it feels like to take that first bite.
Slowly chewing the raisin and noticing what happens.
Notice the taste,
Where different tastes are registered in the mouth,
And how taste changes over time.
Notice how the tongue gets involved in chewing the raisin.
Chewing thoroughly before you swallow.
And after you swallow,
Notice what sensations are still evident in the mouth.
Notice any desire to move on to the next raisin.
Write down your experience of eating and tasting the first raisin before moving on to the next.
Repeat the exercise with the next two raisins,
One at a time.
Don't assume that every raisin will be the same.
Stay open to the idea that they might be quite different from one another.
Be fully present for the taste of each raisin.
After you have finished all three raisins,
Write down any observations you had about the exercise.
What did you notice about the raisins?
How is this different from the way you normally eat?
What other things did you notice?
You didn't have to like it or not like it.
There is no right or wrong answer.
Ask what you learned into your next eating opportunity.
