A shared practice
Mindfulness of Eating
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Created bySean Fargo
From Sean's introduction-to-mindfulness collection — recorded in his own voice.
In Sean Fargo’s own voice9 min
Read along — the full script
I'm Sean Fargo. We can bring mindfulness to just about anything that we do. Mindfulness is really just the act of bringing kind, curious awareness to our experience. We can bring mindfulness to standing, walking, laying down, cooking, sipping tea, talking to others, eating, many things throughout our day.
Today, I'd like to explore a practice of mindful eating with you. If you don't have anything in front of you to eat right now, that's okay. But if you do have something, I encourage you to find a small snack or a piece of fruit to start with.
You can pause this track, grab something to eat, and restart this track whenever you're ready. Regardless, I'd like you to either imagine or actually hold a piece of fruit or a piece of food in front of you. I invite you to look at it, to touch it, to examine it, noticing the colors, the shape, the texture, and perhaps any smells coming from this piece of food.
Just bringing mindfulness to this piece of food. Notice now what kinds of thoughts you have about this piece of food. Perhaps you like this piece of food or maybe you don't. Does this type of food bring up any memories for you?
Any associations? Is this food healthy or unhealthy? What kinds of thoughts do you have about this piece of food? Perhaps there's a feeling of gladness that you're about to eat this food. Maybe there's some regret about choosing this piece of food.
Just noticing whatever thoughts come up in the mind. Without judgment, just simply noticing. And now slowly bring this piece of food closer to your mouth, noticing the movement of the hand and the elbow, noticing whether any saliva is being generated in the mouth.
Perhaps there's some movement of muscles in the face. Maybe there's a sense of expecting in the mind. Just simply noticing what's happening in the body and the mind. Perhaps the smell is getting stronger as it comes closer to your face.
And now I invite you to put the piece of food in your mouth or to take a bite mindfully. Without chewing or swallowing, simply notice what it's like to have the piece of food in your mouth. Noticing where it is in the mouth, whether it's on the tongue or the side of the mouth.
Just noticing all the points of contact. Noticing whether there's more saliva in the mouth. Notice the tastes. Notice the kinds of thoughts that are happening in the mind. And now I invite you to chew, noticing the breaking up of the food.
Perhaps there's a release of moisture. Noticing the texture of the food and the new tastes in the mouth. Noticing whether you chew on one side or the other. What is the tongue doing as you chew? And now swallowing the food, feeling the food as it goes through your throat.
Perhaps you can even notice it go down into the body, into the stomach. Noticing where the mind goes. Is it craving another bite? Is it wanting more? Or is it satisfied with that bite and satisfied with the experience? Or are there thoughts of aversion, thoughts of not liking what just happened?
Simply noticing without judgment your mental and physical experience of eating. From choosing the food to touching it, smelling it, noticing the thoughts, bringing it closer to the mouth, noticing any changes, putting it in the mouth, still observing, feeling into the experience, chewing and swallowing, noticing where the mind goes, and doing that with each bite until you're full. And that's it.
That's a simple mindfulness of eating practice. I encourage you to try this at least one meal a day to strengthen your mindfulness habit over time. And congratulations. You've done your first mindful eating practice. Thank you.
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