Mindful Eating
Practice Guidelines
- Do one exercise at a time while eating one small piece of food.
- Voluntarily chew and swallow food by your choice rather than by urge.
Basic Exercises
Be aware of:
- taste (e.g. sweetness)
- the chewing movements
- sound of chewing
- what you are eating
- pleasure of eating
- urge (to eat, chew or swallow)
- you are alive
- everyone involved in making the food
Optional Exercises
- Be grateful for everyone involved in making the food.
- Be aware of the causes of the pleasure of eating. (e.g., food, farmers, motivation, earth, sun, your body, mind, ancestors).
- Be aware of your motivation for eating
Tips
- Eating utensils (knife, fork or chop stick) are on the table while chewing.
- One mindful breath after swallowing the food.
- 20 minutes or more for eating a meal.
- Before eating: be aware of hungry sensation, unpleasantness of the hungry sensation, and urge to avoid unpleasantness.
- After eating: Share your eating experience with others (or journal it).
- Just eat - no other activities such as watching TV, reading or talking.
- Plain taste food makes it easier for practice.
- If many unrelated thoughts may come, check to see if your practice it correctly or try practice in a group.
Optional Exercises 2
- Be grateful for the urge instead of reacting.
- Eat for the benefit of all.
- Experience joy.
- Be grateful for all eating experiences.
- Be grateful for being alive.
- Be aware of your thoughts.
- Be aware of what you do not know.
Optional Exercises 3
Be aware of:
- the 3 stages of eating: lifting food, chewing, swallowing
- texture change
- the reactions in your body
- the reactions in your mind
- smell of food
- temperature
- its ingredients
- you are consuming life
- the food becoming part of your body