Here is yet another sense we can tap into, to ground into our bodies and feel more present. How often do you sit down to a meal, phone in hand, or tv on and mindlessly eat? Do you experience your meals at all? What are you eating? Does it taste good? Is it nourishing your body?
Next time, try this...Take some time with the preparation of your meal. Even if that means sitting at the table and peeling an orange. Hold the fruit and feel its weight. Allow yourself to begin to imagine how good the juice will taste when it hits your tongue, tangy and sweet! Feel the texture of the peel under your fingers and decide how you will pierce the rind to get to the delicious fruit inside. Allow your body to get excited to accept the nourishment you are bringing to it. Maybe your mouth starts to water a little bit...maybe you lick your lips in anticipation. Smell the heavenly aroma of the rind and the fruit mixed together.
As you peel the orange, feel how wet or dry the rind is...are you one of those people who peels it so fast that juice splashes out and your hands are sticky before you even begin to eat or are you more careful, keeping your fingers away from the sticky juice? Once the orange is peeled, take a moment to look at it and appreciate it's simple beauty. Notice any imperfections and all of its perfections (how often do we go around noticing perfections in our lives? That's a topic for another post!) Finally, pull a segment away. Peel off the outside white stuff if you like, or get ready to eat that too. Now, put the piece of fruit in your mouth and just let it rest there for a moment. Finally, bite into the fruit and feel the juice splash onto your tongue and down your throat. Chew slowly and meaningfully and appreciate the nutrients that are entering your body. Chew completely before swallowing and feel what it feels like sliding down your throat and into your stomach. It's amazing how much we can feel when we focus our awareness on it.
Continue to eat your orange, enjoying every sensation and noticing your experience. What if we were able to eat every meal that way? What if we could really appreciate our food and our bodies completely? How would that shift our relationship to ourselves and our food?