Eating and drinking Meditation
We all spend several hours each day eating and drinking. By learning how to eat and drink with awareness, we can use this time to experience the fullness of the present moment. Join Kim Eng as she leads you through a guided meditation on eating and drinking that you can do many times throughout your day.
You can bring awareness into any everyday activity; that is to say you can meditate on anything. But for this meditation, we will do a drinking and eating meditation.
So prepare yourself a drink; preferably non-alcoholic, and prepare yourself something to eat—whether it’s a piece of fruit, a vegetable, or maybe even a whole meal. We’ll start with the drinking meditation first.
So sit with your spine erect, on a chair. Have the items, your drink and food, in front of you. And just for a moment take one or two deep breaths.
Now bring your attention to your hands, feeling the inner energy fields of the hands; the aliveness within. And as you reach with your hand toward your glass or your cup, feel the movement of the arm, rising, the hand, reaching out; the fingers extending. And pick up your glass or your cup. Notice the feel of the glass; does it feel cool? Hot? Warm? Feel your fingers wrapping around.
Now as you reach with your glass up toward your lips, notice whether or not your mouth begins to salivate, before it even touches the glass. Notice how the liquid feels as it goes into your mouth.
Taste the taste. Notice whether you’re drinking slowly or gulping the liquid down. Notice how it moves down your throat. Stay present with this act of drinking. If you wander off in thoughts, just notice and come back to being present with this drink.
When you’re finished drinking, as you place your cup down onto the table, feel again the movements of your arm and your hand. Notice how the body feels now with that liquid inside your stomach. Is there a sense of satisfaction? If there is, feel that. If there isn’t, feel that.
Be aware of the breath again. Feeling the breath moving in and out of the body.
When you’re ready, lift your hand and reach for your food, whatever that may be. If you’re using your hand directly, as when eating a piece of fruit, feel the texture before you just immediately put it into your mouth. If you’re using a utensil, feel the utensil.
How does the utensil feel? Cool to the touch at first? And then gets warm as you’re holding it? Bring it toward your mouth. However, before you put it into your mouth, just stop for a moment and smell it. Smell the aroma as it goes into your sinuses. As you smell, can you feel the mouth beginning to salivate? And just put it to your lips, just gently. What does it feel like on your lips? Rough? Smooth? Cold? Hot?
Just taste it with your tongue without biting into it. Taste the taste.
Now take a bite. Notice the flavors inside the mouth. Taste it. Perhaps you may feel its intense flavor. Feel your teeth going into the food. Feel the jaw moving. Notice which side of the mouth you are chewing on. Notice whether you keep chewing on the same side, or if you switch from side to side. And as you swallow, feel the food go down your throat and into the stomach.
Take another bite. Notice when you take the first bite whether you just want to keep on devouring your food, instead of being present with each motion.
If thoughts arise, notice them. And return to sensing, to feeling, to tasting, to smelling.
Continue eating with awareness.
And when you’re finished, if you’re using a utensil, be with the movement, the external motion, of placing your utensil down on the table.
And if you’re thirsty again, notice that. Be with, again, your drink.
Although we may be eating and drinking a little slower than your normal pace, you can, however, use this meditation at the speed in which you normally eat and drink. You do this by being present with each movement, using all your senses—touching, feeling, smelling, tasting, and of course you still listen, because there may still be external sounds. Perhaps somebody is speaking; perhaps you’re in a conversation with somebody during your meal.
So as we practice this meditation, at this slow pace, you may begin to realize how little attention, how little awareness, we have been giving to our activity of eating and drinking.
Continue drinking and eating with awareness, until you have finished, and before you rise from the table, just remain seated for one or two conscious breaths before you rise to your feet.
We all spend several hours each day eating and drinking. By learning how to eat and drink with awareness, we can use this time to experience the fullness of the present moment. Join Kim Eng as she leads you through a guided meditation on eating and drinking that you can do many times throughout your day.
You can bring awareness into any everyday activity; that is to say you can meditate on anything. But for this meditation, we will do a drinking and eating meditation.
So prepare yourself a drink; preferably non-alcoholic, and prepare yourself something to eat—whether it’s a piece of fruit, a vegetable, or maybe even a whole meal. We’ll start with the drinking meditation first.
So sit with your spine erect, on a chair. Have the items, your drink and food, in front of you. And just for a moment take one or two deep breaths.
Now bring your attention to your hands, feeling the inner energy fields of the hands; the aliveness within. And as you reach with your hand toward your glass or your cup, feel the movement of the arm, rising, the hand, reaching out; the fingers extending. And pick up your glass or your cup. Notice the feel of the glass; does it feel cool? Hot? Warm? Feel your fingers wrapping around.
Now as you reach with your glass up toward your lips, notice whether or not your mouth begins to salivate, before it even touches the glass. Notice how the liquid feels as it goes into your mouth.
Taste the taste. Notice whether you’re drinking slowly or gulping the liquid down. Notice how it moves down your throat. Stay present with this act of drinking. If you wander off in thoughts, just notice and come back to being present with this drink.
When you’re finished drinking, as you place your cup down onto the table, feel again the movements of your arm and your hand. Notice how the body feels now with that liquid inside your stomach. Is there a sense of satisfaction? If there is, feel that. If there isn’t, feel that.
Be aware of the breath again. Feeling the breath moving in and out of the body.
When you’re ready, lift your hand and reach for your food, whatever that may be. If you’re using your hand directly, as when eating a piece of fruit, feel the texture before you just immediately put it into your mouth. If you’re using a utensil, feel the utensil.
How does the utensil feel? Cool to the touch at first? And then gets warm as you’re holding it? Bring it toward your mouth. However, before you put it into your mouth, just stop for a moment and smell it. Smell the aroma as it goes into your sinuses. As you smell, can you feel the mouth beginning to salivate? And just put it to your lips, just gently. What does it feel like on your lips? Rough? Smooth? Cold? Hot?
Just taste it with your tongue without biting into it. Taste the taste.
Now take a bite. Notice the flavors inside the mouth. Taste it. Perhaps you may feel its intense flavor. Feel your teeth going into the food. Feel the jaw moving. Notice which side of the mouth you are chewing on. Notice whether you keep chewing on the same side, or if you switch from side to side. And as you swallow, feel the food go down your throat and into the stomach.
Take another bite. Notice when you take the first bite whether you just want to keep on devouring your food, instead of being present with each motion.
If thoughts arise, notice them. And return to sensing, to feeling, to tasting, to smelling.
Continue eating with awareness.
And when you’re finished, if you’re using a utensil, be with the movement, the external motion, of placing your utensil down on the table.
And if you’re thirsty again, notice that. Be with, again, your drink.
Although we may be eating and drinking a little slower than your normal pace, you can, however, use this meditation at the speed in which you normally eat and drink. You do this by being present with each movement, using all your senses—touching, feeling, smelling, tasting, and of course you still listen, because there may still be external sounds. Perhaps somebody is speaking; perhaps you’re in a conversation with somebody during your meal.
So as we practice this meditation, at this slow pace, you may begin to realize how little attention, how little awareness, we have been giving to our activity of eating and drinking.
Continue drinking and eating with awareness, until you have finished, and before you rise from the table, just remain seated for one or two conscious breaths before you rise to your feet.
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