“The first time I tried mindful eating, I was amazed at the explosions of taste in my mouth!” said Maureen Fallon-Cyr, a Durango-based psychotherapist. “Over the years, I have come to relish the practice, which creates a sense of aliveness; I notice textures, tastes and joy in eating. I’m also aware of the food as energy that can sustain my day and my activities.”
Eating is a necessity of life. Yet how many times each day do we eat and never really experience our food? While eating, our minds are often elsewhere – lost in thought, driving a car, answering emails or conversing about something other than what’s on our plates. We might chew five, maybe 10 times and then gulp the mouthful right down. Yet, there is another way.
Mindful eating is the act of slowing down and really considering one’s food. Make time to sit and eat. Even before chewing, take a moment to notice the colors, textures and aroma of the food. Take another moment to feel grateful for having food to eat – 1 in 8 people on Earth go to bed hungry each night.
Buddhist monk and renowned Zen teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, in his small book How To Eat, offers additional food for thought: “Hold up a string bean and take a moment to see that it is a string bean with the whole world in it. There are clouds, sunshine, the whole Earth, and the hard work of the gardener. Don’t chew your worries, your suffering, or your projects. That’s not good for your health. Just chew the string bean.”
Janet Curry, a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher, also based in Durango, has seen how bringing one’s awareness to eating “can radically change one’s relationship with food and foster a deep sense of health and nourishment.”
“By paying attention to the direct experience in the body, we can feel what it is to be full, or hungry, satiated or content.” This can lead to eating less while accessing more nutrients from our food, she said.
So before you take that next bite, consider the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “Chew your drink and drink your food.”
