Hi %%FIRST_NAME%%,
Welcome to Week Eight!
How did you get on with the ‘losing your keys’ exercise last week? Could you imagine how this could help you, day-to-day?
Could I tempt you to pop by the forum and share your experiences? How To Make Sure You Never Lose Your Keys Again.
This week we’re moving on to chocolate and raisins and how they can help you with mindfulness.
This exercise is one that sounds too simple to ‘do’ anything, but which always amazed my students.
All I’m going to ask you to do is to eat a raisin (or piece of chocolate, if that’s your thing!)
When did you last actually taste a raisin – or piece of chocolate? [I’ll use the term ‘raisin’ to mean both for a while or the whole chocolate-in-brackets-thing will start to bug you 🙂 ]
We’re normally too busy being stuck in our Monkey Mind’s stories to notice it – and we miss out on how fabulous a raisin can taste.
Most of us eat raisins by grabbing a handful, throwing them in and giving them a quick chew before swallowing. We rarely even taste them. This next raisin is going to be a quite different experience! It will awaken all of your senses and could shift the way you eat, forever.
How To Get A Raisin To Help You With Mindfulness
[audio:http://]- Grab a raisin – just one.
Or a small piece of dried fruit / piece of chocolate, if raisins aren’t your thing. - Sit comfortably.
It’s time to wrap your senses round your raisin. - Look at it. Really see it.
What do you notice? Can you see its texture? What about the bumps and lumps? How does the light reflect off it? - Have a sniff. What does it smell like?
Let your fingertips really feel the shape and texture. How light or heavy is it? Allow yourself to become fully absorbed in the experience. - It’s ok if your mind wanders.
If your mind wanders during this experience, just allow it to be gently guide it back to your raisin. - After a few minutes, pop the raisin in your mouth – but it’s not time to chew yet!
Spend a little while focussing on what it feels like in your mouth, with your tongue and your teeth. Notice what you can taste already. - Then, when you’re ready, take a bite, have a good chew.
Notice the full experience of the raisin’s flavour – how it builds in your mouth. How incredibly sweet it is. - When you have swallowed the raisin, you’ll notice you can still taste it for a while.
How did this experience compare to your usual raisin-munching experience?- Chances are it was much more vivid?
- Did you notice things you wouldn’t normally notice?
- Did you enjoy it more?
- Do you think that you might eat less, if you actually tasted your food?
- What have you learned about how being mindful – aware, in the present moment – can impact your experience of eating a raisin?
- How could you take these learnings and apply them elsewhere in your life?
How about sharing how you got on – any questions, any insights – over at the forum?
Raisin Mindfulness
I know there are a lot of words, today! So here’s a video that guides you through this technique.
And here is one of my favourite quotes – from Henry Miller – to help you take this technique to the next level:
I hope you have fun with mindful raisins (and more!). See you next week, when we’re taking mindfulness and food to the next level!
I hope you have a great week.
Namaste,
P.S. Any techy questions? Please email hello@clarejosa.com to get help from a member of my team. Thanks!
P.P.S. Missed a week? Want to revisit any of the techniques? You’ll find a list of all your current modules here: www.ClareJosa.com/members-only