MEDITATION AT MEAL TIMES

So at the moment I'm reading 'The Miracle of Mindfulness - the classic guide to meditation by the world's most revered master' / Thich Nhat Hanh and it has brought to light some wonderful things I'd like to share with you.

~ Mindfulness should not just be something practiced during 20 minutes of daily meditation. ~

It should be something you work on whenever you can. And one example of when we're very bad at living in the present moment and being self-aware is meal times/snack time/ tea time. We tend to prepare our next forkful before we've finished the present one, eager to get onto the next task of the day, or drink a cup of tea whilst watching the TV and barely even realise we've drank it. Or the worst... Read through your e-mails on your phone over breakfast. This is the opposite of being mindful - this is living in the future, moving from one activity to the next, constantly one step ahead.

Food and drink is one of the ways in which we nourish our bodies, and these should be times of calm, present thinking. You should take each forkful or each sip at a time and proceed only after that. Hanh teaches that meal time is one of the perfect times of the day when we can practice mindfulness in a meditative way, by concentrating and appreciating the food and drink we have and thinking about its flavours, being careful not to let your mind drift to the next task of the day.

I find this easier by planning my day. Making lists in the morning and evening - so that I allow myself time to be mindful and present without scurrying thoughts and mental lists that I'm trying to keep a hold of.

I propose you put down the electricals! NO phones or TV during meal time. Take meal times as an opportunity to meditate and be mindful.

Plus, if your goal is weight loss, taking time to concentrate on your food will subconsciously make you feel more full than if you eat your food and barely realise you have done so.

Have a beautiful day!

Courtney x