07 Jan Each Spoonful Contains the Universe: A Short Eating Meditation
Mindful eating is a form of meditation that helps you to be aware of and cope with your emotions and physical sensations around food. This short eating meditation from the Buddhist philosopher Thich Nhat Hanh is the essence of mindful eating.
- This food is a gift of the entire universe: the Earth, the rain, and the sun.
- Give thanks to the people who grew and made this food.
- Only take as much as you need.
- Eat slowly and savor each bite. Each spoonful contains the universe.
- Use the energy the food gives you to practice being more loving and understanding.
- “Let thy food be thy medicine and they medicine be thy food” — Hippocrates
- Food is important. It puts in physical form many of the things we value in life. It tells us who we are, and what lives we dream of living. Have gratitude and give back so that, one day, all people can experience this ideal.
I think these principles are so powerful because they illustrate just how disconnected we really are from our bodies and our food. All of these are true, and have been true, for eternity. But it is almost unfathomable to think of doing these before every meal. Start by doing this (a modified version is fine!) once a week, and gradually build up to once a day, and then even more than that if it really works for you! Even just reciting one before eating goes a long way.
The benefits of mindful eating are limitless. First, it helps the brain and body get into a parasympathetic state rather than a sympathetic state, meaning it is calm and relaxed. As digestion begins in the brain, and every subsequent step flows from this initial mindset when eating, being in this parasympathetic state can improve the entire process of digestion dramatically. Mindful eating also increases self-compassion, decreases negative thoughts around food and our bodies, and increases neutral thoughts, which allow us to just be. It takes away the judgment around food, and allows us to step into our power around intuitive eating, where we can trust our body to ask for what it needs and listen to it, rather than focusing on external cues to tell us what to eat (i.e. a certain number of calories, macros, or number on the scale.)
Ultimately, mindful eating is about separating all the externals of food — the way your body looks, your weight, the number of calories in it, its precise nutrition value, and more — and allows it to just be food that nourishes and satisfies you. It allows your body the freedom to ask for the foods it truly wants without placing arbitrary restrictions and rules on it.