Eating Mindfully: An Immediately Implementable Yet Challenging Yoga Practice.

An elderly woman harvesting corn with a sickle, and a girl eating a corn cob. — By slowing down and acknowledging the importance of food, we consciously take part in the sacred cycle of nourishment. Image credit: DessiYoga

One of the simplest ways to start practising Yoga right now is to chew your food with appreciation, slowly, and in silence.

Food has a multitude of meanings—survival, nourishment, love, community, celebration, ritual, belonging, comfort, and safety.

Physically and energetically, every time we eat, we participate in a sacred rite of transforming the food into part of us, breaking it down into its building blocks to integrate into our own.

Food Becomes Us.

Sun, water, and soil nutrients become food. Food becomes us. We become soil nutrients. This sacred cycle of life and passage of beings has persisted for as long as life has existed and will continue as long as life endures on this planet.

By slowing down and acknowledging the importance of food, we consciously take part in this sacred cycle.

How Do We Eat Mindfully?

There are many aspects of mindful eating that you can apply effortlessly today:

Pause Before Eating:

Take a moment before starting your meal or snack. Express gratitude for having food, acknowledging that what you are about to savour will nourish your body.

Check Your Intentions:

Before you eat, ask yourself why you are eating. We have many reasons to eat, and they are not always hunger. Acknowledge your reasons without judgement and accept them fully, with delight, harmony and joy.

Appreciate with All Senses:

Taste is not the only way to experience food. Smell, visual appearance, texture, and temperature all play a role.

Can we focus our attention on a single characteristic, such as texture, and explore with utmost curiosity every minute detail of the food we are about to eat? For example, I love focusing on the different crunchiness of vegetables in a salad, the burst of liquid from a tomato, the way oil in the salad dressing spreads around my mouth and coats my tongue, contrasted with the slipperiness of an onion.

One of my favorite food experiences was cooking and then eating with Nepalese friends. The Nepalese eat with their hands, even rice, and they have a beautiful technique for doing so. The tactile experience of the food adds a unique dimension to eating mindfully and truly experiencing food with as many senses as possible.

Chew Well:

Chewing thoroughly not only aids digestion but also enhances the mindful eating experience. In Yogic tradition, each bite is chewed 24 times.

Eat in Silence:

This is self-explanatory, especially if you've tried eating mindfully while conversing. Our brains are not adept at focusing on more than one thing at a time, and silent eating reduces the risk of choking.

Pause After Eating:

Reflect on your feelings post-meal. Are you still hungry or satiated? Notice any physical sensations like thirst, stomach pain, pleasantness, sleepiness, indigestion, or new cravings, without judgement.

Benefits of Mindful Eating

Physical Health Benefits:

Improved Digestion and Nutrient Absorption:

Chewing thoroughly and eating slowly helps break down food more efficiently, leading to better nutrient absorption and reducing indigestion and bloating.

Weight Management:

Focusing our attention on hunger and fullness cues without self-judgment or specific weight loss/weight gain goals can help prevent overeating or undereating and promote a healthy weight. Eating slowly gives the body time to signal when it's full, reducing the likelihood of consuming unnecessary food (which can be challenging when something is delicious!).

Mental and Emotional Health Benefits:

Reduced Stress:

Eating with the intention of honouring the food can serve as a form of meditation, redirecting focus from thoughts to present sensations.

Better Relationship with Food:

Mindful eating promotes a joyful and positive connection with food, associating it with nourishment, connection, healing, safety, and belonging.

Enhanced Self-awareness:

Mindful eating can extend to daily activities, promoting conscious and aware living.

Healthier Food Choices:

Being mindful of food in the present moment heightens awareness of how food affects our physical and emotional states after eating.

Integrating Mindful Eating into Daily Life

Start small and build up from there. Simply pausing before your meal is an excellent start and can be done silently without others noticing. At this time, also take the opportunity to smell the food and maybe even say a silent thank you. Acknowledge why you are eating, and do so without judgement.

You may also involve family, friends, or colleagues by expressing verbal gratitude for the food. This might feel awkward initially, but it can eventually become the norm. You can also discuss the visual aspects of the food, its preparation, and who prepared it. At work, such culinary chats can naturally occur at mealtimes.

Over time, pausing before a meal, expressing gratitude, chewing in silence, and appreciating every aspect of the food can become beautifully integrated into your daily life.

Accept That Eating Mindfully Is Not Easy

Unless you are already advanced in your mindfulness practice, eating mindfully is challenging. If you find it easy, congratulations, and I want to learn from you! Eating mindfully does not require extra time investment since we all eat anyway. We may as well eat with full awareness.

Consistent mindful eating takes practice to fully embrace. Don’t judge the process or get discouraged if you find yourself eating without awareness.

My Mindful Eating Struggles

I find mindful eating incredibly hard. I have a wandering mind, and focusing on food, chewing well with the intention of appreciating its nourishment, is challenging for me. I tend to overeat at evening meals, realising I’m full only 15 minutes after finishing. This causes discomfort and distension in my belly.

Despite my efforts, I still overeat most nights. I love food, and Yoga has helped me make better choices over time, but I still struggle. That’s okay—I don’t need all the answers now. I trust that being mindful will eventually provide insights and ways to better care for my body.

In the meantime, I ask my husband to divide my dinner into two parts, eating the second part only after 15 minutes. This doesn’t always work, but it’s a conscious step in the right direction.

Consistency, positivity, intention, and patience are key to establishing a mindful eating habit that enhances our health and well-being.