On a yoga retreat in Costa Rica years ago, I was sitting down to a meal, about to dig into my steaming plate of gallo pinto when I noticed the yoga teacher quietly looking at her food. She seemed to be praying...but not a normal “bless this food that we are about to eat” kind of prayer. This woman was holding her hands a couple inches above her food and I could see her lips softly moving as she seemed to be speaking to her food. When she finished, she slowly and serenely commenced to enjoy her food, really savoring each and every bite. I had all but devoured my plate before she had ingested even a quarter of hers. As I was chattering away, my own chewing an afterthought, I noticed she wasn’t talking. Just smiling. And chewing. I wondered what she could be thinking about so pleasantly. I felt a little embarrassed as I saw how fast I was eating in the presence of such, well, presence. I wanted what she had. Not the food on her plate, but the inner peace she was exuding. And thus began my own love affair with mindful eating.
What is Mindful Eating? Simply stated, it’s a tool for slowing down and connecting with what you put into your mouth and cultivating an appreciation of how it got onto your plate to develop a healthier relationship with food, especially if you struggle with emotional eating.
If you search “mindful eating” on the internet, you likely come across the “raisin” meditation. In a nutshell (nuts are also okay to use by the way), you take a raisin in your hand and start by just thinking about that little raisin and noticing any thoughts or feelings that might come up. Simply notice how it feels in your hand, notice what those feelings feel like in your body. What memories come up? Yes, even the memory of that boy in 2nd grade that used to stick raisins in his nose. One memory that comes to mind for me is that my Grandmother loved prunes (mini raisins) and prune juice, much to my disgust as a young girl. You will be amazed at what comes up.
Photo Credit Anshu A