Mindfulness of Eating Meditation

Somtam at a winery in Burma. 

I remember wanting to write about eating meditation towards the end of last year, but something stopped me. Although I had practiced this meditation many times, mainly while on retreat, I hadn't been practicing in my daily life and therefore didn't feel right about writing it. Lately, I've been doing quite well with this practice, so I feel like the time has come to offer it up for those of you are unfamiliar, or could use a gentle reminder.

Basically, the idea here is that because we do things in an automatic, unconscious manner, we miss out on what we are actually doing, and who doesn't love to eat? I know I do, so it only seems to make sense that I should try to show up for the experience. One thing I've noticed is that when I show up to eat, I'm more likely to be content with less food. This is because I am more aware of the food that I am eating and it also takes me longer to eat, so I have more time to enjoy it. Even though I'm currently experimenting with eating a more bland diet, and refraining from indulging in particular tastes, I still can't say I don't enjoy eating.

Eating is a spiritual experience. Actually, everything is, but there is something extra-special about eating because it literally supports our life here on earth. If we don't eat, we die, and this survival mechanism is so engrained into us that we are never far from thinking about our next meal. The problem is that food consumption on this planet has turned into a really nasty game. We tend to treat our bodies like garbage disposals, eating whatever we like, regardless of what it's actually made of. But rather than getting into a diet-based exploration in this article, I want to focus more on the actual experience of eating.

If you've never practiced eating-meditation before, I'll offer some basic instructions here:

As you sit in front of your meal, take a moment to contemplate what is about to happen. Think about all the different people that were involved in cultivating the fields, planting crops, harvesting, washing, delivering, prepping, cooking, etc. Depending on where you get your food and what you eat, your food may have traveled thousands of miles to end up on your plate. Find a sense of wonder, gratitude, and appreciation for all that was involved for your food to have made it this far.

Now, set the intention to remain present while eating. If you do, even if your mind wanders, you will at least have this intention to fall back on, and you will find that you will spontaneously remember to come back to the bare sensations involved with eating. Also, set the intention to eat for sustenance, not for pleasure. Enjoying food is one thing, but eating food just to enjoy it is another. Remember: the purpose of food is to keep you alive, not to fill some void in your life.

As you begin to eat, move intentionally and slowly. Try to be aware of each and every movement. When you are collecting the food with your spoon or fork (or hands if you are in India), know that you are collecting the food. As you raise the food to your mouth, know that you are raising the food to your mouth. As you open your mouth, know that you are opening your mouth. As you close your mouth, know that you are closing your mouth. Before you start chewing, stay with the process of lowering your hand. Do only one thing at a time. Chew slowly and try to see how many times you can chew one bite. Try counting your chews if that helps you stay connected.

Are you actually paying attention to the food in your mouth or are you just thinking about your next bite?

Often, we go on eating as if we were always one bite ahead of ourselves. This is actually a metaphor for the way we go through most of our lives. The saying, "stop and smell the roses," comes to mind. It is this idea, that if we blaze through life, we will miss it, that we need to also bring to eating. "Slow down or you won't taste anything," is another one that I remember hearing.

But more than just slowing down, more than just wanting to taste our food, can we find an intimate connection with eating that we've never known before?

With every bite, we should know that we are chewing. We can also connect with the ability to recognize and discern different tastes, and this will help us to understand the causal relationship of what we taste to the mental processes that follow. When we come across something that we like, a whole string of internal events take place that lead us to wanting more. If we had an endless supply of that which can bring us pleasure, and we never had to die, it would be one thing, but in reality, continuing to feed the pleasure seeking drive just brings more suffering in the end. This is largely because we are not aware of how this process works.

If we become aware of how pleasure leads to craving, and how craving leads to suffering, we can take steps to free ourselves from this suffering, and food is a great place to start.

Not only that, but there is so much baggage with food for so many people, myself included. In a few recent conversations I've had with young people my age, I've found that my internal struggles with food over the years is not something unique to me. Even though I'm fairly thin at the moment, I feel like there is a raging war on the inside, and I often find myself losing battles. If I can just take it one battle at a time, I won't get too overwhelmed by the war and can try to keep my strength and composure. Eating with mindfulness is the most powerful weapon I have to do just that.

So I sit, alone, cross-legged on the floor, with a bowl of food in front of me, and I take my time to eat. And as I do, I also take the opportunity to contemplate all the baggage that inevitably comes up during meal times. All the desire, all the shame, all the imbalance. I take it all in instead of just throwing it on the back-burner. By endeavoring to face my enemy now, with each meal, with each bite, I know that I'm doing something good for myself and leaving myself with a brighter future as opposed to more accumulated problems. In each moment, there is a choice, as to how much intention there is to be mindful. Yes, I'd rather just go into unconsciousness and sit in front of the TV while eating as I have so many countless times. Yes, I'd rather just stuff my face, always focusing on the next mouthful of delicious goodness, but I don't.

As I notice all these things, I try to remain equanimous. I try not to get wrapped up in judging myself for the ugliness that I see. I try not to let the pleasure of eating cover up anything deeper within me. I try to keep observing, and allowing whatever experience I come across to be. This isn't about doing, it's just about setting the intention and then letting the experience run its course. With this attitude, we can understand that this is just something to experiment with. It doesn't mean we need to eat every meal in this manner, or feel ashamed when we just don't have the time or patience to make it happen. But if we are feeling up for it, it's something worth doing so as to get a glimpse at what's really going on. If nothing else, it's showing up for our lives in real-time, which as it turns out, isn't something we do very often.

When you stand up to face your biggest problems, you are bound to find a deeply humbling experience. My problems are sometimes so deep that I don't even know they are there until I give them ample space in which to arise. You might not be inclined to believe there is that much surrounding your relationship with food, and maybe there isn't, but if you open yourself up to the possibility, you never know what you might find. Even if you find something ugly, you can feel good about being brave enough to be willing to see what's there.